Guerrilla History The Life and Times of Svetlana Grigorevna Ter-Minasova [From the Archives]
Nov 7, 2025
Svetlana Grigorevna Ter-Minasova is a prominent figure in Soviet and Russian foreign language education, now a Professor Emeritus. In this engaging conversation, she shares her childhood memories of growing up in WWII Moscow and how those experiences shaped her life. She humorously attributes her survival to Stalin and reflects on the complexities of Soviet civic education. From her role in nurturing future linguists to her views on gender equality in academia, Svetlana's insights are both nostalgic and thought-provoking.
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Childhood Freedom During Wartime
- Svetlana recounts becoming unexpectedly free as a young child during WWII because her parents were absent due to war duties.
- She describes playing outside all day and only feeling true fear during victory events and prisoner processions.
Postwar Scarcity In School
- She recalls postwar shortages where three children shared one textbook and large school classes because many schools were ruined.
- Svetlana frames this scarcity as normal because children had no other reference point.
A Lifelong English Career
- Svetlana explains she studied English for 75 years and taught it for 60 years after joining Moscow State University's English department.
- She contrasts reading-based learning under the Iron Curtain with later international academic contacts.
