Languages of Eighteenth-century Russian Diplomacy in European Context

• Applicant: Dr. Vladislav Rjeoutski
• Subject Area: Early Modern History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 465387972

This project explores the evolution of linguistic practices in European diplomacy during the ‘long’ eighteenth century and, more specifically, the rise of French as the universal language of diplomacy. While it is not a secret that French was the dominant language of European elites in general during that period, we know surprisingly little about the ways in which this cultural trend translated into major linguistic shifts in diplomacy. Exploring and mapping out the pace, the mechanisms, and the reasons for this change is the main objective of the project. This will also help us to better understand similar processes in our modern world where ‘universal’ languages have become a reality in some professional fields. While most of existing research on this topic focused on specific Western European countries and specific and narrow time periods, our project will be the first to take a broader perspective and to track these changes throughout the ‘long’ eighteenth century, as well as to shift attention to Russia and to explore the developments at the ‘periphery’ of Europe by considering Russia against the backdrop of Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, Sweden, and, occasionally, some other polities. One of the central themes of this project is the coevolution of linguistic practices of European diplomacy with the practices in two areas, sociability and education. Our approach will involve studying ‘professional’ linguistic practices of diplomats in the context of their commercial, masonic and, indeed, social exchanges, which affected the language choices they made in diplomatic correspondence. This is salient in the case of Russian diplomats who have faced particularly severe challenges as they sought to cope with the diverse cultural and social roles of an eighteenth-century diplomat, given the relative novelty of these roles in Russia itself. We will address the uses of language across various types of communications in diplomacy; the practices of studying foreign languages among diplomats; the ethnic composition of diplomatic corps and the impact that its diversity had on the languages of diplomacy. Finally, we will explore the tensions produced by the emergence of French as a Pan-European language of diplomacy against the backdrop of nascent proto-nationalism as European countries were beginning to reflect on their historical roots and to implement policies to promote their own vernaculars (most notably, in Russia’s case, mandating the use of Russian by diplomats in certain situations). Ultimately, our exploration will contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the birth of ‘modern’ diplomacy in Europe and will help us to reconsider the traditional view of center/periphery division in the European diplomatic history.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Russia
• Partner Organisation: Russian Science Foundation, until 3/2022
• Cooperation Partner: Igor Fedyukin, Ph.D., until 3/2022