Presidential Plenary: Identifying and Applying Liberating Perspectives in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Session Submission Type: Presidential Plenary Session

Brief Description

In his book Decolonizing the Mind, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o proposes as a decolonizing goal the “search for a liberating perspective within which to see ourselves clearly in relationship to ourselves and other selves in the universe.” The Presidential Plenary session presents an array of approaches to identifying and implementing pathways towards achieving this goal in academic contexts. It features six scholars from across the disciplines, at various stages of their careers, who are leading efforts to implement liberating perspectives in teaching, research, education, scholarly organization, and other related areas.

Sub Unit

• ASEEES-Organized Events

Chair

• Vitaly Chernetsky, U of Kansas

Plenary Speakers

• Alex Averbuch, U of Michigan

• Botakoz Kassymbekova, U of Basel (Switzerland)

• Dragan Kujundzic, U of Florida

• Maria Popova, McGill U (Canada)

• Maria Sonevytsky, Bard College

• Kimberly St. Julian Varnon, U of Pennsylvania