Category: Seminar

Russia Reverts to Muscovy: What if We Drop “Russia” from the Discourse? – RUCARR seminar with Prof. Stefan Hedlund

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Stefan Hedlund: “Russia Reverts to Muscovy: What if We Drop “Russia” from the Discourse?”

Time: 18th March, 15.15 – 17.00

Place: NI:C0315 or online: https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/66754621955

Abstract

The presentation expands on three of the main themes of the book Russia Reverts to Muscovy: What if We drop “Russia” from the Discourse?, all of which converge in an argument that we should stop talking about “Russia” and revert to the old name for northeastern Rus, which is “Muscovy.” The first is that so much of the territory of the former Russian Empire has now been lost that it is only logical to refer to the remnants as Muscovy. The second is that the present-day Russian Federation has reverted almost fully to the institutional order that marked old Muscovy, thus adding to the relevance of using that name, and the third is that continued use of the name “Russia” implies acceptance of the Muscovite claim to a sphere of interest that includes Ukraine.

If the present-day Muscovites want to call themselves “Russians” then that is of course their prerogative, much as others have a right to refer to themselves as Ukrainians or Belarusians. Where it goes unacceptably wrong is when it is claimed that all Eastern Slavs are “Russians,” and that those “Russians” must not only accept this distinction but also submit to being ruled from Moscow.

Stefan Hedlund is Professor Emeritus of Soviet and East European Studies at IRES, Uppsala University. He has published more than two dozen books, mainly but not exclusively on themes relating to Russian developments, and he has published more than a hundred articles on similar themes, in various forms and shapes. His works have been published in Russian and Chinese, and he has been a frequent commentator in various media across a number of countries. His most recent book, Russia Reverts to Muscovy: What if We drop “Russia” from the Discourse? (Routledge, 2025), is the latest instalment in a series of books on institutional developments in Russia and Ukraine, the previous volume being Ukraine, Russia and The West: When Value Promotion met Hard Power (Routledge, 2023).

 

Book launch with Isabell Burmester, Understanding EU and Russian Hegemony in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, March 11

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Understanding EU and Russian Hegemony in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus 

When? March 11st, 15:15-17:00

Where? Niagara, NI:A0311 or online: https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/68505534320

What drives the European Union’s and Russia’s influence in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus? How do their strategies compare, and what does this tell us about the broader regional dynamics that ultimately culminated in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine? The talk will present the main findings of the forthcoming book EU and Russian Hegemony in the ‘Shared Neighbourhood’: Between Coercion, Prescription, and Co-optation. It will explore how the EU and Russia exert power in their shared neighborhood, using the concept of hegemony to make sense of their competing approaches. By examining the mechanisms of coercion, prescription, and co-optation, this study provides a comparative analysis of how both actors have shaped the political and economic trajectories of Moldova and Armenia since the early 2000s. Bringing together insights from EU neighborhood policy, Russian foreign policy, and international relations scholarship, the book presents an innovative framework for understanding regional power struggles. By making EU and Russian strategies analytically comparable, it sheds light on how these interactions have evolved—and what they reveal about the ongoing shifts in regional order.

 

The book will be out open access in March: https://link.springer.com/book/9783031754876

Dr. Isabell Burmester is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris.

Seminar with Leila Wilmers – Interpreting the Discourse of a Multi-Ethnic Russian Nation in Kazan, May 6

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Diversity or Unity: Interpreting the Discourse of a Multi-Ethnic Russian Nation in Kazan

Dr. Leila Wilmers is a Regional Scholar at Cornell University’s Einaudi Center for International Studies and teaches in Cornell’s Department of Sociology. She has a background in peacebuilding work in the non-profit sector and holds a PhD in human geography from Loughborough University, UK. Her research concerns nationalism in the contemporary world, and particularly experiences of nationhood and the processes and conditions of bottom-up engagement with nationalist ideology and politics. Her research and teaching crosses the disciplines of sociology and human geography and her regional expertise is in the post-Soviet space. Her work has been published in the journals Europe-Asia Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Nationalities Papers, and Ethnicities.

Time: 6th May, 15:15 – 17:00 (rescheduled from February 18)

Place: Seminar room 9th floor, Niagara or online: https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/64838117167

 Abstract

This talk explores bottom-up responses to the Kremlin’s approach to nation-building in a multi-ethnic state. How do residents of ethnically mixed cities navigate conflicting themes of unity and diversity in the federal discourse of Russia as a multi-ethnic nation (mnogonatsional’nyi narod)? This discourse runs counter to assimilative policies and a concurrent vision of Russia as a civilisation rooted in Slavic culture. In the diverse city of Kazan, the discourse is shown to be easily adopted by residents in narrating belonging, while being a problematic basis for nation-building. The talk highlights the importance of regional and ethnic subject positions in bottom-up engagement with nation-building in Russia.

Welcome!

