BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//UM//UM*Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Detroit TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo/America/Detroit X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20070311T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20071104T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250813T114501 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250909T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250909T190000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Distinguished Lecture. Putin's Eternal War DESCRIPTION:Vladimir Putin ignites the largest war in Europe by invading Ukraine\, claiming all the while he wants \"peace.\" He helps Iran develop its ballistic missile program\, expands military cooperation with North Korea\, floods Africa with weapons\, and turns Russia into an armed fortress. Putin seems to think war is working for him. Is it? Or could it imperil his country's welfare and his own political survival? Jill Dougherty\, author of *My Russia: What I Saw Inside the Kremlin*\, examines the evidence.\n \n Jill Dougherty served as CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief for almost a decade\, as well as covering the White House and U.S. State Department. She currently is CNN's on-air contributor on Russia issues and teaches at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Her areas of interest are disinformation and young people in Russia. She travels widely in the region\, with a special focus on the Baltic countries and Georgia.\n\nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:136809-21879165@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/136809 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - 10th Floor CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250715T103943 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250910T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250910T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CCPS Lecture. Polish Diaspora Identities in Archival Home Movies DESCRIPTION:In this talk\, Zborowska will examine home movies and related oral histories as sources for studying the transformation of the Polish-American diaspora. Her project “Critical Archives of Ordinariness: Vernacular Moving Image Practices and Migrant Identity in Polish Chicago” juxtaposes home movies — “ordinary” motion pictures created for family and close friends — with interviews with their creators to uncover the “not-so-ordinary” capabilities of this underused data source for studying and empowering underrepresented groups. Zborowska’s work shows how analogue home movies offer a unique insight into the lives of individuals and families\, as well as the experience of migration\, adaptation to new environments\, and changing lifestyles\, habits\, values\, and norms.\n\n Agata Zborowska is a cultural historian with research interests at the intersection of material and visual cultures\, property relations\, and critical archival studies. Her project “Critical Archives of Ordinariness: Vernacular Moving Image Practices and Migrant Identity in Polish Chicago” investigates pre-digital era home movies and related oral histories to challenge and broaden our understanding of evolving migrant and diaspora identities. As a Chicago Film Archives scholar in residence\, she works on the Polish diaspora film collection to increase community access to archival material. Her research has been supported by the European Commission\, Kosciuszko Foundation\, Franke Institute for Humanities at the University of Chicago\, Al Larvick Conservation Fund\, and Polish National Science Centre.\n\nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:136416-21878642@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/136416 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250914T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250914T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881028@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250903T112346 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250914T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250914T170000 SUMMARY:Reception / Open House:*Between Voice and Silence* Opening Reception DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force.\n\nMeet the artists at the opening reception on Sunday\, September 14 from 3-5 pm in the the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery\, where the exhibition will be displayed through October 5\, 2025. \n\nThis program was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project.\n\nPhoto is of the three artists: Ira Bondarenko\, Katya Lisova\, and Matvii Vaisberg.\n\nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137829-21880851@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137829 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250916T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250916T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881030@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250917T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250917T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881031@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250918T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250918T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881032@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250919T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250919T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881033@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250921T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250921T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881035@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250923T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250923T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881037@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250924T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250924T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881038@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250925T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250925T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881039@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250926T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250926T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881040@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250924T143648 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250926T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250926T170000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 1 DESCRIPTION: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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nFor online (Zoom) attendance\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/E82N5 UID:139831-21886102@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/139831 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Modern Languages Building - 3308 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250928T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250928T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881042@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250930T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250930T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881044@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251001T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251001T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881045@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251002T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251002T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881046@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251003T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251003T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881047@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250925T083411 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251005T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251005T180000 SUMMARY:Exhibition:Art Exhibition. \"Between Voice and Silence\" DESCRIPTION:CREES is delighted to support the international art exhibition Between Voice and Silence. Dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov\, the exhibit’s title is borrowed from one of his poems. Exploring the role of empathy and humanity in the times of crisis\, Ukrainian and American artists Katya Lisova (textiles)\, Matvii Vaisberg (prints)\, and Ira Bondarenko (ceramics) reflect on the power and limits of human agency in the face of overwhelming force. The value of humanity lies in its capacity to transcend adversity by embracing compassion and keeping empathy and human connection alive in the most oppressive darkness. The project examines this concept through the lens of Ukrainian artists and poets and emphasizes the role of ordinary people in building resilience and saving the country.\n\nThe exhibition\, which will be displayed in the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Gallery from September 14-October 5\, 2025\, was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor Chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) also provided support for the project. \n \n Image: *Fly* by Katya Lisova\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137884-21881049@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137884 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Duderstadt Center - Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250731T104337 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251016T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251016T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:WCEE Lecture. The Long Shadow of Home: New Russian Political Migrants in Georgia and Serbia DESCRIPTION:WCEE Postdoctoral Fellow Liudmila Listrovaya will present findings from her ethnographic research on recent Russian political migrants—*relokanti*. Relokanti\, despite possessing financial\, linguistic\, and cultural capital abroad\, remain politically silent in both public and private spheres. Drawing on interviews and participant observation conducted during fieldwork in Georgia and her most recent trip to Serbia\, Liudmila Listrovaya will show how fears of reprisal\, familial repercussions\, and community ostracism converge to suppress transnational political action.\n \nThe data reveal a fraught trade-off: public dissent jeopardizes personal and family ties and risks social isolation within host communities\, while silence extends the Russian state’s extraterritorial reach. The authoritarian state’s mechanisms of surveillance and control\, ranging from political threats to the possibility of legal punishment and social coercion\, produce powerful disincentives to dissent among diasporic populations. By unpacking these dynamics\, this research advances theories of transnational authoritarianism and the ethics of voice and silence under authoritarianism. It also highlights the need for host-country policies and diaspora organizations to develop protective strategies that restore exiled communities’ capacity for collective action and political expression.\n \nAs an environmental and political sociologist specializing in Russia\, Liudmila Listrovaya's research spans environmental inequality and governance\, authoritarian populism\, and war-prompted migration. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Oregon in 2024\, during which she also completed a six-month internship with the United Nations Environment Programme in Geneva.\n \nDr. Listrovaya's current research projects include exploring the intersection of authoritarian populism and environmental issues in Russia\, focusing on how the history of internal colonialism and ethnicity discourse has shaped environmental inequality and its perceptions. Another key project examines the war in Ukraine and its consequences\, specifically regime-prompted outmigration from Russia. For this\, she conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Georgia and collected interviews with Russian political migrants. Her research has been published in *Qualitative Sociology*\, *Social Forces*\, *Environmental Sociology* and accepted for publication in *Society and Natural Resources*.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:136424-21878650@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/136424 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251015T091714 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T140000 SUMMARY:Livestream / Virtual:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 2 DESCRIPTION:This talk traces Greek communities across Ukraine and the former USSR—their settlements\, cultural life\, deportations and repression under the Russian Empire and the USSR\, post-Soviet repatriation\, and the persistence of identity across migrations—framed within broader debates on diaspora and cultural resilience.