Grenseseminaret 2023

Bringing together journalists and academic experts on Russia, all constrained by censorship, repression, and outside position, EXILE poses the burning question of how to keep up solid knowledge building on Russia from without. Which fields of enquiry and research are most important in the current situation, and how do we assess ethical and security aspects of researching Russian realities from the outside? How can scholars and journalists outside Russia learn from each other and work together to benefit knowledge production? The seminar comprises panels with Russian scholars and journalists in exile as well as Nordic Russia experts and correspondents. An evening event featuring cultural producers and civil activists will address Kirkenes as exile destination.

Grenseseminaret 2023

Exile
Strategies and Methods of Knowledge Production on Russia in Times of War, Repression, and Propaganda

When: November 1, 2023

Where: Ofelas (Dr. Wesselsgate 1, Kirkenes)

12.00-12.15    Registration/ Coffee

12.15-12.30    Opening

Bjarge Schwenke Fors, Head of Department, The Barents Institute, UiT the Arctic University of Norway

12.30 – 14.15:

Media – Free journalists fight censorship

• Olesia Krivtsova, Barents Observer
• Oleg Grigorenko, Editor-in-chief of 7x7 – Horizontal Russia, https://semnasem.org/
• Ekaterina Glikman, First Deputy Editor of Novaya Gazeta Europe, https://novayagazeta.eu/
• Aleksandr Peskov (journalist from Arkhangelsk, now in exile in Vilnius working for SOTA)
• Darya Poryadina (journalist from Arkhangelsk, now in exile in Vilnius, editor of SOTA)
• Liza Vereykina, Barents Observer
• Thomas Nilsen, Barents Observer

Moderator: Atle Staalesen, Barents Observer

14.15-14.30   Coffee Break

14.30-16.00:

Knowledge Production and Circulation in Academia

• Dmitry Dubrovsky, Research Fellow, Charles University Prague; Professor, Svobodny Universitet: Academic freedom in Russia
• Ivan Fomin, Research Fellow, Boris Nemtsov educational program in Russian Studies at Charles University: On the project Ideas for Russia – Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom (nemtsovfund.org)

Moderator: Kari Aga Myklebost, UiT the Arctic University of Norway

Streaming: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1490479768367566/?ref=newsfeed

“Kirkenes – Exile Hub”

To our evening event on November 1st  (19.00-21.00 at Ofelas), in cooperation with Pikene på broen, we invite cultural actors from the border town Kirkenes to tell their individual stories and discuss with the audience the challenges and opportunities of Kirkenes as an exile hub.

Opening:

Bjarge Schwenke Fors, Head of Department, The Barents Institute, UiT the Arctic University of Norway

Magnus Mæland, Mayor, Sør-Varanger Municipality

Participants:     

• Bente Andersen (Artistic and Stage Director, Samovarteateret)
• Anna Brækkan (Teacher, Kirkenes flyktning- og kompetanseenhet) 
• Denis Zagore (DJ, Actor, and Journalist, Barents Observer) 
• And others
• Crescendo Choir

Moderator:  Evgeny Goman (Producer, Pikene på broen) 

For more information, please contact Anne Figenschou anne.h.figenschou@uit.no.

The seminar is organized by UiT/The Barents Institute and The Independent Barents Observer within the framework of the project Freedom to write and knowledge building on Russia.