Spring 2011 ▪ VOLUME VIII ▪ NUMBER III
Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Connections
The CSEEES Working Group on Central Asia and the Caucasus hosted a conference
at UNC from March 25-26, 2011 entitled New Eurasia: Policy Challenges 20 Years Later. The conference was sponsored by the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies, Carolina Seminars, the Carolina Center for the Study of
the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke University program in the study of sexualities, the Carolina Women’s Center, the Department of Women’s Studies, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense, and the Department of Political Science. The
conference featured local professors and professionals, as well as area specialists. The conference consisted of three panels
on specific topics where specialists presented their research findings and a concluding roundtable discussion where CSEEES Director Robert M. Jenkins posed questions to the panelists.
The first panel addressed questions of ethnicity and politics. Ulugbek Kasimov, a local independent scholar originally from Uzbekistan, presented a report called “Role of Uzbek Minority in Business and Economic Life of Kyrgyzstan.” Graeme Robertson from the UNC Department of Political Science spoke on ethnicity, clan and regional perceptions in Kyrgyz politics based on his survey findings in Kyrgyzstan. Zumrat Salmorbekova, a consultant on international peace and development and MA RUES alumna, discussed ethnic policy in Kyrgyzstan after the 2010 conflict. Acacia Shields, a writer and independent consultant on Central Asia who formerly worked for Human Rights Watch in Central Asia, presented “Fanning the Flames: How Anti-fundamentalist Policies Have Contributed to Ethnic Intolerance in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.” Robert Jenkins moderated.
New Eurasia:
20 Years Later
The Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies co-sponsored the Spring World View Seminar “Understanding
Russia and Its Neighbors” at the Friday Center for Continuing Education on March 23-24, 2011. Approximately 130 educators from all grade-levels and disciplines participated. This seminar looked at the role of Russia as an influential state actor in the post-Cold War global context. Speakers examined social, economic, and political institutions in Russia as well as its influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Jeff Jones (Associate Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) kicked off the seminar by situating Russia and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin historically. In his entertaining and informative keynote address, Jones drew attention to reflections of the past in today’s Russia, notably tensions between collective and individual rights, a strong Russian state, the appointment of provincial leaders, particular patterns of Russian expansion, and the persistence of corruption. In his presentation to educators, Robert Kravchuk (Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at UNC Charlotte), emphasized how Russia’s economy and budget are highly sensitive to world energy prices. Holger Moroff (Visiting Assistant Professor in the Center for European Studies) probed the relationship between Russia and the European Union and areas of
cooperation and conflict, including energy. Elon University economist Thomas Tiemann likened Russia’s contemporary
economy to that of the upper Midwest of the United States
in the 1950s or 1960s. Jacqueline Olich (CSEEES Associate Director) and graduate students Gleb Tsipursky (History), Cassandra Hartblay (Anthropology), and Kate Althaus (Russian and East European Studies) engaged participants in their “Globalization and Youth in Russia” panel. Jonathan Weiler (Director of Undergraduate Studies and Lecturer in Global Studies at UNC at Chapel Hill) problematized the relationship between human rights and democracy. Many Russians today, Weiler shared, associate democracy with corruption, crime, and deteriorating conditions for women, orphans, and prisoners. In his talk entitled, “Russia’s Demographic Dilemma,” demographer Oleh Wolowyna explored the implications of low population density and high urbanization in the world’s largest country. Charles Kurzman, (Co-Director
of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and
Muslim Civilizations and Professor of Sociology) considered
the Soviet legacy and the 70 million Muslims in the region.
Sessions provided strategies for incorporating Russia into
the kindergarten through community college curricula. For
example, presenters communicated resources for Russian folk
music and language study. Althaus also reviewed technology
Understanding Russia and Its Neighbors
cont. on page 4
Announcements
on the Web @ cseees.unc.edu
on Facebook @ facebook.com/cseees
on Twitter @ twitter.com/UNC_CSEEES
Find us
Duke University Libraries is proud to announce the publication of a new digital collection. The “Russian Posters Collection, 1919-1989” consists of 75 Soviet era posters, documenting almost 60 years of Communist political advertising (1920s-1980s).
Adnan Džumhur (Instructor of Serbian/Croatian) and Safia Swimelar of Elon University presented “Representation, Ideology, and Identity in Documentary.”
Gary Guadagnolo (Ph.D. Candidate, History) won the graduate prize from the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies this year for his paper “Revolutionary Narrative, Revolutionary Defense: Reading Stalin’s ‘First Victim.’”
