Forms of Protest III: From Perestroika to Digital Dissent

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable examines grassroots resistance in the post-Soviet space, focusing on activism, memory, and alternative protest. As authoritarianism consolidates in Russia and shapes the region, movements adapt, blending traditional and digital strategies. From feminist antiwar networks to anti-nuclear activism and postimperial backlash, these movements challenge state narratives and reimagine democratic futures.

Speakers explore different dimensions of resistance. Elizaveta Volkovskaia analyzes the Feminist Antiwar Resistance (FAR), which emerged in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, examining its memory and legacy within feminist traditions. Nathan Goldstone discusses Rollan Seisenbayev’s The Day the World Collapsed, a literary protest against nuclear testing and Soviet historical narratives. Elena Maltseva and Anastasia Kulaga compare women’s political activism in Central Asia, showing how economic and political conditions shape mobilization in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Mariam Darchiashvili traces postimperial anger in Georgia, examining how tensions over Russian migration fuel broader resistance to authoritarianism and Russian influence.

By bringing together these perspectives, the roundtable highlights resistance across contexts—from literature to activism, digital networks to protests. It explores evolving protest grammars and how contemporary movements navigate history while forging new identities. This discussion contributes to debates on agency in authoritarian contexts, gender and resistance, and cultural production’s role in political struggles. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it maps the shifting landscape of dissent in post-Soviet Eurasia and its implications for the region’s future.

Sub Unit

• Anthropology, Cultural Studies

Chair

• Sofia Gavrilova, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (Germany)

Roundtable Speakers

• Mariam Darchiashvili, Ilia State U (Georgia)

• Nathan Merle Goldstone, Harvard U

• Elena Maltseva, U of Windsor (Canada)

• Elizaveta Volkovskaia, U of Pittsburgh