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThis event is online only\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/n198G UID:140719-21887528@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/140719 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:Eastern Europe LOCATION:Off Campus Location CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20250820T125353 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T190000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Annual Borka Tomljenović Lecture. Student-Led Direct Democracy in Serbia’s Hybrid Regime DESCRIPTION:Gazela Pudar Draško will explore the emergence of participatory plenums as a student-driven strategy in Serbia’s recent wave of protests\, sparked by the November 2024 infrastructural disaster in Novi Sad. She will examine how\, under conditions of institutional capture\, media domination\, and creeping autocratization\, students in Belgrade and Novi Sad employed decentralized tactics to circumvent repression\, foster deliberation\, and sustain collective agency. Drawing on deliberative democracy\, sociology of emotion\, contingency theory\, and political opportunity structure\, Draško will showcase insights from in-depth interviews on how plenums function less as fixed ideologies and more as pragmatic tools for rebuilding trust and effective voice. While acknowledging limits to scalability\, she argues that flexible\, direct-democratic practices offer critical lessons on challenging entrenched power dynamics in constrained political environments.\n \n Gazela Pudar Draško is a political sociologist and currently serves as Director at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory\, University of Belgrade\, widely recognized for its commitment to engaged scholarship. Her research interests span deliberative democracy\, participatory democratic innovations\, social movements\, and gender studies. Draško’s work is motivated by a dedication to evidence-based social sciences and advancing participatory governance practices.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137817-21880804@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137817 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 1010 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251119T110816 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251022T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251022T173000 SUMMARY:Meeting:Masters in the Midwest: Opportunities for Graduate Programs in Russian\, East European and Eurasian Studies at Midwestern Universities DESCRIPTION:Join representatives of interdisciplinary graduate programs in REEES at Midwestern Universities to find which program is best for you. Each institution will give a brief introduction of their programs and specialties\, and attendees will be able to join breakout rooms and ask questions about the programs most of interest. Students planning to apply this cycle are urged to attend\, but those considering applying in future years are also welcome.\n\nWednesday\, October 22 4:30-5:30 PM Eastern (3:30-4:30 PM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8EaReyceQB6pE2H2XtJATw\n\nThursday\, November 13 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/LN0TjUSORmWAKi4oBuxvEw\n\nTuesday\, December 2 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOgmeprZRBCEPHcQ5QM8Cw\n\nIn attendance:\nThe Ohio State University: Master of Arts in Slavic\, East European and Eurasian Studies\; Dual Degrees with Bioethics and Public Affairs\n\nUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies\; Joint degree: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies and MS in Library and Information Science\n\nUniversity of Kansas: Master of Arts in Slavic and Eurasian Studies\nMA concentrations: 1. Slavic languages and literatures 2. Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies \n\nUniversity of Michigan: Masters in International and Regional Studies\nSpecialization in Russian\, East European\, & Eurasian Studies\n\nUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison: MA Degree Program in Russian\, East European\, and Central Asian Studies UID:140494-21887228@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/140494 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Off Campus Location CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251023T082118 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251029T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251029T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Noon Lecture. The Una Runs Through It: A Bosnian City Mobilizes Around its River DESCRIPTION:Water potential is a significant natural wealth of most parts of the Balkans\, which gave rise to a surge in hydropower investments unparalleled across Europe. As part of these processes\, a dam was planned to be built on the Una River which runs through the Bosnian city of Bihać. This alarmed the city’s residents\, culminating in a protest in 2015. Azra Hromadžić will address this protest and explore how the threat of dam construction transformed the seemingly apolitical love of the river into a powerful political force around which thousands of people mobilized: riverine citizenship.\n \n Her talk is based on interviews with stakeholders\, archival research\, and over ten years of ethnographic investigations. The analysis focuses on the tension between ecological sustainability efforts in favor of renewable energy on the one hand\, and citizens’ historically-shaped\, deeply-felt love for the river\, on the other. Hromadžić will examine how the language and promises of green transition often mask the forces of capitalist accumulation that drive this change — whether in the form of building hydroelectric dams or promoting eco-tourism — and thus set in motion another cycle of environmental degradation\, social dispossession\, and economic exploitation.\n \n Azra Hromadžić is Professor of Anthropology and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence at Syracuse University. She has research interests in the anthropology of international policy in the context of state-making in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her first book\, *Citizens of an Empty Nation: Youth and State-making in Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina* (University of Pennsylvania Press)\, is an ethnographic investigation of the internationally directed postwar intervention policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the response of local people\, especially youth\, to these policy efforts. Several years ago\, Hromadžić initiated a new project that ethnographically researches aging\, care\, and social services in the context of postwar and postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina. She co-edited (with Monika Palmberger) a volume titled *Care Across Distance: Ethnographic Explorations of Aging and Migration* (Berghahn Books 2018). In 2017\, she began a new research project on riverine citizenship\, war ecologies\, environmental degradation\, social dispossession\, and economic exploitation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Her newest book\, titled *Riverine Citizenship: A Bosnian City in Love with the River*\, was published in 2024 with the Central European University Press.