Robert M. Jenkins (CSEEES Director) presented “Conflict, Vision, and Capacity: Evaluating International Activities in the Former Yugoslavia” at the 16th Annual Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities in New York City.
Robert M. Jenkins (CSEEES Director), Anna Kirey (MA, RUES ‘12), and Jacqueline M. Olich (CSEEES Associate Director) presented “Beyond the Headlines: Kyrgyzstan” at the 41st Annual North Carolina Council for the Social Studies (NCCSS) Conference, Greensboro, NC on February 25, 2011.
Erica Johnson (Lecturer and Director of Master’s Studies in Global Studies) presented her research “Health Care as a Tool of Authoritarian Survival in post-Soviet Central Asia” at “Healing Paradigms and the Politics of Health in Central Asia” at Columbia University on April 8, 2011.
Anna Kirey (MA RUES ’12) was awarded the Center for Global Initiatives C.V. Starr Scholarship to intern with LGBT organizations in Croatia and Serbia and attend a course on Feminist Critical Analysis during summer 2011.
Csaba Marosvari (MA RUES ‘12) will intern at the Economic Research Center in Baku, Azerbaijan in May through June of 2011 and also shared his research on natural resources in Azerbaijan at the 17th Annual Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Northwest Conference at the University of Washington on April 16, 2011.
Zsolt Nagy (Ph.D. Candidate, History) presented “National Identities for Export: Czechoslovak, Hungarian, and Romanian Nationality Rooms in Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning” at the University of Pittsburgh European Colloquium.
Jacqueline M. Olich (CSEEES Associate Director) presented “Risk and Resilience: Children & Conflict in Kyrgyzstan” and chaired the “Interpreting Childhood Scripts: Historic Sources and Children’s Voice” panel at the international “Mapping the Landscapes: A Childhood” in Alberta, Canada. Olich also delivered the keynote address “International Studies in (Economic) Crisis” at UNC-G’s Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society induction.
Hana Pichova (Associate Professor, Slavic Languages and Literature) and Craig Cravens translated and edited Vladimir Macura’s The Mystification of a Nation: ‘The Potato Bug’ and Other Essays on Czech Culture (University of Wisconsin Press, 2010).
John Pickles (Phillips Distinguished Professor of International Studies, Chair of Geography) was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Association of Bulgarian Geographers for services to Bulgarian Geography. The award was made in Sofia at the October 2010 National Conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the beginning of geographical studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Chris Plummer (MA, RUES ‘11) presented “Dreaming up Snow: Regulation, Restriction and the Behavior of Russian NGOs 2006-2010” at the Duke University History Graduate Student Conference “Lived Experience of the State.”
SCSS: UNC was well-represented at the 49th Annual Southern Conference on Slavic Studies at George Mason University from April 7-9, 2011. Participants presented their own research, participated in roundtable discussions, and moderated panels. From the History Department, Professors Louise McReynolds and Donald Raleigh joined History Ph.D. candidates
Emily Baran, Gary Guadagnolo, Edward Geist, Gleb Tsipursky, Zsolt Nagy, Audra Jo Yoder, Adrianne Jacobs, Andrew Ringlee, Dan Giblin and Michael Paulauskas at the conference. From CSEEES, Jacqueline M. Olich and Csaba Marosvari
participated; from the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Kevin Reese and Elena Clark presented research.
Milada Vachudova (Associate Professor, Political Science) organized the workshop “Democratization and International Actors in South Eastern Europe” at UNC on April 28, 2011.
Ernest Zitser (Librarian for Slavic and East European Studies, Duke University) has been awarded a 2011-2012 National Humanities Center Fellowship.
As an extension of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies, current UNC students met with alumni and professors at the first RUES networking event on April 8, 2011. The event provided a forum for current students to hear about paths that others have taken since graduation and explore career opportunities.
Students from RUES’s inaugural 2001 cohort also attended the event. Alumnus Stockton Butler reflected: “it was great to see the growth of the program since my inaugural class and the enthusiasm of the current group of students. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years!” According to RUES alumna Tabitha Walker (MA RUES 2009), “the event was a good chance to reunite with colleagues and professors and an opportunity to make some new friends, too. I didn’t realize there were so many successful RUES grads in the DC area -- thanks, CSEEES!” “Congratulations on what I hope will become the Center’s annual reception at the SCSS,” Professor Donald Raleigh, Jay Richard Judson Distinguished Professor, Department of History, remarked. “What a pleasure to see former Ph.D. students, MA students, and even undergraduates now working or studying in the Washington area. The gathering reminded me of what is perhaps the most outstanding feature of our program: our students at all levels.”
