Call for Applications: 2024 Research Training Workshop
At the Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
June 14-15, 2024
Moderators:
Professor Anna Whittington (Department of History, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Dr. Nataliia Laas (Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs)
Soviet Citizenship in Flux: New Perspectives on Late Socialism and After
The Russian war on Ukraine has raised the question of why the relations between the citizens and the state diverge greatly in different post-Soviet states. This research training workshop starts from the supposition that many of these differences stem from differentiated and unequal practices of citizenship in the late Soviet era. We seek to bring together scholars working across a wide geographic and temporal spectrum, illuminating both differences in the discourses and practices of citizenship and their evolution over time and space. Key themes include the relationship between center and “peripheries”; the tensions between citizenship as conceived by political and cultural elites and citizens; the formation of new rituals and practices to promote belonging; the transformation of citizenship practices at times of upheaval and uncertainty; and the varied and contested legacies of Soviet citizenship across the former Soviet Union. We are especially interested in papers that offer political, social, economic, and ecological perspectives on late socialism and early independence.
To apply, please submit an abstract (ca. 250 words) and a short bio by March 1 to the moderators, care of Sarah Pierson, REEEC (schess@illinois.edu ). Accepted applicants will develop their proposal into an article-length paper by June 1, to be pre-circulated among workshop participants for discussion. The workshop will take place June 14–15, 2024 in Champaign-Urbana.
Some limited funding is available to defray travel costs for workshop participants. This Research Training Workshop will take place as part of the Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia hosted annually at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We encourage those who are eligible and interested in conducting additional research before or after the workshop to apply to the Summer Research Laboratory by March 1 for additional support.
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The Summer Research Laboratory program at Illinois is funded by the U.S. Department of State, through its Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). It is co-hosted each year by the Russian East European and Eurasian Center (REEEC) and the Slavic Reference Service (SRS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. REEEC and SRS also receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education through its Title VI program, for which REEEC serves as a designated National Resource Center.