\n\nAccommodation: If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:137820-21880807@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/137820 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251119T110816 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251113T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251113T120000 SUMMARY:Meeting:Masters in the Midwest: Opportunities for Graduate Programs in Russian\, East European and Eurasian Studies at Midwestern Universities DESCRIPTION:Join representatives of interdisciplinary graduate programs in REEES at Midwestern Universities to find which program is best for you. Each institution will give a brief introduction of their programs and specialties\, and attendees will be able to join breakout rooms and ask questions about the programs most of interest. Students planning to apply this cycle are urged to attend\, but those considering applying in future years are also welcome.\n\nWednesday\, October 22 4:30-5:30 PM Eastern (3:30-4:30 PM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8EaReyceQB6pE2H2XtJATw\n\nThursday\, November 13 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/LN0TjUSORmWAKi4oBuxvEw\n\nTuesday\, December 2 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOgmeprZRBCEPHcQ5QM8Cw\n\nIn attendance:\nThe Ohio State University: Master of Arts in Slavic\, East European and Eurasian Studies\; Dual Degrees with Bioethics and Public Affairs\n\nUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies\; Joint degree: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies and MS in Library and Information Science\n\nUniversity of Kansas: Master of Arts in Slavic and Eurasian Studies\nMA concentrations: 1. Slavic languages and literatures 2. Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies \n\nUniversity of Michigan: Masters in International and Regional Studies\nSpecialization in Russian\, East European\, & Eurasian Studies\n\nUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison: MA Degree Program in Russian\, East European\, and Central Asian Studies UID:140494-21887229@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/140494 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Off Campus Location CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251113T203013 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251114T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251114T170000 SUMMARY:Presentation:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 3 DESCRIPTION:The lecture discusses how communist regimes in the Soviet Union\, Yugoslavia\, and Bulgaria sought to reshape Muslim communities through gendered interventions. Based on my forthcoming book\, it explores policies that targeted Muslim clothing\, religious practices\, and identities\, revealing how Muslim populations resisted\, complied\, and adapted to authoritarian ideas of modernity.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThis is a hybrid event\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/rAxPn UID:141313-21888572@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/141313 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:Eastern Europe LOCATION:Modern Languages Building - 3308 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251119T110816 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251202T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251202T120000 SUMMARY:Meeting:Masters in the Midwest: Opportunities for Graduate Programs in Russian\, East European and Eurasian Studies at Midwestern Universities DESCRIPTION:Join representatives of interdisciplinary graduate programs in REEES at Midwestern Universities to find which program is best for you. Each institution will give a brief introduction of their programs and specialties\, and attendees will be able to join breakout rooms and ask questions about the programs most of interest. Students planning to apply this cycle are urged to attend\, but those considering applying in future years are also welcome.\n\nWednesday\, October 22 4:30-5:30 PM Eastern (3:30-4:30 PM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8EaReyceQB6pE2H2XtJATw\n\nThursday\, November 13 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/LN0TjUSORmWAKi4oBuxvEw\n\nTuesday\, December 2 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM-11:00 AM Central)--Register at https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOgmeprZRBCEPHcQ5QM8Cw\n\nIn attendance:\nThe Ohio State University: Master of Arts in Slavic\, East European and Eurasian Studies\; Dual Degrees with Bioethics and Public Affairs\n\nUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies\; Joint degree: MA in Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies and MS in Library and Information Science\n\nUniversity of Kansas: Master of Arts in Slavic and Eurasian Studies\nMA concentrations: 1. Slavic languages and literatures 2. Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies \n\nUniversity of Michigan: Masters in International and Regional Studies\nSpecialization in Russian\, East European\, & Eurasian Studies\n\nUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison: MA Degree Program in Russian\, East European\, and Central Asian Studies UID:140494-21889821@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/140494 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Off Campus Location CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251111T092004 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251203T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251203T180000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:Donia Human Rights Center Panel | The Dayton Peace Accords on Bosnia at 30: Successes\, Failures\, and Challenges Ahead DESCRIPTION:Thirty years after the signing in Dayton\, Ohio\, of the peace agreement ending the war in Bosnia\, both Bosnia and its neighbors face immense challenges to respect for human rights and the rule of law. In this panel\, experts from the region specializing will discuss the successes\, failures\, and future prospects for the region. The panel will be preceded by the showing of The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent\, a film based on events during the Bosnia conflict and winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Palme D'Or for Best Short Film.\n \n Moderator:\n \n Steven Ratner\n Bruno Simma Collegiate Professor of Law\n Director\, University of Michigan Donia Human Rights Center\n \n Steven R. Ratner is the Bruno Simma Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. He teaches and writes in the field of public international law on a range of issues\, including war and peace\, human rights\, foreign investment\, the United Nations (UN)\, territorial and ethnic-based disputes\, and business and human rights. He is also interested in the intersection of international law and political philosophy and other theoretical issues.\n \n Panelists\n \n Edin Hajdarpašić\, Ph.D.