Doctoral Dissertation by V.V. Pokshishevsky: Thorny Path to Recognition

Abstract

The paper based on archival records reveals little-known episodes of doctoral dissertation defense by the outstanding Russian economic geographer Vadim Vyacheslavovich Pokshishevsky. By choosing a theme of historical-geographical analysis of migrations in prerevolutionary Russia for over the four centuries period and conducting a fundamental study, the author thereby ‘challenged’ the Soviet science ban on geographical studies of migration and population following the defeat of anthropogeography in the 1930s. In his work, he had ‘returned’ these important areas to the mainstream of socioeconomic geography. The archive documents allowed us to restore an almost complete picture of V.V. Pokshishevsky’s nine-year life period associated with the dissertation preparation at the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and its further defense at Lomonosov Moscow State University in April 1949 and later formal approval. After 4.5 years of working on the dissertation, it took another 1.5 years of expecting the defense and then three more years of discussions in the Higher Attestation Commission of the USSR. The work was repeatedly subjected to intensified critical attacks from a number of researchers with the simultaneous support of leading scientists of the country and was completely revised (fully rewritten) by the author according to the remarks received. Finally, for the research performed V.V. Poksishevsky was awarded the degree of Doctor of Geographical Sciences in March 1952. The story of the doctoral dissertation defense by V.V. Poksishevsky indirectly reflects all the difficulties of Soviet geographical science development in the late 1940s–early 1950s, especially the relations and discussions in the professional community of that period.