The Center hopes to make this an annual event.
Spring 2011 RUES Presentations
First CSEEES D.C. Area Networking Event
On May 4, 2011, 7 MA RUES students and 1 certificate holder presented their projects.
Gozel Arazmedova | “Women and Girls in Tajikistan: New Roles New Expectations. Understanding the Challenges of School Participation in Tajikistan. Why Do Girls Drop Out?”
Arazmedova investigated the educational barriers that young girls face due to poverty, religion, and shifting societal expectations for women since Tajikistan’s independence.
Sarah Bidgood | “Don’t Gossip!: Exploring the Intersection of Past and Present in Post-Soviet, Diasporic Identities”
Bidgood looked at two Russian-speaking diasporic communities and explored their relationship with their Soviet pasts, and how this influences the way they acculturate in their host countries.
Dawes Cooke | “An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Private Security and State Protection in Post-Soviet Russia”
Cooke examined the relationship between state strength and the demand for additional privately-offered protection in post-Soviet Russia.
Jesse Dent | “Reforming Higher Education in the Former Soviet Union: Russia’s Participation in the Bologna Process, 2003-2009”
Dent examined internal perceptions of Russian higher education, governmental plans for developing Russian higher education, and the influence of the Bologna Process on Russian higher education.
Liesel Daugherty | Graduate Certificate | “Vegetarianism in Modern Russia”
Daugherty focused her research on the cultural aspects of vegetarianism in the United States and Russia by using blogs, articles, surveys, and educational hand-outs. She presented her research in various forums to promote cross-cultural understanding.
Manuela Mot | “Kazakhstan and the 2010 Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Progress Toward Democracy?”
Mot analyzed the association of Kazakhstan to the OSCE and whether Kazakhstan achieved any of its pledged improvements in political and civil rights as a result of their 2010 OSCE chairmanship.
Chris Plummer | “Dreaming Up Snow: Registration, Restriction and Radicalization of Russian NGOs 2000-2010”
Plummer did a study on bureaucratic measures introduced by the Russian state to channel civil society and their biased application against particular NGOs.
Ian Robinson | “Uti possidetis juris and Rationalist Theory: the Problem of Kosovo and Serbia”
Robinson used a game-theoretic model to assess the efficacy of the international administration in Kosovo since the country’s declaration of independence in 2008.
RUES alumni Miroslav Styblo and Stockton Butler with current MA RUES
student Csaba Marosvari Spring 2011 MA RUES graduates
Our JFDP Scholar: Bosiljka Djikanovic
Bosiljka Djikanovic, from the School of Medicine at the
University of Belgrade in Serbia, spent the spring semester
2011 at UNC on the Junior Faculty Development Program (JDFP). CSEEES Associate Director, Dr. Jacqueline Olich, coordinated Dr. Djikanovic’s UNC experience. A medical doctor with a specialization in social medicine and public health, she received her MSc degree in Public Health Policy, Economics, and Management at
Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
She is currently completing her Ph.D. in the field of violence against women and
the health sector response.
While at UNC she attended public health courses and worked with professors Dean Harris, Bob Devellis, Michele Rivkin-Fish,
and Bruce Fried to observe their teaching methodology to gather ideas to use in her
own classroom. Harris praised her participation in his courses saying “Bosiljka has participated actively in courses and other activities at UNC. Her perspective and her knowledge of public health have been tremendous assets to our students. I look
forward to working with her in the future as a colleague.” She also consulted with Sandra Martin about shared research interests. As part of the Global Public Health Discussion Series, Djikanovic presented a lecture “The Serbian Health Care System: An Assessment of Future Prospects” on 14 April 2011. Djikanovic stated that “this semester at UNC will have
tremendous impact on my both teaching
and research practices.” She was struck
by how “students here can develop their
potential according to their wishes and aspirations.” In her free time, she took
up golf lessons.
The Junior Faculty Development Program’s goal is to strengthen teaching capacities of faculty members in South
Eastern Europe and Eurasia and to
develop connections between participants’ home universities and host universities in the US. The program is financed by the US Department of State, Bureau for Education and Cultural Affairs. CSEEES has hosted nine JFDP Fellows in the past eight
years.
