Moving Beyond the "Post-Soviet": Future Approaches of Urban Studies in the Region(s)

Moving Beyond the "Post-Soviet": Future Approaches of Urban Studies in the Region(s)

Organizer
Leibniz-Institut für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Europa (GWZO), Die Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH Aachen), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Venue
Reichsstraße 4-6, Conference Room 4th floor
ZIP
04109
Location
Leipzig
Country
Germany
Takes place
In Attendance
From - Until
26.06.2023 - 26.06.2023
By
Polina Gundarina

Organized by the Leibniz Institute for History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), in collaboration with RWTH Aachen and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, this international discussion aims to critically examine the notion of "post-Soviet" in urban research, with a specific emphasis on the built heritage. During the event, we seek to explore the historical applications, present criticisms, and discuss future alternatives to this prevailing concept.

Moving Beyond the "Post-Soviet": Future Approaches of Urban Studies in the Region(s)

In urban studies, the notion of 'post-Soviet' has been used as a framework to describe shared processes and experiences across the territory of the former Soviet Union that are associated with the legacy of this state. This has included difficult/dissonant memorial and symbolic urban landscapes, but also weak municipal governance, corruption risks, and radical neoliberalism. Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine has reinforced the already existing dissatisfaction with this notion, which has been criticized for linking today’s independent countries to a framework of Russian domination. Instead, recent debates sought to bring more into the focus the views from the alleged periphery, i.e., the former Soviet republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and it has prompted researchers to revert to Eurocentric perspectives. The aim of this podium discussion is to critically examine the notion of “post-Soviet” in urban research, with a specific focus on built heritage, thus providing the space for an open discussion regarding its past uses, present criticism, and future alternatives.

Some of the questions we aim to address:

- What have been considered constitutive features of 'post-Soviet' beyond its understanding as a spatial container?
- Does “post-Soviet” as an analytical concept still provide the necessary theoretical clarity and does it encompass the spatial and structural transformations of the region? What alternative frameworks exist and how are they used in urban studies?
- Where do “post-socialism” and “post-Soviet” intersect, and where do they diverge? How can we critically look at these two frameworks in comparison?
- What are the differences between “post-Soviet” and other alternative frameworks, such as authoritarian or neoliberal urbanism?

The discussion is a part of the work of the collaborative project Stadt. Kultur. Bauen funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Programm

17:00–18:30
Podium discussion

Speakers:

- Professor Mariusz Czepczyński, University of Gdańsk
- Dr. Daria Bocharnikova, Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels
- Dr. Lela Rekhviashvili, Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde (IfL), Leipzig
- Professor Tauri Tuvikene, University of Tallinn

Contact (announcement)

Polina Gundarina
E-Mail: polina.gundarina@leibniz-gwzo.de

https://cities-building-culture.com/
Editors Information
Published on
25.05.2023
Classification
Temporal Classification
Subject - Topic
Additional Informations
Country Event
Language(s) of event
English
Language of announcement