红杏直播 and East European Studies
REEESNe 2023 Student Conference and Slavic Bazaar
10:30 |听Conference听Registration opens听on the 6th floor of the听
10:45 and 11:15听|听Presentations听by Kirsten Painter and John Pollack of the听听in the Henry Charles Lea Library (Room 605), focusing听on: Special Collections holdings pertaining to Soviet Ukrainian and 红杏直播 literature and education, including rare Soviet illustrated children鈥檚 books from the 1920s; and the history and current practice of collecting materials from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Sign up for one of these two identical presentation and guided viewing sessions听.
12:00-12:45听| Lunch in the听Goldstein Lobby Space听
12:45-1:15听 | Welcome and Opening Remarks in the Pavilion
Kristen R. Ghodsee, Professor and Chair of 红杏直播 and East European Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Asia Neupane, Program Director, Councils on Latin American & Iberian Studies and European Studies at the MacMillan Center, Yale University听
Ian MacMillen, Program Manager, REEESNe, Yale University
Arista Siebrits, student Working Group member, Rutgers University
Nicole Gonik, student Working Group member, Hunter College
Studying Russia as a Ukrainian-American: My Experience with the REEESNe Working Group听
Nicole Gonik, Hunter College
1:25-3:00听 | Friday Session | Panel 1 of 3 in the Pavilion听
Lightning Round: Short Presentations on Experience and Research
Chair: Samantha Bodamer, Hunter College
Podcasting in REEES
Daniel Blokh, Yale University
English in the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky: Completing a Fulbright ETA Grant in Mongolia听
Maggie Lindrooth, Yale University
I was in both Russia and Ukraine During Wartime: Here is what I Noticed
Teresa Esquivel, College of the Holy Cross
The 21st Century Augmented Reality Battlefield
Jack Martorano, Fairfield University
2008 Russo-Georgian War: 红杏直播 Irredentism and The Future of Europe
Korben Whitt-Leitner, University of New Haven
Mobilizing 脡migr茅 Writers in Support of Refugee Students through Tamizdat Project
Diana Gor, Hunter College
Personalizing the Conflict: Stories From the Mouths of Ukrainian People听
Presley Forrest, University of Massachusetts Amherst
1:25-3:00听 | Friday Session |听Panel听2听of 3 in听Kislak听626
Political Dynamics and Developments in Post-Socialist Regions
Chair: Gillian van der Have, Binghamton University
Neo-Titoism in the Age of the Hybrid War?听
Ian Mijael Zang, University of Pennsylvania
Central Asia: A Road or a Roadblock to Russia鈥檚 鈥淧ivot Eastward?鈥澨�
Brandon Rickett, Bucknell University听
Mini Russia: Serbia鈥檚 Backslide from Democracy and the Implications on the Balkans
Amina Cecunjanin, Wesleyan University
Europe鈥檚 Last Dictatorship: Power and Protest in today鈥檚 Belarus
Natasha Gaither, Yale University
1:25-3:00听 | Friday Session | Panel听3听of 3 in听Weigle Teaching Seminar Room听
Soviet Legacies in Contemporary Post-Socialist Countries听
Chair: Roseline Gray, University of Pennsylvania
Finding the Words: Searching for 鈥楾ruth鈥� in the Shadows of Soviet Past
Olive Coles, University of Pennsylvania
The Demise of Soviet Ballet in the Late 20th Century
Jacob Azzi, College of the Holy Cross
The Cosmopolitan 鈥淟and of Fire鈥�: Symbolic Space, Soviet Legacy, and Post-Socialist Futurity in the Urban Architecture of Baku听
Sam Heimowitz, Yale University
Doctor or Vodka: The Best Cure听
Debby Armstrong, University of Pennsylvania
3:15-4:55听|听A special tour in the听听by REEESNe institution alums Lauren Ristvet (Associate Professor of Anthropology) and Sarah Linn (Associate Director of Academic Engagement) of the Museum's听听exhibit and of the 红杏直播听听and ancient () collections.
