The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan is proud to launch a new lecture series spotlighting the rich multicultural and multilingual traditions of the regions we study and teach.
The series challenges the field’s longstanding Slavic-centric focus by highlighting historically understudied communities that, by default—as seen in the very term “Slavic studies” as a common synonym for Eastern European regional studies—have too often been overlooked or excluded. Distinguished scholars will present on these cultures’ histories, languages, and artistic contributions.
This initiative marks a bold step toward reshaping Eastern European studies, diversifying the curriculum, and fostering a more inclusive understanding of the region’s cultural complexity. The talks will be held in hybrid format, and all are welcome to register for online streaming. Registration links will be shared before each talk.
Curated by Alex Averbuch alexaver@umich.edu
Talks Schedule
All times are in Eastern Time (ET)
September 26, 3–5pm, MLB 3308
Dima Arzyutov, Writing Without Letters: Inscriptive Practices in Trans-Indigenous Arctic Literacy History
Register here
October 21, 3–5pm
Tetiana Liubchenko, Centuries of Displacement, Centuries of Resistance: Greeks in Ukraine and the Former USSR
November 14, 3–5pm
Ivan Simic, Sickle and Veil: Communist Gender Policies towards Muslim Minorities in Eastern Europe
January 23, 3–5pm
Carol Silverman, Global “Gypsy”: Balkan Romani Music, Representation, and Appropriation
February 20, 3–5pm
Greta Uehling, Like Swallows We Will Return Home: Memory, Ritual, and Resilience among the Crimean Tatars
March 24, 3–5pm
Andrea Gondos, Lifting Lilith’s Demonic Veil: Child Snatching and Switching in the East European Shtetl and its Slavic Surroundings
Co-sponsors: Rackham Graduate School and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES), University of Michigan.