Understanding Russia
and Its Neighbors,
cont.strategies for integrating Russian studies in the
classroom and shared her wiki <teachrussia.
wikispaces.com>. In a standing-room-only session, Pamela Kachurin (Duke University Visiting Assistant Professor of Slavic and
Eurasian Studies) and educators discussed late Soviet visual culture, interrogated changes
in political posters over time and discussed opportunities for using visual culture in the
classroom.
Participants praised the care and detail that
went into the planning of the seminar. Carina
Brossy, World View’s Assistant Director for
Curriculum, reported that overwhelmingly
positive evaluations reflected the success of the seminar. “World View’s Understanding Russia and Its Neighbors Seminar,” Brossy stated, “comes at a critical time as educators
across the state are hungry for current and progressive global content as well as ways
to connect their students to the world.” One Robeson County Schools educator said “I feel much better prepared for my trip to Russia,
and much more knowledgeable about the
region so I may better teach it and global issues to my students.”
Pg. 4
The second panel focused on questions of energy and the environment in the region. Moderated by Anna Kirey, current MA RUES student Csaba Marosvári presented his research on geopolitical wrestling over hydrocarbon resources in Azerbaijan. Duke’s Nicholas School’s Erika Weinthal spoke about oil and environmental activism in Kazakhstan. To conclude the panel, David McNelis from the UNC Institute for the Environment elaborated on
ecological problems of the Caspian Sea.
The third panel dealt with issues of gender and human rights. Zumrad Ahmedjanova, a visiting professor of the Uzbek language at Duke University, discussed self-immolation in Uzbekistan and what causes women to choose this form of protest. Anna Kirey, current MA RUES student, presented research from the field on formal and informal organizing of
transgender people and women-loving women in Central Asia. The third
speaker, Will Meyer, a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at UNC, presented his report called “Hiding and Seeking in Tbilisi: Global Sexuality Discourse and Georgian Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM).”
To close the conference, panelists
discussed broader questions on the
changes in the region in the last 20
years and predictions for the political future led by Robert Jenkins. Victor Agadjanian, a demographer from
Arizona State University, was invited
for this portion of the conference and he was joined by Zumrat Salmorbekova and Acacia Shields. The audience also posed questions to panelists and offered their perspectives in an interactive format.
Lobbying for LGBT Rights with the North
Carolina General Assembly
by Anna Kirey
Currently a CSEEES graduate student at UNC, I really miss being able to be involved in direct lobbying and advocacy. When I saw the Equality North Carolina Day of Action announcement, I decided to get involved. Equality NC is a non-profit working to secure equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people statewide. They hold Action Days to lobby the NC
General Assembly every year in order to get more LGBT people from North Carolina in dialog with legislators. This
year with Republicans taking the majority in the NC House of Representatives, a number of bills limiting the rights of LGBT people were introduced. One of them is House Bill 777 that would amend the State Constitution to deny marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. Over a hundred people came
February 15th to meet with their county
representatives and discuss this Bill. NC Equality made a presentation about the Bill, shared the most current statistics and stories
of couples in North Carolina that could be
discussed during meetings with individual senators and representatives. The National
Assembly buildings are large and confusing,
it took me some time to figure out how to get
to my first meeting with Senator Ellie Kinnaird. I walked into her office, talked to her assistant and was invited to proceed,
the senator shook my hand, thanked me for stopping by and assured me that she heard about the Bill.
Later I found myself in a friendly crowd walking to meet with Representative Verla Insko who represents our district. Representative Insko met with us for an hour during which other residents of Carrboro and Chapel Hill expressed our
concerns with the Bill and asked for her support in lobbying
against it. We passed the materials prepared by Equality NC to her and shared some statistics of how the Bill could hurt the NC economy. Ms. Insko assured us that she would be involved in opposition to the Bill. Unfortunately, House Bill
777 was tabled in April and sponsored by 66 representatives including 6 democrats. If it passes the vote in the NC House of Representatives and Senate, it will be put on the ballot in
November 2012.