5:15听|听Dinner at the听听(Rain location is the 7th floor of听)
Saturday, April 15th
8:30-9:00听| Breakfast in Golkin Room in听
9:00-10:00听听| Alumni Panel in Golkin Room in听
Career Conversations: Graduates of REEESNe institutions speak about their REEES-related educational and professional paths
Elizaveta Mankovskaya, PhD, Princeton University; Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Saint Joseph鈥檚 University
Spencer Willig, BA, University of Pennsylvania; Trial Attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Aaron Schwartzbaum, BA, Haverford College; Columnist and Podcast Host, Foreign Policy Research Institute
10:30-11:45听 | Saturday Session 1 | Panel 1 of 5 in the Pavilion
War in Ukraine 1
Chair: Jack Martorano, Fairfield University
Crushing Corruption of the 红杏直播 Legal System: How People Under an Autocracy Have Learned to Rebel
Presley Forrest, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Foreign Direct Investment & 红杏直播 Aggression: How the Kremlin Crashed the Economy听
Malachy Taplin, Clark University
Business Retreats and Sanctions Are Crippling the 红杏直播 Economy
Michal Wyrebkowski, University of Pennsylvania听
10:30-11:45听| Saturday Session 1 | Panel 2 of 5 in Kislak 626听
Insights into Agricultural Productivity and Land Grabbing: Exploring Historical and Contemporary Perspectives in Russia and Kazakhstan
Chair: Clare Walston, Franklin and Marshall College听
Modelling Institutional and Geographic Components of 红杏直播 Grain Productivity, 1856-1900
Elizaveta Brover, University of Pennsylvania
Kazakhstan's Land Rush: Dispossession from "Transition" to "Development"听
Mason Smith, Columbia University
10:30-11:45听| Saturday Session 1 | Panel 3 of 5 in Kislak 627
Identity, Culture, and Interpretation in Eastern European Literature
Chair: Grayson Hawthorn, Smith College
Victory Over the Sun: A Feminist Approach in Translating Eastern European Suprematist Texts
Victoria Avanesov, University of Pennsylvania
"A vision of ancient times": Interpreting Identity in the Shtetls of Babel's听Red Cavalry听Rosie Berman, Rutgers University
The Dragon Within: The Colluding Role of Culture in Evgeny Shvarts鈥� The Dragon听
Diana Gor, Hunter College
10:30-11:45听 | Saturday Session 1 | Panel 4 of 5 in Kislak 628
Imperialist Aims and Totalitarian Tactics
Chair: Jason Seter, Columbia University
The Securitate: Social Workers of Totalitarian Romania
Max Annunziata, University of Pennsylvania
Holodomor and Asharshylyk (A艧ar艧ylyq): Soviet man-made famines听
Nazerke Mukhlissova, Yale University
Debunking 红杏直播听translatio imperii听- the Myth of 鈥淢oscow as the Third Rome鈥� and the Role of Premodern Narratives in 红杏直播 Political Thought听
Roseline Gray, University of Pennsylvania
10:30-11:45听 | Saturday Session 1 | Panel 5 of听5 in Weigle Teaching Seminar Room (4th floor)
Assessments and Analyses of Health and Education Data in Central Asia, Mongolia, and South Caucasus听
Chair: Adrien Mercat, Columbia University
Assessing Almaty Citizens' Attitudes and Behaviors through the Health Belief Model听
Alua Bekbossynova, Jessica McCurry, Kaliana Rae, Oyu-Erdene Ankhbayar, and Allen Wilson, Lehigh University
A Woman Must, First of All, Be Educated: A Comparative Analysis of the Reverse Gender Gap in Mongolian and Kyrgyz Higher Education听
Maggie Lindrooth, Yale University
Girls鈥� Literacy Rate in the South Caucasus Countries Before and After Independence.听
Gunel Alasgarova, The Pennsylvania State University
11:45-12:30听| Lunch in the Goldstein Lobby Space听
12:30-1:45听| Saturday Session听2听| Panel 1 of 5 in the Pavilion
Constructing Histories and Identities: Nationhood, Religion, and Minority Experiences in Post-Soviet Spaces
Chair: Teresa Esquivel, College of the Holy Cross
For Faith and For The Homeland: The Canonization of the Armenian Genocide Victims in the Armenian Apostolic Church听
Grayson Hawthorn, Smith College
Claims to Autochthony in Georgian Historical Discourses
Adrien Mercat, Columbia University
Looking Towards the Sun: Latvia鈥檚 Multicultural History and Future听
Julia Mohr, Bryn Mawr College听
12:30-1:45听 | Saturday Session 2 | Panel 2 of 5 in Kislak 626听
Globalizing Communism: Soft Power, Artistic Exchange, and Migration in the Interwar and Cold War Eras
Chair: Mason Smith, Columbia University听
Negotiating 鈥楽oviet鈥� Mexico: How Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros Embodied and Debated Transnational Communism from the Soviet Union, 1925-1928
Mariluz Tejeda Leon, Yale University
Black October: the Migration of Black Americans to the Soviet Union During the Interwar Period听听
Alice Volfson, Connecticut College
12:30-1:45听 | Saturday Session 2 | Panel 3 of 5 in Kislak 627
