Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. CANCELLED - CREES 60th Anniversary Series. 2020 Vision on CREES: Viewing the Field through Directors’ Eyes (April 24, 2020 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/70722 70722-17619604@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 24, 2020 10:00am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Four former CREES Directors will reflect on the contributions of the University of Michigan to Russian, East European and Eurasian studies over the past 60 years, and discuss the continued relevance of area studies today. Moderated by the current CREES Director, Professor Geneviève Zubrzycki.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at weisercenter@umich.edu at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 18 Mar 2020 13:12:17 -0400 2020-04-24T10:00:00-04:00 2020-04-24T12:00:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Lecture / Discussion CREES 60th Anniversary Series. 2020 Vision on CREES: Viewing the Field through Directors’ Eyes
CREES Noon Lecture. Being Queer in Russia: A Conversation about Challenges Facing Russia’s LGBTQ+ Movement (January 27, 2021 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/80589 80589-20759750@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, January 27, 2021 12:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

This CREES Noon Lecture is brought to you by U-M undergraduates Rachael Merritt and Kyle Arnashus, Russian Language and Culture Majors. The students organized this panel in culmination of their project "Bridging the Gap between LGBTQ+ Communities in Russia and the United States," under the auspices of the CREES-Ford School initiative "Developing Future Leaders in U.S.-Russia Relations."

From the introduction of the 2013 Gay Propaganda Law, the attempted “Trans Ban” laws to the Family Code in 2020, to continuous waves of torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya, members of Russia’s LGBTQ+ community have found themselves in increasingly precarious positions in the struggle for the full realization of their human rights. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that the international Russian LGBTQ+ community come together to form a unified front to fight against increasing oppression. However, the Russian LGBTQ+ community struggles with disconnectedness, both in terms of a unifying Russian LGBTQ+ identity and contradictory visions for the future of Russian LGBTQ+ movement. This panel seeks to address these schisms within the community and foster greater understanding for the identities and perspectives of Russia’s LGBTQ+ diaspora and domestic communities.

All too often in Russian queer diaspora communities individuals feel that they need to forfeit their Russian identity in order to conform to western standards of queer identities. They can feel a loss of their roots, culture, and family. This panel will discuss queer identity formation as it relates to re-connection with a Russian identity, the different obstacles of trauma and persecution that stand in the way of this reunification, and the tremendous impact sustained support through shared conceptions of identity could have for the longevity and strength of the Russian LGBTQ+ movement. Also to be discussed is the media portrayal of the LGBTQ+ movement in the West and in Russia. These depictions are subjected to external or group specific pressures and have contributed to contradictory opinions on methods of social activism throughout the LGBTQ+ community. This fragmentation leaves the LGBTQ+ community vulnerable to oppression and popular criticism.

Collaboration and connectedness between Russian diaspora populations, regional communities, and organizations in Moscow and Petersburg creates an opportunity for effective social organization within the Russian LGBTQ+ movement. The members of the panel bring vastly different personal experiences of identity formation and Russian LGBTQ+ activism, which will serve to begin a dialogue around the deeply entrenched differences in LGBTQ+ identity and movements between their respective groups. These testimonies and the subsequent discussion will hopefully serve as a bridge to find common ground and move the Russian LGBTQ+ movement forward in a more unified and effective way.

Speakers:

Alla Chikinda is the regional representative and communications manager for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center based in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The Resource Center provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals to congregate and form community. The organization also hosts informational meetings and takes part in organizing pride activities, and implements social and legal programs and services aimed at overcoming discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community. Joining the Resource Center in 2016, Alla was first responsible for the center’s social media and external communications. Her work led to an increase in the number of followers and mentions in local media outlets. Since 2018, Alla has been concentrating her work with media outlets and stakeholders in the region, and, as a result, the LGBTQ+ agenda is much more visible in Yekaterinburg, on the national, and sometimes international, level. It is considered among the most prominent and efficient LGBTQ+ organizations in Russia. Over the past two years, the center has found a lot of allies and partners among local NGOs, cultural organisations and businesses. Alla believes that a representation of Russian LGBTQ+ identities outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg are essential to form a more comprehensive and inclusive community. It is also Alla’s belief that the integration of the Resource Center into the surrounding community and cooperation with law enforcement is integral to its success.

