Russia's Sisters of Mercy and the Great War:
Subtitle
More Than Binding Men's Wounds
They are Russian nurses' war stories, filled with danger and deprivation, excitement and opportunity, sorrow and trauma, scandal and controversy that remain largely untold. The wartime experiences of Russia's "Sisters of Mercy" are brought out of the shadows to show how these nurses of the Great War, far from merely binding wounds, provided vital services that put them squarely in traditionally "masculine" territory, both literally and figuratively.
The nurses, especially those at the frontlines, experienced extreme cold, constant fatigue, infectious diseases, deadly artillery fire, and aerial bombardment. They assumed public leadership roles,were often in command of men and operated in a sphere traditionally considered exclusively masculine.They challenged social conventions surrounding gender and war by engaging in activities considered inappropriate for women.
Filled with compelling eyewitness accounts of women who stepped outside their assigned roles in Russian society, this book gives us our first clear view of what wartime service was like for these nurses in the Great War. From memoirs and diaries, contemporary periodicals and reminiscences, we learn about these women's motivations, their work, cultural stereotypes and conventions that shaped their experiences, and their interactions with the men they cared for and served with. Stoff also explores the cultural and social implications of the Sisters' service — in relation to the government, the military and the church — both immediate and long-term. The first up-close and in-depth study of Russia's nurses in the Great War, this work restores a critical chapter to the historical narrative of the war, and to the larger history of gender and culture in early 20th-century Russia.
Bio
Laurie S. Stoff is an Honors Faculty Fellow, Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. She is affiliated with the Melikian Center: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies; and Office of Veteran Academic and Military Engagement.
Praise for this book
Stoff’s latest work significantly advances our knowledge of the evolution of Russian nursing and its long-ignored place in the history of the tsarist empire’s healing professions in the early 20th century. This book, written in clear, jargon-free prose, greatly enhances our understanding of an important aspect of Russia’s military history. The author is to be commended for delving so thoroughly and engagingly into this subject.
The Russian Review
Stoff’s work is path-breaking in telling a story that's never been told before. She has gathered a host of scattered sources and produced a compelling account of how women caught up in Russia's Great War understood themselves and their place in Russian society.
David R. Stone Author of "The Russian Army in the Great War: The Eastern Front, 1914–1917"
