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What does studying Russia mean at a time when the global political, security and social landscape is undergoing fundamental change? The event will offer space to reflect on the significance of Russian studies and on understanding Russia. Students and graduates of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, will discuss the questions that the study of Russia raises today, the skills it provides, and how the knowledge gained can be applied beyond academia.
The debate will also focus on how the subject of study itself is changing: Russia as a political and cultural space, its position in international relations, transformations of Russian society and the public sphere, and the importance of working with the Russian language. Attention will also be paid to the possibilities and limits of academic research on Russia at a time when cooperation with Russian academic institutions has been suspended, amid long-term geopolitical tension and global crises.
Drawing on the experience of FF UK students and graduates, the discussion will connect the academic perspective with concrete professional experience from the media, research, the non-profit sector and other fields. The aim of the event is to show how a deeper knowledge of Russia and its social, historical and cultural context can contribute to understanding today’s world, and what opportunities for further study and careers this field offers.
Moderator: Mgr. Jan Dubecký
Jan holds a bachelor’s degree in History and East European Studies and a master’s degree in East European Studies with a specialization in Russian. He is currently a PhD candidate in Germano-Slavic Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and Sapienza University of Rome. His dissertation examines the influence of social media on perceptions of democracy in the Eastern European region, as well as the historical and social development of Ukraine and Belarus from the 1990s to the present. Alongside his academic work, he serves as secretary of the Boris Nemtsov Academic Center for the Study of Russia at FF UK.
Mgr. Elizaveta Chukharova
Elizaveta holds a master’s degree in Russian Studies from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and is now pursuing a joint PhD in Germano-Slavic Studies at Charles University and Sapienza University of Rome. She works in investigative journalism, specializing in the culturally and historically distinctive region of the North Caucasus and its ethnic conflicts. Over her extensive career, she has worked for Radio Svoboda, ASTRA, Belsat and other media outlets. She currently works for Open Caucasus Media.
Mgr. Cyril Šolle
Cyril holds a bachelor’s degree in History and East European Studies and a master’s degree in East European Studies with a specialization in Russian from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. He is currently a PhD candidate in Slavic Literatures at FF UK. His research focuses on how the Soviet period is presented in Russian and Ukrainian school textbooks, and his dissertation analyzes the thought of Vasily Rozanov in the context of European philosophy and literature. Cyril is also extensively involved in organizational work at the Institute of East European Studies.
Mgr. Lucie Poian
Lucie holds a bachelor’s degree in East European Studies and French for Intercultural Communication. She went on to complete master’s programs in East European Studies with a specialization in Ukrainian and in Interpreting (Czech–French). She is currently pursuing a PhD in Germano-Slavic Studies, a joint program of Charles University and Sapienza University of Rome. Professionally, she focuses on the portrayal of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the Czech disinformation space, as well as on transformations of Ukrainian political identity and their relationship to Russian narratives. Together with colleagues, she helps organize international conferences and translates and interprets from Ukrainian, Russian and French.
The debate will be held in English; interpreting will not be provided.
