Russia and Eurasia Events
Cultural Impact of Isadora Duncan in the USA and Russia: Past and Present Studies
June 21, 2013 // 10:00am — 11:00am
Kennan Institute
This presentation will show the evolution of Duncan studies in the United States and Russia during the last century and reveal political factors which impeded the research of this outstanding personality and her work.
Competing Interpretations of Buddhism’s Revival in the Republic of Kalmykia
June 10, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
Russia is widely considered to have experienced a religious revival in the two decades since the end of communism. Edward Holland, Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar, considers the case study of Buddhism in the republic of Kalmykia, and questions this straightforward interpretation of renaissance.
Art from Agony: Vasily Grossman and the Holocaust in Life & Fate
June 03, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
The archival research of John and Carol Garrard has revealed Vasily Grossman's fictional projection to be based upon historical fact; they disclose what Grossman could not: the names and units of the perpetrators and collaborators.
Illuminating the Kazakh Nomadic Culture: American Travelers (1870-1920)
May 28, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
Kazakhstan is rich in natural resources and ancient, unique cultures that have long attracted attention of Western travelers. Early American travelers made significant contributions in preserving Kazakhstan’s history as witnesses to its nomadic culture and through their photographs, drawings, and diaries. Saule Satayeva includes Kennan Institute namesake George Kennan who, together with American painter George Frost, wrote evocative essays and created numerous drawings and photographs.
Communism on Tomorrow Street: Mass Housing and Everyday Life after Stalin
May 20, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
This book examines how, beginning under Khrushchev in 1953, a generation of Soviet citizens moved from the overcrowded communal dwellings of the Stalin era to modern single-family apartments, later dubbed khrushchevka. Arguing that moving to a separate apartment allowed ordinary urban dwellers to experience Khrushchev’s thaw, Steven E. Harris fundamentally shifts interpretation of the thaw, conventionally understood as an elite phenomenon.
Backdraft: The Conflict Potential of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (Report Launch)
May 16, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
Environmental Change and Security Program
Amid the growing number of reports warning that climate change threatens security, one potentially dangerous – but counterintuitive – dimension has been largely ignored. Could efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and lower our vulnerability to climate change inadvertently exacerbate existing conflicts?
Engaging the Law in Eurasia and Eastern Europe
May 14, 2013 // 9:30am — 4:15pm
Kennan Institute
Law provides the building blocks for both market economies and democracies. In the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been a wholesale rewriting of statutes and regulations as part of a reshaping of the institutional environment of these formerly Communist countries. The extent to which these reforms have taken root has varied. This conference highlighted how the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have pursued legal reform and assess the role of law in the region.
Enforcing Laws on Human Trafficking in Russia
May 13, 2013 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
Lauren McCarthy examines the trafficking phenomenon in Russia, discussing both sex and labor trafficking, focusing primarily on the response of law enforcement agencies in the ten years since trafficking was criminalized in Russia.
Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters
May 08, 2013 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
Kennan Institute
Kate Brown presented "Plutopia", the first history of Richland, Washington and Ozersk, Russia, two communities developed in parallel by opposing nations at the height of the Cold War.
Putin’s First Year in His Third Term: What Happened? What’s Next?
May 07, 2013 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
Kennan Institute
Angela Stent and Fiona Hill examined how successful Putin has been in driving forward his agenda and what his priorities will be going forward.