The Network has a particularly important role at a time of economic and political uncertainty and the expertise and research interestes of its members constitute an invaluable resource for graduate students, postdoctoral and visiting scholars. Recent graduate students registered with the Network include Mohamad Rahimi (2010) and Anne McShane, who successfully defended her doctoral thesis on 'The “Woman Question” in the Soviet Union, 1917- 1939' in 2018.