International Conference "Jewish Thought, Utopia and Revolution" 
 

Time: June 27-28, 2012
Venue: Hotel Ratonda (Gedimino 52/1, Vilnius)
Language: English and Russian

The purpose of the conference is to reflect on the intricate relation between Jewish intellectual heritage and the notions of utopia and revolution. Both notions are multifaceted, comprising aspects such as political messianism, religious renewal, Zionism, and different forms of Marxist and Anarchistic movements. In particular, focus will be placed on the Jewish experiences of the two Russian Revolutions (1905 and 1917). How are these experiences dealt with by Jewish thinkers, authors, and artists? To what extent have they been used and abused in Jewish cultural heritage and in different political processes? And, finally, how are we to relate this historical legacy to contemporary analyses of the notions of utopia and revolution – both as politico-philosophical ideas and as actual socio-cultural phenomena?

The conference is arranged by Uppsala Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies (Sweden) in cooperation with European Humanities University (Lithuania). The conference is supported by the Swedish Embassy in Lithuania.

The conference is funded by Riksbankens Jubileumfond.

The conference is held at Hotel Ratonda (Gedimino 52/1, Vilnius).

For more information, please contact Professor Elena Namli elena.namli@ucrs.uu.se

Downloand conference poster.  

Workshop “Punishment as a Crime? Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Prison Experience in Russian Culture”
 

Time: 15-17 August, 2012
Venue: UCRS and Museum Gustavianum.
Language: English 

Nelson Mandela has claimed that “no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.” In Russia, prisons have had a far-reaching impact on society and culture, from tsarist times to the Soviet Gulag. The threat and experience of imprisonment continue to be significant factors in the post-Soviet Russian Federation.

On 15-17 August 2012, the Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University will host an interdisciplinary workshop which examines questions related to prison experience in Russia.

The workshop aims to elucidate the many ways in which prisons in Russia have influenced and interacted with cultural, political and social spheres, from tsarist Russia through the present day. The project will bring together internationally prominent scholars who have conducted research on various aspects of the culture, history and sociology of prisons in Russia.

Keynote speakers:

Helena Goscilo

Inessa Medzhibovskaia

Igor Sutyagin

Conference organizers: Julie Hansen and Andrei Rogatchevski

For further information, please contact Julie Hansen (julie.hansen@ucrs.uu.se)

Download the poster , workshop description and programme and participants' bios and abstracts.