Natalya Goncharova - The Cyclist (1913)

Russian, Central European,
and East European Conference

Macalester students and faculty have organized the annual Russian, Central European, and East European Studies conference each spring since 1992. Events include a nationally recognized speaker, a term paper competition in which students compete for cash prizes, and an evening gala event.

Conference 2008
Photos from
Conference 2008

Paper contest guidelines

Past speakers have included:

  • Simon Morrison (Princeton University)
  • David Brandenberger (University of Richmond)
  • Viktor Pivovarov (Russian Conceptualist artist) spoke about the contemporary Russian art scene ("Poet in a Snowed-In City") and the conference featured an exhibit of his art (2004)
  • Paul Wilson (writer, editor, and former member of the legendary rock band, The Plastic People of the Universe) - "Then and Now: What Happens to Yesterday's Radicals When the World Turns Upside Down?" (2004)
  • Irina Paperno (UC-Berkeley) - "Stalin: "Remembering March 5, 1953" (2003)
  • Hilde Hoogenboom - "Women on Top: The Empress, the Academician, and the Cavalry Officer" (2003)
  • Michael Alexeev - "Fiscal Federalism in Russia's Regions" (2002)
  • Nikolay Petrov - "Putin's New Economic Reforms” (2002)
  • Igor Zevelev (RIA-Novosti) - "Russian Ethnonationalism and Regional Security"
  • Peter Rutland (Wesleyan University) - "The IMF Transition Model and the Reality of Russian Reform"
  • Alexis Pogorelskin (University of Michigan) - "New Perspectives on Karelian Fever"
  • Igor Zevelev - "The Russian Quest for a New Identity, the Implications for Security in Eurasia"
  • Jerry Hough - "Russian Reform in Comparative Perspective"
  • Nodari Simonia - "Bureaucratic Capitalism in Russia & Its Political Implications"