Junior Scholar Workshop “Writing Back from the Peripheries? Russophone Literary Diversity”
funded by the BRIDGE Seed Fund for collaboration between the University of Birmingham (UoB) in the UK, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the USA
July 9-10, 2025
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, decolonizing and decentring approaches to the study of Russophone literature and culture have become increasingly urgent tasks. This workshop seeks to offer support to emerging scholars whose research focuses on minoritized Russophone authors (both those who are “writing back” from regions formerly colonized by Russia and those who ended up living in exile abroad).
The interdisciplinary workshop follows the symposium on Russophone Literary Diversity organized at the University of Birmingham in September 2024. It is open to advanced graduate students and early career scholars working in literary studies, linguistics, human geography, anthropology, history, and political science. We welcome submissions focused on Russophone literary diversity and peripheries, with diversity being understood along a number of different axes: geographic, ethnic, racial, linguistic, sexual/gender. Abstracts and papers should highlight the critical methodologies used in the work. Selected papers will be pre-circulated among the participants, to maximize opportunity for discussion.
The workshop participants will receive feedback on their projects both from their peers and senior scholars, the latter serving as panel discussants and mentors. A specialized bibliography session on the topic of the workshop will be offered by the UIUC Slavic Reference Service.
The workshop committee will comprise: Valeria Sobol, David Cooper and George Gasyna (UIUC); Nataliya Rulyova, Isobel Palmer, and Irina Kuznetsova (UofB).
Application and funding information
To apply, please send a 300-word abstract and CV to vsobol@illinois.edu by February 1st, 2025. In your email message subject, please write “Peripheries Workshop” and your name, for example: “Peripheries Workshop_Sobol.”
We will inform participants who have been selected by March 7th and ask you to develop a paper of 4,000-5,000 words by June 1st, 2024.
The workshop will cover accommodation (dormitory housing) and offer partial travel reimbursement. Most meals will be covered for all the participants.
Additional research and funding opportunity
This workshop will take place during the annual Summer Research Laboratory at Illinois (SRL). US citizens are eligible to apply for a Title VIII associateship for SRL, should they wish to extend their visit to Champaign-Urbana to work with our Library’s famous Russian, East European, and Eurasian collections. A Title VIII associateships with the SRL includes travel reimbursement up to $800; dormitory housing for up to 12 days; and a $1,250 research stipend. Please note that the SRL application is a separate process. More details about the SRL and application can be found here:
https://reeec.illinois.edu/research/summer-research-laboratory
Please note that the priority deadline for SRL applications and Title VIII funding is February 17, 2025. The final deadline for all SRL applications, funded and unfunded, is March 17, 2025.