Call for Proposals: “Researching Russia Today: New Approaches to a Changing Field”
A Workshop for Graduate Students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
May 13-14, 2027
Deadline to apply: Sunday, December 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CST
CREECA (Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison invites applications for a two-day interdisciplinary workshop for doctoral students at the dissertation stage whose research engages with the diverse peoples, cultures, histories, literatures, societies, and politics associated with the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and post-Soviet Russia. This workshop is open to doctoral students who will have achieved ABD (all but dissertation) status no later than December 2026.
Graduate students working across the social sciences and humanities today face significant challenges in conducting research on Russia, including limited access to archives, libraries, and reliable data. These challenges have intensified since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. At the same time, ongoing calls to decenter established narratives and to rethink the geographic, cultural, and methodological boundaries of Russian area studies are creating new opportunities to reconsider methods and objects of inquiry in various disciplines that engage with the region.
Emerging scholars must grapple with foundational questions: How do we frame meaningful research questions in a changing intellectual and geopolitical environment? How can we work creatively and rigorously with accessible evidence and resources? And how can new scholarship engage critically with inherited categories and approaches while moving beyond immediate responses to current events?
This workshop is designed to support doctoral students at the dissertation stage (ABD) as they navigate these intellectual, methodological, and practical challenges. We welcome applications from students whose projects approach the field expansively, including work that crosses geographic, linguistic, disciplinary, or historical boundaries.
Applications are encouraged from students working in:
1. History, including art history, music history, and the history of science;
2. Social sciences, including agricultural and applied economics, law, political science, and sociology; and
3. Literature and culture, particularly projects that connect cultural and literary studies with history, politics, or society.
Workshop Format
The workshop will bring together sixteen PhD students currently enrolled at North American institutions who are at the dissertation research and writing stage, four to six invited faculty members from outside UW–Madison, and UW–Madison faculty and other experts.
Participants will be organized into four working groups of four doctoral students each and at least two senior faculty members serving as discussants. To make the workshop more collaborative than a traditional conference, participants will circulate papers (in English; up to 8,000 words in the main body) to members of their working group four weeks in advance (by April 15, 2027).
During the workshop, participants will present their work in their working group panels. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes per paper, allowing participants to introduce their projects, central questions, and arguments. Because full papers will be circulated and read in advance, significant time will be allotted to substantive discussion, including feedback on research questions, evidence, methodology, framing, and other aspects of the development of each dissertation project.
In addition, senior scholars will lead roundtable discussions, addressing broader challenges facing emerging scholars, including:
• Research resources and strategies for conducting research when access to archives, libraries, field sites, and other resources is limited;
• Methodological challenges and opportunities; and
• Field-wide debates and future directions.
Dates and Location
May 13-14, 2027 (participants will arrive on May 12 and depart on May 15), University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, Wisconsin). The workshop will be held in person.
Funding
All accepted participants will receive full support, including:
• Domestic economy airfare to Madison
• Three nights of hotel accommodation
• Meals during the workshop
Application Process
Applications must be submitted via the online form: https://go.wisc.edu/2fvif8
Deadline: December 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time
A complete application includes:
1. Applicant’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact information.
2. Name and contact information of applicant’s dissertation advisor.
3. Dissertation abstract (300–500 words). In the application form, please provide an overview of your dissertation project, including its central research questions, scope, sources or methods, and broader scholarly contribution. The dissertation abstract may be entered directly into a text box in the application form or uploaded as a PDF. If uploading a file, use the naming convention: Last Name_Dissertation abstract.
4. Proposed workshop paper abstract (200–300 words). In the application form, please describe the paper or dissertation chapter you propose to present at the workshop. Explain its central question or argument, the evidence or materials it draws upon, and how it relates to your larger dissertation project. The proposed workshop paper abstract may be entered directly into a text box in the application form or uploaded as a PDF. If uploading a file, use the naming convention: Last Name_Paper abstract.
5. Current CV, uploaded as a PDF.
Applicants will be notified of decisions by February 15, 2027.
Participant Expectations
Accepted participants will be expected to submit a full paper (in English) by April 15, 2027, to be shared in advance with other participants and discussants in their assigned working group.
Contact person for questions:
Jennifer Tishler
Associate Director, CREECA
jtishler@wisc.edu
Tel. 608-262-3379 (for voice or voicemail)
210 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706