\n Associate Professor of history at Loyola University Chicago\n \n Edin Hajdarpašić is an associate professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of Whose Bosnia? Nationalism and Political Imagination in the Balkans\, 1840-1914 (Cornell\, 2015)\, which received the Rothschild Book Prize in Nationalism and Ethnic Studies from the Association for the Study of Nationalities. He writes about nationalism\, imperialism\, and contestations over history and memory in southeastern Europe.\n \n Tatjana Papić\, Ph.D.\n Professor of International Law and International Human Rights Law at Union University Belgrade Law School\n \n Tatjana Papić (LL.B. Belgrade\, LL.M. Connecticut\, PhD Union Belgrade) is a Professor of International Law and International Human Rights Law at Union University Belgrade Law School and an International and Comparative Law Research Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading School of Law (UK) and at the Center for Law and Pluralism\, University Milano-Bicocca (Italy). Before joining Union University\, Tatjana was head of the legal department at the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights.\n \n Her research focuses on international responsibility\, human rights\, and the interaction between international law and domestic politics. She has published in leading journals\, including American Journal of International Law\, International and Comparative Law Quarterly\, and Cornell International Law Journal.\n \n She has taught as a Visiting Professor at the University of Münster Faculty of Law and at Washington and Lee University School of Law\, and was a Senior Grotius Research Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School. She has also consulted for international organizations such as UNDP\, Council of Europe\, OSCE\, and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.\n \n Valery Perry\, Ph.D.\n Senior Associate\, Democratization Policy Council\n \n Valery Perry has worked in the Western Balkans since the late 1990s\, conducting research and working for organizations including the Democratization Policy Council (DPC)\, the European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI)\, the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG)\, the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR)\, and several NGOs. She has worked at both the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE Mission to Serbia. At a broader regional and global level\, she has consulted for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime\, the UN Development Program\, IMPAQ International\, Interpeace\, and other organizations\, with a focus on evaluation and impact assessment\, and research on issues related to corruption\, extremism and governance. She taught courses in conflict analysis and resolution at the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology. She attended public schools\, and went on to receive a BA from the University of Rochester\, an MA from Indiana University’s Russian and East European Institute\, and a PhD from George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.\n \n Valery has published numerous articles and book chapters\, has spoken at conferences and policy events in the United States and throughout Europe\, and has testified at the U.S. Congress. She has edited three books\, including Statebuilding and Democratization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (with Soeren Keil) and Extremism and Violent Extremism in Serbia: 21-st Century Manifestations of an Historical Challenge. Her first documentary film\, Looking for Dayton (www.lookingfordayton.org) was screened at the 26th Sarajevo Film Festival.\n\nThis event is free and open to the public and is in-person only.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at umichhumanrights@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:140769-21887595@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/140769 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Michigan League - Michigan Room CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251216T131748 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260108T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260108T183000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:WCEE Lecture. Ukraine’s War in Seven Lives: Writing a People-Centered History of the Present DESCRIPTION:Since 2022\, the Russo-Ukrainian war has shaken the global order—and transformed countless individual lives. Drawing on years of personal correspondence\, interviews\, and diary entries\, historian Danielle Leavitt follows seven Ukrainians through the first year and a half of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Tracing how individuals navigate the challenges of conflict\, displacement\, and daily survival\, she bridges historical analysis and lived experience to reveal how the past and its stories shape the present. Told in staggering human detail that feels both palpable and resonant\, By the Second Spring offers a window into the human dimensions of war—where history\, memory\, and survival intersect every day. In this talk\, Leavitt tells the story of Ukraine’s war in seven lives and reflects on what it means to write a people-centered history of the present.\n \n Danielle Leavitt is a historian of modern Ukraine and the Soviet Union\, with a particular interest in Russian and Ukrainian relations\, human age\, generation\, and gender. Her work examines the function of generation and human age in Soviet history and works to insert the stories of underrepresented populations\, such as the elderly and women\, into consequential debates about stagnation\, cultural life\, Soviet collapse\, post-Soviet economic and political development\, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.\n\n Dr. Leavitt’s first book\, *By the Second Spring: Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine* (2025\, FSG)\, charted the lives of seven Ukrainians through the first year of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Based on a unique set of online diaries\, Leavitt contextualized her seven subjects\, Ukrainian society\, and its predicaments for a wide audience\, introducing readers to a rigorous but accessible history of Ukraine\, the Soviet Union\, its collapse\, and Russia’s historical relationship with its neighbors.