On Wednesday, November 13, Nathalie Vogel discussed Cossack history at The Institute of World Politics.
After some introductory remarks about the role of John Basil Turchin in American history and his application of equestrian-based Cossack warfare, she focused on several central points about the Cossack people. First, she noted, the Cossacks were never slaves. They developed their own language, lived independently, and elected their own leaders. They were an inclusive community in that they would bring into their group entire communities or villages. Finally, Ms. Vogel noted that the early Cossacks did not have a solid understanding of the concept of a nation, state, or border.
Given these characteristics, Ms. Vogel briefly described some of history of the Cossack people, as well as the tensions they experienced with more formal nation-states around them.
This lecture was sponsored by the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies.