Despite this news, my overall experience was very positive. I
was surprised by how easy it was to access the senators and
representatives. Throughout my seven years of activist work I have visited the Kyrgyz parliament only once. Accessing this branch of government in Kyrgyzstan is by invitation only; you
need to be on the list that has been previously approved and
it is unlikely that you could just walk into an MPs office and talk about the issues that concern you. The Day of Action was also full of training and information
sessions which enhanced my knowledge
of North Carolina legislation in the field of youth education, violence prevention and HIV/AIDS. I learned about interesting talking
points that are used to communicate with the
legislators. Despite legislation that regulates different sexuality-related issues in North Carolina being very conservative, I felt that there was a possibility to present different points of view and facts to influence the legislators. MPs in Kyrgyzstan are very unlikely to listen to ‘lay people’ so it was important for me to have this space to talk. I also visited a dozen of Republican offices to deliver information packets. Most of the time I was well received but I got a couple of looks from the assistants after I explained what kind of information
was in the packet.
I am writing this article after seeing on the news that Kyrgyz legislators slaughtered seven sheep in front of the Kyrgyz
parliament in order to cast the evil spirits out of the building.
I wish they had a Parliament Open Day instead and listened
to their electorate.
Public Health in Moldova
Dean Harris, Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and CSEEES affiliate, continued his research endeavors in Moldova from February through March of 2011. He had previously visited Moldova in December of 2008 on the request of the Minister of Health to the U.S. Ambassador Chaudhry for assistance in the field of public health. His recent trip was the direct result of the UNC visit by Ambassador Asif Chaudhry and Moldova’s Ambassador to the U.S. Igor Munteanu on October 7, 2010 and the broader North Carolina-Moldova Partnership.
During this visit, he met with faculty and gave lectures at the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University “Nicolae Testemitanu” (SMPhU) in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau. Attendees included continuing education doctors and public health managers. After his lectures, the Rector of the Medical University Dr. Ion Ababii awarded Harris the title of Visiting Professor. Additionally, he met officials from Moldova’s Ministry of Health to discuss health law and regulation in Moldova.
For his follow-up activities, Harris will continue working with the Medical University to develop a series of online lectures in public health by UNC faculty for use at the Medical University. He will also assist the National Center for Public Health in building capacity for regulation as a result of Moldova’s new law on public health that has created opportunities for training and capacity building. In addition, he will work with Moldova’s Minister of Health to provide training for health management
CENTER FOR SLAVIC, EURASIAN, AND EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL FEDEX GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER
CAMPUS BOX 5125
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599-5125
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Permit No. 177 Chapel Hill, NC
CONNECTIONS is a joint publication of the Duke-UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies.
C E N T E R F O R S L AV I C , E U R A S I A N , A N D E A S T E U R O P E A N S T U D I E S
UNC-Chapel Hill▪ Campus Box 5125 ▪ Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5125 cseees.unc.edu ▪ [email protected]
+1 919-962-0901 ▪ +1 919-962-2494 fax
EDITORS: Robert M. Jenkins, Jacqueline M. Olich
Duke University▪ 302 Languages Box 90260 ▪ Durham, NC 27708-0290 duke.edu/web/CSEEES ▪ [email protected]
+1 919-660-3157 ▪ +1 919-660-3188 fax
MANAGING EDITOR: Elizabeth Potter
Is the EU Sustainable?
On April 14, 2011, Dr. Erhard Busek, noted Austrian diplomat and politician, spent the day at CSEEES. He began by offering an informal talk to Director Robert Jenkins’ undergraduate course, “Crisis and Change in Russia and Eastern Europe.” Dr. Busek’s analytical gaze ranged
from the end of communism in Europe to the new environment brought about by European
Union enlargement. In an open lunch discussion for graduate students and faculty, he offered insights about the relationship between Russia and the European Union. “We are very privileged to host Dr. Busek,” noted Dr. Jenkins, “he has been at the forefront of East-West European relations for over 30 years and has deep practical experience with organizations committed to building peace and security throughout the continent.”
In a public evening lecture, “Is the EU a Sustainable Solution?” Dr. Busek noted that the EU is a “peace project” that has emerged from the two crises of world wars in the 20th century. Importantly, after the downfall of the Soviet Empire, the EU offered a model for Eastern Europe that was an alternative to war. The integration process is unprecedented – states coming together by free decision, in a democratic way. By contrast, the downfall of Yugoslavia and the four wars it spawned represented a different path from communism. Dr. Busek identified several challenges to the future of the European Union. First, the EU still lacks the instruments that would allow it to be a global player, as witnessed in the recent world financial crisis. Second, decision making with 27 players still needs to be worked out. Finally, the EU continues to cultivate a “European public” – a community that corresponds to the political and economic institutions of the EU.