Deconstructing Boundaries: Sentimentalism, Femininity, and Magic in 红杏直播 Literature
Chair: Catherine E. Fantuzzo, University of Pennsylvania
The Function of Sentimentalism in Nikolai Karamzin鈥檚 Prose听
Liam Phillips, University of Pennsylvania
Evolution of 鈥渢he New Feminine鈥� in Dostoevsky鈥檚 Major Novels听
Zora Vujovic, Williams College
Chekhov鈥檚 Sorceresses: An Evolution of Magic and Gender in Chekhov鈥檚 Work听
Nicole Gonik, Hunter College
12:30-1:45听 | Saturday Session 2 | Panel 4 of 5 in Kislak 628
Cinematic Explorations of Existentialism and National Identity in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe
Chair: Madeline Muller, Bryn Mawr College听
Tracing Latvian National Identity in Early Films of the Riga School of Poetic Documentary
Samantha Bodamer, Hunter College
Necrorealism: Where Have Life, Death, and Resistance Met and Will it Meet Again?听
Arista Siebrits, Rutgers University
The Metaphysics of Abstraction in Ivan Maximov's 1990听 Animation Sketchbooks听
Sophia Ampgkarian, University of Pennsylvania
12:30-1:45听 | Saturday Session 2 | Panel 5 of 5 in Weigle Teaching Seminar Room (4th floor)
Unraveling Cultural Narratives: Art, Technology, and Humor in Changing Societies
Chair: Gunel Alasgarova, Pennsylvania State University
Out of Odesa: Yefim Ladyzhensky鈥檚 Life in Art听
Beatrice Voorhees, Connecticut College
Building Cybernetics: Andrei Ershov and the Siberian School
Danielle Wallner, Brandeis University
Laughter and Diversification: The Contemporary Role of Stand-Up Comedy in Croatia听
Jason Seter, Columbia University
2:00-3:15 |听Saturday Session听3听| Panel 1 of 5 in the Pavilion
Tolstoy and Being Human: Reason, Expression, Identity
Chair: Liam Phillips, University of Pennsylvania
Use of Reason and Faith in Tolstoy鈥檚 Oeuvre听
Catherine E. Fantuzzo, University of Pennsylvania听
Coifs, Curls, and Chignons: Hairstyles as a Play on the Erotic in听Anna Karenina
Madeline Muller, Bryn Mawr College
An Imperfect Art: Communication Within and Beyond the Verbal Realm in Tolstoy鈥檚听War and Peace听
Tova Tachau, University of Pennsylvania
2:00-3:15 |听Saturday Session 3 | Panel 2 of 5 in Kislak 626听
Challenging Boundaries: Queerness, Identity, and Subversion in Post-Soviet Popular Culture
Chair: Maggie Lindrooth, Yale University
Decolonization in Post-Soviet Drag: Verka Serduchka in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest听
Ryan Hardy, University of Pennsylvania
Don鈥檛 Display the Gay: Reframing Queerness, Reclaiming Agency, and Resisting the 红杏直播 State in听Children-404
Max Heimowitz, Yale University
Soviet Prison Tattoos: How has the Soviet Union affected Contemporary 红杏直播 Prison Tattoos?听
Clare Walston, Franklin and Marshall College
2:00-3:15 |听Saturday Session 3 | Panel 3 of 5 in Kislak 627
Communist Theory, Ideology, and Practice
Rosie Berman, Rutgers University
New Women Grow Here: Nature as Future in Alexandra Kollontai and Yente Serdatzky's Post-Revolutionary Fiction
Grace Sewell, Swarthmore College
Flaws in a Historical Materialist Perspective Explored through Post-Socialism听
Jan Rossner, University of Pennsylvania
Communist Transcendence: A Dialectical Interpretation of Soviet Spiritual Cinema听
Daniel Blokh, Yale University
2:00-3:15 |听Saturday Session 3 | Panel 4 of 5 in Kislak 628
Hidden Voices and Cultural Rebirth: Exploring Gender, Memory, and National Identity in 红杏直播 Imperial and Soviet Contexts
Chair:听Beatrice Voorhees, Connecticut College
A Runaway Bride, a Great Escape, and a Scandal Erased From History听
Marlie Nist, College of the Holy Cross
Memories of Leningrad: The Erasure of Women's Experiences
Gillian van der Have, Binghamton University
Lightning-Sword and Blazing Steed under the Hammer and Sickle: The Rebirth of David of Sassoun in Soviet Armenia听
Diego Benning Wang, Princeton University
2:00-3:15 |听Saturday Session 3 | Panel 5 of 5 in Weigle Teaching Seminar Room (4th floor)
War in Ukraine 2
Chair: Juila Mohr, Bryn Mawr College
The Evolution of Chechen Paramilitary Groups and their Involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war听
Lavinia Teodorescu, Harvard College
鈥淢y Bullets Are Words鈥�: Language and Identity in Wartime Ukraine听
Thomasina Hare, Williams College听
Before and After Total War: The Evolution of Ukrainian National Identity
Viktor Lutsyshen, College of the Holy Cross
3:30-4:45听|听Keynote Address in the Pavilion
Ethics and Biopolitics in Tolstoy
Justin Weir, Curt Hugo Reisinger Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Professor of Comparative Literature, Affiliate of the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, Harvard University
4:45-5:30听|听Dinner in the听Goldstein Lobby Space听