Did Arctic and Siberian Indigenous literacy truly begin with alphabets introduced by Russian missionaries and Soviet modernizers? This talk challenges that assumption by examining non-alphabetic traditions (ideographic and pictographic signs and texts) historically and today across Indigenous communities in Siberia and the Arctic, revealing alternative literacies.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan is proud to launch a new lecture series spotlighting the rich multicultural and multilingual traditions of the regions we study and teach.

The series challenges the field’s longstanding Slavic-centric focus by highlighting historically understudied communities that, by default—as seen in the very term “Slavic studies” as a common synonym for Eastern European regional studies—have too often been overlooked or excluded. Distinguished scholars will present on these cultures’ histories, languages, and artistic contributions.

For online (Zoom) attendance, please register here: https://myumi.ch/E82N5