(Zhe), an emphatic particle, or spoken exclamation mark, of the Russian language serves as the attention grabbing title of our journal - otherwise described as "Stanford's Student Journal of Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies." We think that "Zhe" captures the very essence of our interdisciplinary journal: area emphasis and enthusiasm, all rolled up into one syllable! The geographic territory and fields relevant to this journal are vast: in the area of and around the former Soviet Union lie some of our world's most interesting and vital fault-lines of politics, history, literature, and language. We hope this journal will help the Stanford student body better acquaint itself with the parts of the world where the particle "zhe" is still understood today.