Five senior scholars offer their personal views on where the discipline has been, where it is today, and what might be ahead.

The Zaporozhian Cossacks, painted by Ilya Repin in the years 1880-1891, echoed some of the clichés found in Nikolai Gogol's historical tale Taras Bulba (1835-42). The diverse qualities ascribed to the legendary Cossacks made them a mirror of Russians' national identity and unfullfilled aspirations.