Ezra Erikson is the digital director at RUSA LGBT, and he has also used his expertise in social media marketing to lead initiatives that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights both in Russia and across the globe. Notably, Ezra has contributed to the development of the Illuminator Project, an initiative designed to raise awareness of gender identity and sexual orientation among Russian-speaking parents. A target of state persecution, Ezra was arrested in June 2016 in Moscow, accused of “gay propaganda,” when he and his partner were paying tribute to the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse club in Orlando. Ezra moved to the United States in 2017 after his coming out resulted in death threats from relatives.

Anastasiia Fedorova is a writer and curator based in London. She is a regular contributor to "Dazed," "i-D," "GARAGE," "Kaleidoscope Magazine," "032c," "SHOWstudio," and "The Guardian" among other titles. She works as a Strategy and Partnership Manager at "The Calvert Journal," a London-based publication for culture, innovation, photography, and travel in the New East. Anastasiia contributes to LGBTQ+ content curation at "The Calvert Journal," and has covered an impressive number of stories on queer culture in the New East, particularly in Russia. These stories include analysis of Russia’s LGBTQ+ underground movement, queer social media influencers and activists, Russian drag and trans legacies, as well as queer icons of cinema and Russian history. Anastasiia is also a founder of Russian Queer Revolution, a platform for LGBTQ+ creatives from Russia, which she started in 2020. Anastasiia has lived in London for the past nine years, and is a member of the Russian queer community.

Lyosha Gorshkov is a co-president at RUSA LGBT, an organization based in New York City, that operates as a support network for Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ individuals. RUSA LGBT provides informational support to asylum seekers, and organizes social events to increase acceptance of LGBTQ+ people within the Russian speaking public. Lyosha founded Brighton Beach Pride (the first ever Russian-speaking pride) in 2017 that aims at creating a dialogue with Russian diaspora community leaders who hold more conservative views. Lyosha has a background in academia as a former Political Science Professor at Perm State University in Russia. In 2014, as a result of his vocal advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights in Russia and his openly gay status, Lyosha received threats from security services and Neo-Nazi groups and was forced to seek asylum in the United States. In addition to his work at RUSA LGBT, Lyosha currently works as the assistant director of PRIDE and Women’s Centers at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.

Registration is required for this Zoom webinar at https://myumi.ch/3qyqm.

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.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 31 May 2022 14:33:43 -0400 2021-01-27T12:00:00-05:00 2021-01-27T13:20:00-05:00 Off Campus Location Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Lecture / Discussion CREES Queer in Russia
Race in Focus: From Critical Pedagogies to Research Practice and Public Engagement in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (February 12, 2021 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/80893 80893-20817015@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 12, 2021 2:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

"Big Noses, Angry Babushki, Mixed Messages: Racialized Expectations of Linguistic and Cultural Performance in Asian Russia"
Kathryn Graber (PhD Anthropology '12), Indiana University, Bloomington

"Gender Articulations from Decolonial Indigenous Perspectives in the Russian and American Arctic"
Olga Ulturgasheva, University of Manchester

Moderator: Manduhai Buyandelger, MIT

CREES is a proud co-sponsor of this event, which is part of the series "Race in Focus: From Critical Pedagogies to Research Practice and Public Engagement in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies." This series is designed to elevate conversations about teaching on race and continued disparities in our field while also bringing scholars from underrepresented minorities and/or research on communities of color to the center stage.

