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

12.30 – 14.15.00:

Media – Free journalists fight censorship

• Olesia Krivtsova, Barents Observer
• Oleg Grigorenko, Editor-in-chief of 7x7 – Horizontal Russia, https://semnasem.org/
• Katia Glikman, 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)
• Denis Skopin, Senior Scholar in Exile, Center for Contemporary History, Berlin; former Professor of Political Science, St. Petersburg State University: On the project Smolny Beyond Borders

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

“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.

Kirkenes is a very special place: with a population of only a few thousand people it boasts being a home for more than 70 nationalities. Quite a few of them know the feeling of being an exile. Transcultural and cross-border activities have long been an essential aspect of cultural work in this border region, so that cultural actors are all the more affected by border closures. Given this premise, local cultural initiatives in Kirkenes have been offering both a hub for artistic exchange in the immediate vicinity of the border and a shelter for artists in exile.  

To sign up and receive full program, 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.