RUCARR seminars with Prof. Oliver Reisner – November 12 and 26

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Prof. Oliver Reisner, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, visiting researcher at RUCARR, will give two seminars. Welcome to join us on campus or Zoom:

Social Cohesion and Political Developments in Georgia in Times of Democratic Backsliding and Growing Authoritarianism

When: November 12, 15.00 – 17.00
Hybrid seminar: Seminar room, 9th  floor, Niagara, Nordenskiöldsgatan 1
Or Zoom: https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/68228687099, Meeting ID: 682 2868 7099

Golden or Pink – Stalin as an Embattled Memory Site, or How to Cope with a Traumatic Past in Post-Soviet Georgia

When: November 26, 15.00 – 17.00
Hybrid seminar:Seminar room, 9th  floor, Niagara, Nordenskiöldsgatan 1
Or Zoom: https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/69679035449 Meeting ID: 696 7903 5449

 Short Bio

Since September 2016 Oliver Reisner works as Jean Monnet Professor in European & Caucasian Studies at Ilia State University and teaches courses for BA, MA and PhD students with majors in “European Studies” and “Caucasian Studies.” In 2000 he graduated with a Dr. phil. in Eastern European History, Slavic Studies and Medieval and Modern History from Georg August University Goettingen (Germany). 2000 – 2003 he prepared and coordinated a MA program “Central Asia/Caucasus” at the Department for Central Asian Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin. 2003 – 2005 as a human rights program manager for World Vision Georgia he implemented a civic integration project in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions of Georgia. 2005 – 2015 as project manager at the EU Delegation to Georgia he dealt with democratisation, minority, education, youth, labour and social affairs. In 25 years of research on Russian, Georgian, Caucasian history and contemporary affairs in theory and practice he covered topics of 1) Nation-building and identity in the Caucasus during the 19th and 20th centuries; 2) Memory studies on dealing with the Soviet past in Georgia and the Caucasus; 3) History of Caucasian Studies as area studies and 4) the role of religion in Georgia.

 

 

Children’s Literature and the War in Ukraine, Nov 14

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Children’s Literature and the War in Ukraine

When: 11/14/2024 2:15:00 PM
Where: Orkanen, E526, Nordenskiöldsgatan 10

https://staff.mau.se/first-page/calendar-for-staff/childrens-literature-and-the-war-in-ukraine/

Dr Aliona Yarova presents a Crafoord-funded postdoc project in which she has explored the societal and educational potential of Ukrainian children’s literature about the war. The talk, which is co-organized by the Faculty of Education and the University Library, will focus on her research in Ukrainian children’s literature, her collaboration with the NGO Poruch and her work with the “Schools of Peace”-project. The exhibition will feature some examples of children’s artworks – the result of creative writing workshops with three Ukrainian schools as well as an award-winning map of Ukraine made by the children which was displayed at the University of Tartu Art Museum. She will also discuss about the project’s future prospects, ideas of collaborative funding applications and a possibility to organize an exhibition showcasing children’s works.

Seminar May 21, 15:15-17:00: The inefficiency of EU leverage in Serbia during the Russia-Ukraine war

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The inefficiency of EU leverage in Serbia during the Russia-Ukraine war, Branislav Radeljić

When: May 21, 15.15-17:00 CET
Where: Zoom link https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/69865873540

The war in Ukraine has exposed a rift between Serbia and the Brussels administration. Serbia has been accused of aligning itself with Russia as opposed to the strictly pro-Ukrainian EU. In this talk, Prof. Radeljić will look at the nature of EU–Serbia relations, with a particular focus on (a) the relevance of EU norms and values as policy tools, (b) the foreign policy of Serbia under the Progressivists and the regime of Aleksandar Vučić, and (c) the rising influence of Russia and China in the Western Balkan region, which has been undermining the EU’s push for democratization and Europeanization.

Branislav Radeljić is Professor of International Relations in the Department of Government and Society, United Arab Emirates University. In addition, he serves as Visiting Professor of European Politics at Nebrija University. His scholarly interests focus on European and Middle Eastern political and socioeconomic developments. 

Seminar May 7 “Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State” with Dr Hamed-Troyansky

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RUCARR seminar with Dr. Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky, Ass. Prof. of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara:

Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State

 

When: May 7, 17.00-18.15 CET

Where: zoom https://mau-se.zoom.us/j/62352627321

Between the 1850s and World War I, about one million Muslims from the Russian Empire’s North Caucasus region sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire. In his new book, Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State, Dr. Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky examines how Circassian, Chechen, Dagestani, and other refugees transformed the late Ottoman Empire and how the Ottoman government managed Muslim refugee resettlement. Empire of Refugees argues that, in response to Muslim migrations from Russia, the Ottoman government created a refugee regime, which predated refugee systems set up by the League of Nations and the United Nations. The book also revises our understanding of how Russia used migration policies to govern the Caucasus and its Muslim populations.

