Archive 2018

Social Innovation in non-democratic regimes – relations between the state and society in the social innovation process in Russia

Julia Mierau, PhD candidate at Freie Universität Berlin, presents first research results of her dissertation.

Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas. Rethinking Translocality Beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus

'Translocality’ has become an important concept in social sciences. But does the concept also have the capacity to describe, in new ways, the multiple mobilities, exchange practices and globalizing processes that link people, institutions, and goods in Central Asia and the Caucasus with others in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East?

25 Years of Struggle: The Russian Constitution

Russia’s present Constitution has been adopted on 12 December 1993 in a referendum. It is intended to serve as the basic legal framework for the functioning of state and society in Russia. This event will start with a brief introduction to the Constitution’s evolution and will then look at basic constitutional rights and their realisation in daily life.

Borders from Below. Processes of Re- and De-Bordering within the Post-Soviet Space

The intention of the workshop is to explore the variety of new realities of borders within the post-Soviet space not only on the level of international regimes, but first and fore-most through the eyes and voices of the people living in the border regions.

Between state of exception and everyday banality: Precarious borders in the post-Soviet space

In her talk, Tatiana Zhurzhenko will start with a brief overview of post-Soviet Border Studies as a new area of multidisciplinary research, which has emerged after 1991. She will draw on her decade-long research of the Ukrainian-Russian border as well as some other examples from the region.

Transnistria through the lens of art and scholarship

At the exhibition "Transnistria Seen from Within - A Portrait by Young Photographers" photographic works by Ramin Mazur and Anton Polyakov give an insight into their home Transnistria.

The Eurasian Economic Union - Cooperation among Autocracies?

ZOiS Researcher Ann-Sophie Gast will speak about aspects of her dissertation. She examines the specifics of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in comparison to other post-Soviet organisations and presents first results of her field research in Russia.

Private Ownership in Russia: Between Individual Rights and State Control

In his new book, Maxim Trudolyubov uses private property as a lens to highlight current and historical features that distinguish Russia as a political culture. At ZOiS, he will discuss the ambivalent role of private property in Russia with other guests.

Reforming the Ukrainian Energy Sector

The Ukrainian Institute for the Future conducted a study to evaluate and assess the likely impacts of a successful electricity market reform in comparison with a scenario of its failure. Andrian Prokip will present key findings and discuss risks and benefits.

Urban Pioneers: Change "From Below" in Russia

Urban spaces are settings for manifestations of power but they are also laboratories for social change. With guests from science and society we take a look at urban pioneers and how the change urban space and create cultural innovations.

Overcoming the Distance – “Urban Pioneers” in Eastern Europe

East European urban pioneers are actors of social change in cities from Warsaw to Vladivostok, among them those who fight for the right to their city. This workshop, which will bring together practitioners and scholars, is aimed at both academia and the field of applied research.

Imagining a pan-European common space – the role of Ukraine and Eastern Europe

With a principal focus on Ukraine, Mikhail Minakov's latest book analyses developmental challenges, geopolitical contexts, and dystopic stalemates that post-Soviet societies face during their transition to new political and cultural orders. At ZOiS the author and two experts discuss some of the central topics.

Ethics of Peace vs. Theology of War. Dynamics of Russian Orthodox Peace Ethics in Times of War in Ukraine

Regina Elsner, researcher at ZOiS, presents first results of her current research project "moral instead of peace".

The Spread of Hereditary Succession in the former Soviet Union: Political dynasties in Central Asia?

Free Fall: Life in the Altai

The documentary Free Fall is about the lives of those who were simply forgotten about after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At this screening at ZOiS, directors Elena Levina and Susanne Schüle talk about the backstory and how the film was made.

External Autoritarian Influence on Hybrid Regimes? Scrutinizing Russian Influence in Georgia through the prism of Gatekeeping Elites

Sonja Schiffers, PhD candidate at Freie Universität Berlin, presents her dissertation topic. She focuses on the Russian neighborhood policy and its political and social implications through the case studies of Georgia.

Kicking Off: Power and Football in Russia

Two days before the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, our experts Professor Timm Beichelt (European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder), Martin Brand (University of Bremen) and Julia Glathe (Freie Universität Berlin) look behind the façade of this sporting spectacular and discuss football as a proxy political "playing field".

Religious Pluralism in the post-Soviet Caucasus

ZOiS researcher Tsypylma Darieva will present the central themes of her work and discuss them with invited experts. The panel includes Jeanne Féaux de la Croix (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen), Florian Mühlfried (FSU Jena) and Uwe Halbach (SWP Berlin).

MAPA Digital Atlas of Ukraine

MAPA: Digital Atlas of Ukraine is a program undertaken by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and its partners. At ZOiS, Kostyantyn Bondarenko and Viktoriya Sereda will present MAPA. In an introductory workshop, potential users get the chance to directly use the web resource, get instructions and discuss possible applications.

A pluralist alternative to state TV? Political content on Russian YouTube during 2018 presidential elections

Anna Litvinenko presents current results of her research. The project focuses on the role of new media in political mobilization, on the hybridization of media systems, and on the interrelation of media and politics in the digital age.

The Illiberal Uploading – Defective Democracies and Hybrid Regimes in the European Union

Daniel Hegedüs, PhD candidate at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, presents his dissertation topic.

The Arctic: Potential for Conflict and Cooperation

The Arctic has great geostrategic significance. Christoph Humrich (University of Groningen), Heidi Kassens (Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel) and Nadir Kinossian (IfL Leipzig) look at the many opportunities for cooperation – and the impending conflicts of interests – in the region.

Ahead of the Presidential Elections: Do Russians want Change?

In view of the upcoming presidential elections, Andrei Kolesnikov from Carnegie Moscow Center presents the key findings of a recent study on public support for reform and discusses attitudes towards change in Russia with Stefan Meister from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

The Urban Advantage in Revolution and the Struggle for Control of Public Space

Political scientist Mark Beissinger from Princeton University explores the emergence and outcome of urban civic revolts as a reflection of the struggle between regimes and oppositions for control over public space. This keynote lecture is part of the ZOiS Conference 2018 "Contested Spaces".

ZOiS Conference 2018

The annual ZOiS Conference presents research on the relationship between state and society shaping contestation, on the public spaces of secular and religious claims, and on mapping and living with contested borders.

Regions in flux: Siberia before the Russian presidential election

We show excerpts from the film "Russia as Phantasma", which deals with life and death in a Russian provincial town. Subsequently, we discuss with producer Nadya Bakuradze what concerns the Russian population away from the capital before the presidential elections.

Zaza Burchuladze: Touristenfrühstück

The Tbilisi-born and Berlin-based writer Zaza Burchuladze, together with the Georgian filmmaker Zaza Rusadze, reads from his new novel "Touristenfrühstück". In the following discussion, he gives insights into the genesis and background of the book.