\n\nLeavitt received her PhD in History from Harvard University in 2023. From 2023-2025\, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at gosiak@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:142812-21891692@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/142812 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260115T152159 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260123T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260123T170000 SUMMARY:Presentation:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 4 DESCRIPTION:In the last four decades the popularity of Balkan \"Gypsy\" music has exploded\, becoming a staple at world music festivals and dance clubs in the United States and Western Europe. At the same time\, thousands of Balkan Roma have emigrated westward due to deteriorating living conditions\, racist threats and increased violence. In this heightened atmosphere of xenophobia\, entrenched stereotypes have arisen amidst deportations and harassment. Roma\, as Europe’s largest minority and one of its quintessential “historic others\,” face the paradox that they are revered for their music yet reviled as people. This illustrated lecture will explore the challenges Balkan Roma face as well as their resilience in transnational sites.\n\nThis is a hybrid event\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/y14ew UID:143975-21894359@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/143975 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:Eastern Europe LOCATION:Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.) - East Conference Room CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260217T132250 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260218T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260218T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Noon Lecture. Nonalignment and Decolonial Imagination: Yugoslav Literary Encounters with the Global South DESCRIPTION:Yugoslavia’s pivot away from the Eastern Bloc and toward decolonizing countries in the Global South\, which resulted in the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961\, shaped\, also\, its literary and intellectual spheres. NAM catalyzed increasing translations of non-European literatures\, lively literary exchanges with nonaligned countries\, and critical scholarship that explored the relationship between literature\, revolution\, and decolonization. Yugoslav writers and journalists—often former partisans—reported on various movements of liberation in Africa and Asia\, producing a range of “revolutionary travelogues.” Such travelogues aspired to undermine established Eurocentric frames of reference by denouncing colonial racism\, foregrounding historically marginalized narratives\, reflecting on the authors’ own positioning and prejudice\, and advancing decolonial historiography that staged newly independent nations through emancipated\, revolutionary subjects. Concurrently\, Yugoslav scholars\, in conversation with thinkers from the Global South\, made an early contribution to the development of global decolonial theoretical discourses\, while also adapting their conceptual tools to Yugoslavia’s position on the geopolitical semiperiphery. This talk will analyze this era’s intertwining of literary and theoretical production with the politics of national liberation and propose that nonalignment\, beyond its import for Yugoslav culture\, can figure as a mode of reading decoloniality across Cold War divides.\n \n Nataša Kovačević is professor of postcolonial literature at Eastern Michigan University. Her research concerns the literature and cinema of migration to the European Union\; global socialism\; and anticolonial internationalisms during the Cold War. This talk draws on her most recent book\, Nonaligned Imagination: Yugoslavia\, the Global South\, and Literary Solidarities Beyond the Cold War Blocs (Northwestern University Press\, 2025)\, which reconstructs the literary and cultural history of the Non-Aligned Movement. She is also the author of Narrating Post/Communism: Colonial Discourse and Europe’s Borderline Civilization (Routledge\, 2008) and Uncommon Alliances: Cultural Narratives of Migration in the New Europe (Edinburgh University Press\, 2018). Her essays have appeared in leading journals\, including Comparative Literature Studies\, Modern Fiction Studies\, Cultural Critique\, Postcolonial Studies\, and Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:142419-21890935@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/142419 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260212T141133 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260220T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260220T170000 SUMMARY:Presentation:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 5 DESCRIPTION:This talk analyzes Russia’s imperial domination of Ukraine through the longue durée of Crimean Tatar dispossession\, arguing that Crimean Tatars offer a crucial lens on Ukraine’s past\, present\, and decolonial future. Long racialized as Russia’s Others\, Crimean Tatars were rendered legible through colonial tropes that produced enduring aphasia within Slavic and East European studies. Emerging sites of encounter\, mourning\, and recognition since 2014 point toward a bifocal decolonial project that requires disentanglement from Russian imperial power while simultaneously confronting and unmaking colonial residues within Ukraine itself.\n\nThis is a hybrid event. For Zoom attendance\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/n1me9 UID:145410-21897262@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/145410 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:Eastern Europe LOCATION:Modern Languages Building - 4314 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260206T141432 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260223T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260223T173000 SUMMARY:Presentation:Furious Harvests DESCRIPTION:A poetry reading by Alex Averbuch from his new collection \"Furious Harvests\" (Harvard UP\, trans. from Ukrainian by Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky)\, in conversation with Benjamin Paloff. \"Furious Harvests\" brings readers to Averbuch’s homeland in eastern Ukraine and weaves voices from past and present wars\, tracing uprooted lives shaped by capture\, deportation\, and violence\, alongside the lingering presence of people and objects left behind in occupied territories. Drawing on family archives and mementos\, the poems assemble testimonies to the region’s complex histories\, WWII forced labor\, and the Holocaust. In a bilingual edition that mixes dialects\, registers\, and voices\, poetry speaks in rage and longing\, pressing toward an uneasy reconciliation of self and other.\n\nBranch 50 and the UM Ukrainian Students Club will follow the program with a candlelight vigil leaving the Michigan League at 5:45 pm for the U-M Diag for a moment of remembrance\, followed by a brief procession to Burton Tower\, where the Ukrainian National Anthem will be played on the carillon.