2023 Summer Research Lab Workshops (University of Illinois + Virtual)

Workshop Dates: June 15-16, 2023

The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Center and the Slavic Reference Service at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invite faculty, graduate students, early career scholars, independent researchers, and policy analysts to participate in the upcoming workshops, New Views on Sovereignty in Eurasia and Language Learning and Language Competencies for Field Research in Eurasian Studies. Scholars will be able to participate in person and virtually through Zoom.  For questions about the Summer Research Laboratory, funding, and information on other workshops, please contact us at reeec-srl@illinois.edu. This year’s SRL is made possible by generous support from the US Department of State, through its Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). Revised information on each workshop is linked down below. 

Information on Language Learning and Language Competencies for Field Research in Eurasian Studies

Dr. Timothy K. Blauvelt (Ilia State University and American Councils) and Dr. Naira Sahakyan (The American University of Armenia) will be leading this workshop as co-moderators.In recent years, there has been soul searching in ethnography about the challenges of “researching multilingually,” including calls for more reflection and openness about language learning and language competences for fieldwork. In this workshop, the participants will be invited to explore a potential range of such questions: how to go about gaining language skills (especially for the less commonly taught languages); what level of proficiency is sufficient for which kinds of research; how might technology assist with research-related language challenges; what are the distortions of interpretation and translation (including machine-assisted translation) relative to distortions introduced by varying levels of language fluency; when and how is a lingua franca (especially Russian, the former imperial/colonial idiom of the Russian/Soviet empires) still useful for research; what are the trade-offs and inequities of opportunities involved in language acquisition; and many others. This workshop is a part of this year’s Summer Research Laboratory (SRL) in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The priority deadline for SRL applications is March 10th.

Information on New Views on Sovereignty in Eurasia

Dr. Leone Musgrave (United States Army War College) will be leading this workshop as the moderator.

This workshop will examine issues of sovereignty and national security in contemporary Eurasia. With competing spheres of influence, the post-Soviet space is undergoing rapid changes that are reshaping US foreign policy and causing widespread instability in the region. The workshop will critically apply multidisciplinary perspectives in order to contextualize regional trends.

Drawing on political science and historical perspectives from debates on self-determination, “extra-territorial” autonomy, and international governance, this workshop forms a part of this year’s Summer Research Laboratory (SRL) in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.