Register to attend at https://myumi.ch/v2ORo

The event will also be recorded and livestreamed on the ASEEES Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/slavic.e.european.eurasian.studies)

Sponsors:
Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies, University of Chicago
Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of Michigan
Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of Texas at Austin
Center for Slavic and East European Studies, Ohio State University
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, Indiana University, Bloomington
Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:32:40 -0500 2021-02-12T14:00:00-05:00 2021-02-12T15:30:00-05:00 Off Campus Location Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Lecture / Discussion Race in Focus series
CREES Noon Lecture. Writing about Young Stalin for 30 Years: Why Bother? (March 3, 2021 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/80891 80891-20817013@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 12:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Professor Ron Suny began writing a biography of Stalin from his birth until the October Revolution, 1917, more than thirty years ago. Among the questions he sought to answer were: what makes a revolutionary? Why did Soso Jughashvili turn from Georgian Orthodoxy and romantic nationalism to Marxism and the life of an underground outlaw? In what ways was this first half of Stalin's life formative, and are there explanations here for what he became in the 1930s, a despot and the gravedigger of the revolution?

Ronald Grigor Suny is the William H. Sewell, Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan and emeritus professor of political science and history at the University of Chicago. He was the first holder of the Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of Michigan, where he founded and directed the Armenian Studies Program. He is author of *The Baku Commune: Class and Nationality in the Russian Revolution*; *The Making of the Georgian Nation*; *Looking Toward Ararat: Armenia in Modern History*; *The Revenge of the Past: Nationalism, Revolution, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union*; *The Soviet Experiment*; *"They Can Live in the Desert But Nowhere Else": A History of the Armenian Genocide*; *Red Flag Unfurled: History, Historians, and the Russian Revolution.* With Valerie Kivelson, Suny is co-author of *Russia’s Empires*, *Stalin: Passage to Revolution*, and *Red Flag Wounded: Stalinism and the Fate of the Soviet Experiment*. He is currently working on a book on the recent upsurge of exclusivist nationalisms and authoritarian populisms: *Forging the Nation: The Making and Faking of Nationalisms*.

Registration is required for this Zoom webinar at https://myumi.ch/kxyWb

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.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:34:19 -0500 2021-03-03T12:00:00-05:00 2021-03-03T13:20:00-05:00 Off Campus Location Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Lecture / Discussion Suny Stalin book
A Taste of Frontier Medicine: The Kumys Cure in Sergei Aksakov’s Eastern Frontier Trilogy (March 4, 2021 6:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/81936 81936-20990916@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 4, 2021 6:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Slavic Languages & Literatures

"A Taste of Frontier Medicine” considers Sergei Aksakov’s extensive, mid-nineteenth-century memoirs through the lens of a “frontier family narrative,” a genre perhaps more familiar in the American literary setting. While Aksakov’s work has received critical attention for its memoiristic content and attention to nature, the geohistorical specificity of the trilogy’s setting has been overlooked. This is surprising given the recent interest in understanding Russian colonial and imperial experience. A Family Chronicle (1856) and Childhood Years (1856) are not books in which the action could take place anywhere or in some generic pastoral or provincial space. Rather, they are about a specific place – Orenburgskii krai (Bashkiria) – that was a borderland, frontier, and contact zone from the time of its inclusion within Russian imperial space in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries into Aksakov’s lifetime. In “A Taste of Frontier Medicine,” I explore some of the ways in which the eastern Russian border with “Asia” broadly understood frames Aksakov’s work, as well as how these texts make claims about Russian identity as something defined by and in the “hybrid,” Eurasian sphere of the border zone. Discussion will center on two episodes that articulate a critical aspect of Aksakov’s frontier imaginary: the narrator’s mother’s taking of a “kumys cure.” The “kumys cure” serves as a revitalizing moment that establishes “nomadic,” “Asiatic” elements of the frontier as a crucial antidote to both a perceived excess of civilization and, counter-intuitively, to the potential dangers of the frontier zone itself.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:45:06 -0500 2021-03-04T18:00:00-05:00 2021-03-04T20:00:00-05:00 Off Campus Location Slavic Languages & Literatures Workshop / Seminar A Taste of Frontier Medicine