Bio

Dr. Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky is a historian of global migration and forced displacement and Assistant Professor of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research examines Muslim refugee migration and its role in shaping the modern world. He is the author of Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State (Stanford University Press, 2024). His articles appeared in Past & Present, Comparative Studies in Society and History, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Slavic Review, and Kritika. He received a Ph.D. in History from Stanford University and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.

RUCARR and MIM seminar with Prof. Aadne Aasland, April 23

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The reception of Ukrainian refugees in Norway: Experiences of refugees and frontline workers

When: April 23, 11.00-12.50
Where: Niagara Building, room TBA

Prof. Aadne Aasland’s presentation will address the following:

1. How do Ukrainian refugees experience their settlement and integration in Norway? 

2. What are the frontline workers’ assessments of challenges and opportunities related to the settlement and integration of Ukrainian refugees? 

3. What similarities and disparities are there between the Ukrainian refugees and the frontline workers’ assessments and perspectives, and what are the main challenges and dilemmas? 

Bio

Aadne Aasland is a research professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, and conducts research on social welfare, migration and integration, ethnicity, and diversity, with a particular focus on Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic countries. Currently, he is leading a project on Norwegian cooperation with Russia on health and welfare in the Barents region (RE:Barents) and participating in a project on how Russia promotes its interests in Norway and Western Europe (PRORUSS). Recently, Aadne completed a major project on addressing regional diversity in Ukraine (ARDU). Read more here: https://www.oslomet.no/en/about/employee/aadnea/

 

 

RUCARR seminar with Doctoral Fellow Natalia Iost – March 12

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The Influence of Critical Junctures with Russian Involvement on its Standing in the Baltic States. The Analysis of Narratives and Public Perceptions

When: March 12, 2024, 15.15-16.30
Where: Niagara building, 9th floor, seminar room (zoom: https://mau-se.zoom.us/s/64204938730)

Natalia Iost studied political science and Jewish theology in the Universities of Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and the University of Jewish Studies. Today, she is a Doctoral Fellow in the University of Greifswald’s International Research Training Group: Baltic Peripeties – Narratives of Reformations, Revolutions, and Catastrophes.

Abstract

Critical junctures with Russian involvement have always affected the security situation in the Baltic states. The Russian-Georgia War (2008), the Annexation of Crimea (2014), as well as the beginning of the Russian-Ukraine War in 2022 caused a splash in security narratives, which increasingly depict Russia as the main threat. In my analysis, I apply securitization theory to show how critical junctures such as international crises and wars influenced the securitization of Russia in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the last 30 years. I will answer the questions of how exactly the depictions of Russia changed in the security narratives of the Baltic states in the aftermath of the international crises. Which Russia-related issues started to be perceived as a threat? And which strategies were discussed to combat the threats? In the next step, I will analyze the changes in public attitudes towards Russia in all BSR countries. I claim that critical junctures with Russian involvement considerably influenced security narratives and public attitudes in the Baltic states and the whole Baltic Sea region, shifting Russia to the very center of security concerns.

Seminar Febr 6 with Dr Lena Hercberga: Understanding difference and disagreement among young Russian speakers in Latvia

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Welcome to the first RUCARR seminar this spring semester. On Tuesday February 6, 15.15–16.30 Dr Lena Hercberga (Copenhagen Business School) will present her research:

How to be many: understanding difference and disagreement among young Russian speakers in Latvia

Lena Hercberga (Copenhagen Business School) holds a Doctoral degree from the University of Bristol, UK. Her current research interests include revisiting post-Soviet identity struggles, social cleavages, and democracy from alternative points of view, such as e.g., radical democracy and agonistic pluralism. Additionally, Lena is interested in self-reflexive forms of inquiry and non-conventional research methods

Abstract

This self-reflexive ethnographic study aims to contribute to the knowledge about minoritised young Russian speakers in Latvia by understanding how a group of young Russophone high-school students (aged 16-18) perceive and perform difference in the context of long-lasting exclusionary minority politics in the country. By applying the theoretical lens of Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic pluralism, the study was able to foreground moments of disagreement and conflict – as opposed to the conventional focus on the moments of consolidation and unity – with ‘the other’. The methodological approach to extend school ethnography to an urban walking experiment allowed to account for Mouffe’s emerging and nomadic conception of identity as well as to observe the group’s engagement with ‘the different’ in a less confined setting.
 
The study contributes to the pool of previous research in this field by unpacking complexity behind the relations of the research participants with ‘self’ and ‘the other’. The process of perceiving and performing difference by these young people can be described as a balancing act of two contradictory yet complementary behaviours: 1) displacement across various discursive fields in the process of self-making, and 2) fixation – when the research participants perform their difference according to the context and structures of power in place. By being able to navigate complex structures of power, social norms and expectations ‘on the surface’, these young people thus negotiate a ‘backstage’ space where they can be many, i.e., enact multiple, at times conflicting discursive fields in the process of self-making. By depicting the research participants as constituted through multiple subject positions, the study contributes to the critique of binary conception of Latvian society along ethnic lines, as well as to more global issues of democratising minority/majority relations in post-Soviet/post-colonial contexts.