Russia's Role in Human Mobility : Historical and Contemporary Perspectives 

Panel One : Russia and the Governance of Migration

 
Panel Two : Russia, Mobility and Migration

 
Panel Three : Modes of Mobility in Russia and the Soviet Union

 
Panel Four : Itineraries : Forging Routes of Movement and Circulation

 
Panel Five : Russia's Place in Global Mobility Systems

International Conference

Russia's Role in Human Mobility

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
June 18-20, 2009

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

3rd Floor, Levis Faculty Center

919 West Illinois Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Since its rapid expansion in the early modern period, Russia has played a decisive role in the making of regimes of mobility throughout Eurasia. Human movement and migration across Russian space have transformed populations, restructured individual and collective identities, and created both difficulties and opportunities for Eurasian governments. The upheavals in human movement and migration brought by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 mark but the latest turning-point in this long story. Yet despite its obvious contemporary relevance, Russia’s role in human mobility has received scant historical attention. As a result, pressing contemporary debates about issues of governance, citizenship, migration and demographic change, and human rights often lack a reliable historical context. In its absence, policy-makers lack a clear picture of historic trends.

This year's Fisher Forum aims to stimulate new thinking about this topic through the organization of a high-profile scholarly conference on the subject. "Russia’s Role in Human Mobility: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" will take place in June 18-20 2009, as part of the University of Illinois's prestigious Ruth and Ralph Fisher Forum series in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. It will feature a keynote address by Professor Stephen Kotkin of Princeton University, as well as a two-day scholarly workshop featuring pre-circulated papers by 25 scholars, historians as well as students of contemporary life. Five key themes surrounding Russias role in human mobility will be discussed:

1. Russia and the Governance of Mobility
2. Russia, Mobility, and Migration
3. Modes of Mobility in Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union
4. Itineraries : Forging Routes of Movement and Circulation
5. Russia's Place in Global Mobility Systems

Each of these panels will involve at least one guest scholar from Russia or the Former Soviet Union, as well as one scholar specializing in contemporary issues. It is thus hoped that each panel, as well as the conference as a whole, will spark international as well as interdisciplinary dialog. We want our discussions to constantly move forward across time and space, building the basis for a deeper connection and mutual interaction between historical scholarship and work on contemporary issues.

As was mentioned earlier, we intend to publish the papers produced by this conference in an edited conference volume. We are also hoping it will serve as a catalyst for further scholarly initiatives.

Other, more general Slavic Reference Service guides that may be helpful for your research include the following:

• Multilingual Electronic Resources for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies
• Vernacular Language Resources
• Research Technologies at the UIUC Library
• Our extensive Introduction to Slavic Information Resources