Celebrating the Centenary: The History of the Founding of the Russian Lectureship at the University of Glasgow

Abstract

It is safe to say that the lectureship in Russian at the University of Glasgow could not have been established without the extraordinary support given to the Faculty of Modern Languages by Principal Donald MacAlister (1854–1934). Principal MacAlister, a selflearner of Russian, not only partially financed, but also actively encouraged the establishment of what is one of the oldest Russian lectureships in the U.K. Though many would associate the establishment of the lectureship solely with the significant financial gift of William Weir to the university, the role of Principal MacAlister gained a new significance during the explorations carried out by Glasgow University’s Russian students in the University Archives. While some information on the relations between the University of Glasgow and Russian institutions is available, there is still a lot of exploration to be done into the intricacies of this relationship and the main figures who shaped the lectureship. Under the auspices of the Chancellor’s Fund and the Russian department, we, students of Russian in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of Glasgow University, were able to uncover remarkable detail about how Russian at the University of Glasgow truly came about. The primary purpose of the Russian lectureship appears to have been of a much more prosaic, commercial nature than that of a romantic endeavour to master the likes of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky in the original. Not only did Principal MacAlister and Lady MacAlister tender a sum of around £14,000 to the University and by extension to the modern languages, but he also singlehandedly wrote the ‘Memorandum containing suggestions for the promotion in Glasgow of closer relations with Russia’, dated September 1916. In the Memorandum, the primary goals of the lectureship were outlined, and very quickly it became apparent that the lectureship was not only meant to provide ‘instruction in the Russian language’ but also to promote trade relations with a specific focus on training Russian-speaking commerce graduates. Within the Memorandum, good relations with the Glasgow Commercial College were emphasized as paramount. The lecturer-to-be was specifically instructed to arrange, ‘with the help of a qualified colleague’, evening Russian courses focused on reading, writing, speaking, commercial correspondence and economics of Russian trade. These courses were specifically to be adapted to those students already in business and to those aspiring to be ultimately employed by Russian firms requiring British employees. The urgency to boost trade relations and the economy between the two countries is palpable in MacAlister’s use of language. MacAlister envisioned a ‘bureau or office, under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchant’s House’ to be established as a part of the same endeavour, to facilitate the