Transnational Politics of Self-Representation: Siberia on the Global Stage

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable discusses Siberian film, literatures, and cultures as transnational agents, foregrounding their position as independent figures on the world stage and addressing their politics of self-representation outside of the Soviet/Russian canon. How can we conceive of the indigenous politics and self-representation in the neoliberal and globalized context? Alternatively, how can we view the politics of representation outside of the Cold War binaries or categories of national?
The roundtable will specifically address Sakha and Siberian self-representation in the global context. In recent years, the region of Sakha has gained notoriety not only in the Russian Federation but all around the world because of its unique and independent film industry. Along with films, many elements of Sakha culture such as dance, music, and indigenous traditions have also become a topic of conversation in academic and cultural sectors, which simultaneously posed a debate about where to situate the “newly discovered” industry. This approach has subsequently situated Siberian indigenous cinemas and cultures as previously ‘unknown’ to the rest of the world and hence needed to be categorized as working within or against a specific canon (e.g. Indigenous, Soviet, Russian, Arctic, Asian).

Sub Unit

• Arts I: Visual Culture, Material Culture, Applied and Fine Arts

Chair

• Sophie Lee, UC Berkeley

Roundtable Speakers

• Maria Natalyuk, U of Pittsburgh

• Eeva Kuikka, Tampere U (Finland)

• Kate Tomashevskaya, U of Southern California