\n\n5:45–6:00 pm Candlelight Vigil\, U-M Diag\n6:00–6:15 pm Procession to Burton Tower Carillon UID:145178-21896766@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/145178 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Michigan League - Kalamazoo Room CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260211T115604 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260319T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260319T180000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:The Eisendrath Symposium: Covering Migration in Europe DESCRIPTION:Wallace House Presents a WCEE Panel and Eisendrath Symposium Event\nWith Ismail Einashe\, Jedrzej Slodkowski\, and Sarah Souli\nModerated by Lynette Clemetson\nWelcome by Doug Northrop\, Interim Director of WCEE\n\nAcross Europe\, governments on the right\, left\, and center are rolling back protections for migrants and supporting new European Union proposals that would allow asylum seekers to be sent to third countries. Even as border crossings have dropped significantly in recent years\, human rights groups warn that deterrence-focused policies and sealed borders are pushing people onto more dangerous routes\, increasing the risk of abuse\, displacement and trauma.\n\nEuropean media coverage of migration has largely centered on political debate\, often leaving people’s lives and experiences out of the reporting. What does this imbalance mean for public understanding\, and how can we responsibly cover Europe’s shifting migration politics\, while ethically reporting on trauma and engaging vulnerable sources whose stories are too often overlooked?\n\nThe Eisendrath Symposium honors Charles R. Eisendrath\, former director of Wallace House\, and his lifelong commitment to international journalism.\n\nAbout the Speakers\nIsmail Einashe\, 2025-2026 Knight-Wallace Fellow\, is a London-based journalist and author whose work on migration and refugee issues has appeared in numerous publications – including Foreign Policy\, The Guardian\, BBC News\, The Nation\, The Sunday Times and ArtReview. He is the author of “Strangers” (2023)\, a book by Tate Publishing that explores migration through the lens of art\, and he co-edited “Lost in Media: Migrant Perspectives and the Public Sphere” (2019)\, a collection of critical essays examining how migrants are represented in European media. Einashe is also part of a team of journalists working on a cross-border journalism collaborative called Lost in Europe\, which investigates the disappearance of child migrants.\n\nJedrzej Slodkowski\, 2025-2026 Knight-Wallace Fellow\, is a reporter\, editor and current deputy head of the culture section of “Gazeta Wyborcza\,” Poland’s largest newspaper. He started his professional journalism career as a music critic 20 years ago. He now specializes in interviews with the most interesting figures in Polish culture. Recently\, Słodkowski has focused on migration and refugee issues\, editing an annual special edition of “Gazeta Wyborcza” authored by refugees themselves. He has also covered topics such as child slavery in Ghana\, Kyiv’s music scene during the war and Nepalese mercenaries hired by Russia to fight in Ukraine.\n\nSarah Souli\, 2025-2026 Knight-Wallace Fellow\, has been living and reporting across the Mediterranean for more than a decade. Raised in the U.S. by a French mother and Tunisian father\, her multicultural and multilingual background has deeply informed her perspective and work. She is most interested in how behemoth political structures intersect with the resilient and textured lived experiences of people. Her stories\, including a multi-year investigation of a triple femicide on the Greek-Turkish border\, have appeared in The Atavist\, The Economist\, POLITICO\, The Guardian\, Vice Magazine\, Condé Nast Traveler and others. Prior to her work as an independent journalist\, she was a staff writer for COLORS Magazine.\n\nAbout the Moderator\nLynette Clemetson is the Charles R. Eisendrath Director of Wallace House Center for Journalists\, home of the Knight-Wallace Fellowships for Journalists and the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists at the University of Michigan. UID:145315-21897041@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/145315 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Rackham Graduate School (Horace H.) - Rackham Amphitheatre, 4th Floor CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260320T102907 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260324T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260324T150000 SUMMARY:Presentation:Can ‘Slavic’ Speak for Minorities? — Who Gets to Belong in Eastern Europe? - Talk 6 DESCRIPTION:A small number of East European manuscripts of magic and practical kabbalah enumerate recipes directed at disabling a specific function of Lilith focused on replacing or substituting a healthy human child with a disformed\, physically\, or mentally disabled demonic one. Designated by the Yiddish term\, banem ביינעם (to take\, replace\, or substitute)\, which appears in these manuscripts with an abundance of variant spellings\, expose the influence of local dialects and diverse linguistic usage. As several recipes attest\, the switching could occur either in utero or within a few weeks after birth. The wealth of magical formulas\, designed to chain Lilith’s power to carry out child substitution or replacement\, reflect pervasive anxieties among Jews concerning the mental and physical health of newborns. Dread and fear were powerful emotional triggers in the mythical presentation of Lilith’s child stealing activities prompting individuals and members of the Jewish community to seek effective cures from Jewish miracle healers\, designated as Ba’alei Shem or Masters of the Name. My talk will trace six types of curative options against child switching: nature-based formulas\; the use of Hebrew divine and angelic names\, amplified by the ten sefirot\; historiolae\; diagrammatic-visual amulets\; illocutionary speech acts\; and combined formulas to highlight that concerns about children’s wellbeing comprised a shared cultural-religious space between Jews and their Slavic neighbors and occupied a place of vital importance for the care and wellbeing of Jewish family and communal life.