2023 ASEEES Convention Theme | Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies

ASEEES 55th Annual Convention

75th Anniversary of ASEEES

Virtual Convention, October 19-20, 2023

Philadelphia, Marriott Downtown, November 30 – December 3, 2023

Theme: Decolonization

2023 ASEEES President: Juliet Johnson, McGill University

Decolonization is a profoundly political act of re-evaluating long-established and often internalized hierarchies, of relinquishing and taking back power. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to widespread calls for the reassessment and transformation of Russo-centric relationships of power and hierarchy both in the region and in how we study it. The 2023 ASEEES convention invites scholars to explore the theme of decolonization across time, place, field, and institutional setting.

Decolonization can be explored on one level as a contemporary and historical force within the region. What do we mean by decolonization, what sparks decolonization processes, and under what circumstances do these processes succeed or fail over time? What does decolonization entail in linguistic, cultural, historical, spatial, social, political, and economic terms? How does decolonization in one realm affect its prospects in others? Understanding decolonization requires inquiry into the nature of imperial and colonial relationships as well. Such relationships are established, transformed, and destroyed through political, military, and economic levers, through the privileging and subjugation of languages and cultures, across space and time. As an interdisciplinary gathering, the ASEEES annual convention provides an exceptional opportunity to grapple collectively with these dynamics.

Engaging decolonization on another level involves re-examining our current research, teaching, and professional practices. How have power relationships and hierarchies within the region and beyond shaped what we study, how we study it, and who has a place at the table? What does it mean to de-center Russian studies and how should we do so? How might calls for decolonization inform the evolution of our syllabi, course offerings, graduate programs, and hiring practices? How should area-focused centers and organizations, including ASEEES, reflect on and transform their current structures and practices?

Proposals from all disciplines and historical periods are welcome and encouraged.

Submission site will open on January 15, 2023
Proposal Deadline – March 15, 2023