\n\nThis is a hybrid event. For Zoom attendance\, please register here: https://myumi.ch/R3RNX UID:146844-21899687@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/146844 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Modern Languages Building - 3308 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260123T131352 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260401T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260401T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Noon Lecture. The Information Age Behind the Iron Curtain: Bulgarian Computers and The Society They Tried to Build DESCRIPTION:How did a small Balkan state become a Cold War power in the electronic field during its socialist period? During the years of late socialism\, Bulgaria developed a computer industry that commanded the export market of the Eastern Bloc. Users and states from the Inner German Border to Vladivostok\, and many states in the Global South\, were equipped with Bulgarian computers\, drives\, and tools. Developed as a prestige project by a communist party that sought a ‘golden goose’ industrial niche\, the industry spawned a far-spanning vision of socialist modernity that touched on all aspects of socialist Bulgaria: from political economy and planning\, to labor and gender\, to children\, literature\, and concepts of the human-machine hybrid that was the future. The talk\, based on the author’s first book\, will try to see what the information age looked like behind the Iron Curtain\, and push back against narratives of the failure of socialism to enter the information economy. It shows an Iron Curtain that is far more porous than expected\; an Eastern Bloc connected to the Global South through business dealings as well as development\; and the impact of such stories on the narrative of 1989 as a convenient end point for the socialist past.\n \n Victor Petrov is a historian of the modern Balkans\, with interests in the history of technology & science\, the Cold War\, utopian thinking and alternative knowledge communities. He is Associate Professor of History at the University of Tennessee\, Knoxville. His first book\, Balkan Cyberia: Cold War Computing\, Bulgarian Modernization\, and the Information Age Behind the Iron Curtain came out with MIT Press in 2023. He is currently pursuing projects in the post-socialist explosion of supernatural phenomena in Bulgaria\; and histories of outer space\, especially of the 'space commons' approach of the socialist states' Interkosmos program.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:142422-21890938@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/142422 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251124T162439 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260409T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260409T183000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CCPS Lecture. The Trauma of Serfdom: The Psychological Legacy of Unfree Labor in Poland DESCRIPTION:Coerced labor was a defining feature of the early modern world. While Atlantic slavery has received most scholarly attention\, Eastern European serfdom remains comparatively understudied. Twentieth-century historiography portrayed it as relatively meek system. In his book *Chamstwo*\, Kacper Pobłocki challenges this view by exposing the profound brutality of serfdom. As Adam Bućkiewicz observed in 1830\, Polish serfs “lived as if enveloped in a foggy\, heavy\, and putrid atmosphere.” Pobłocki argues that peasant culture emerged as a creative response to systemic class violence—for instance\, the ritual cultivation of matted hair\, the Polish plait\, functioned as a form of vernacular therapy.\n \n Around 19 percent of Poles today suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder—a rate exceeding the global average of 5 to 10 percent. This is typically attributed to World War II\, yet Pobłocki’s research suggests that its roots reach deeper. In the sequel to *Chamstwo*\, he examines how the first generation of peasants freed from serfdom coped with the psychological burden of their parents’ subjugation\, revealing how they developed strategies to free themselves from its legacy. Remarkably\, these strategies—devised by largely illiterate peasants at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—anticipate contemporary psychological insights into trauma recovery.\n \n Kacper Pobłocki is a social anthropologist\, writer\, and associate professor at the University of Warsaw. He is a graduate of the Central European University and a former fellow at the Center for Place\, Culture and Politics at CUNY (directed by David Harvey). He has published academic articles in journals such as the *International Journal of Urban and Regional Research* and has authored two books in Polish: *Spatial Origins of Capitalism* (2017)\, which received the “Economicus” Award for the best Polish economics book of the year\, and *Chamstwo* (2021)\, which was a finalist for the “Nike” —Poland’s most prestigious literary award. His current work intersects historical anthropology and psychology and deals with the experience of serfdom and its social\, political and psychological aftermath.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us at gosiak@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:142174-21890158@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/142174 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260325T122624 DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260415T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260415T132000 SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:CREES Noon Lecture. The Last Soviet Artist DESCRIPTION:The Last Soviet Artist (n+1\, 2025)\, finished by Victoria Lomasko three weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine\, is a collection of graphic reportages created during trips across the former Soviet republics. The first part describes society in Kyrgyzstan\, Armenia\, Georgia\, and the North Caucasus\, covering gender rights\, grassroots initiatives\, remnants of the Soviet heritage\, and emerging trends. The book's second part focuses on the Belarusian Revolution of 2022 and the last major protests in Russia on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine: what happens to the lives of ordinary people in times of historical change. The third part of the book was written in exile. All three parts are united by the main subject: generational conflict in the post-Soviet space. The book won the 2022 Free Voice award from PEN Catalan and Prix Couilles au Cul pour le Courage Artistique\, Festival de BD d’Angoulême.\n \n Victoria Lomasko’s practice of graphic reportage synthesizes image and text\, taking the form of novels\, journalism\, comics\, paintings\, and monumental murals. A renowned dissident voice in the highly censored environment of contemporary Russia\, Lomasko’s seminal graphic novels\, including Other Russias and Forbidden Art\, have an honest style exposing the country’s inequalities and injustices whilst amplifying and defending the plight of Russia’s many voiceless and unseen communities.\n \nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us. at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. UID:142423-21890939@events.umich.edu URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/142423 CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:eastern europe LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555 CONTACT: END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR