Symposia

On an annual basis, CREEES and a variety of co-sponsors coordinate symposia on topics of concern or interest.

Upcoming symposia:

Past Symposia have included:

HIV/AIDS in Eurasia: Regional and Comparative Perspectives
April 20-21, 2009

This event will feature scholars from across Russia and the United States engaged in social science research on topics related to HIV/AIDS in Eurasia. Panel presentations will include discussions on topics ranging from risk behavior, government response, sexual practices and stigma to the challenges of conducting field research on sensitive topics in Eurasia and the availability of data sources in the region. Additionally, one panel devoted to comparative perspectives on HIV/AIDS will explore issues relevant to the Eurasian experience with presentations on studies conducted in India, China and Brazil. Co-sponsored by CREEES, the Social Science Research Council, and the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

ALASH-The Best New-Old Music from Tuva
November 17-19, 2008

CREEES, The Butler School of Music and the University of Texas are pleased to have the internationally-renowned musical ensemble Alash visit our campus to demonstrate the unique musical style of throat-singing. Alash will give a concert and conduct workshops during their stay.

The Cultural and Political Economies of Water in the 21st Century
March 27-29, 2008

This 2.5-day conference will be held at the University of Texas at Austin to discuss the following themes: The cultures of water; water in literature, film, aesthetic production.  The religious significance of water; water as a national cultural resource. Conflicts over water: local, national and international, corporations, NGOs and states. The conservation and renewal of water as a natural resource; sharing best practices from around the world Water as a human right.

This conference is co-sponsored by the Title VI National Resource Centers for area studies (the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, and the South Asia Institute), as well as the Center for Mexican-American Studies, the College of Liberal Arts, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Jackson School of Geosciences, and other University units.

Exhibiting the Nation: World's Fairs, International Exhibitions, and the Place of Southeastern and East Central Europe
October 26, 2007

This symposium will explore the history of staging Worlds' Fairs and other significant national exhibitions within Southeastern and East Central Europe, and participation of these various countries in exhibitions outside the region, most notably in the West. It will examine a wide array of questions. To what extent, for example, was Balkan (or East European) backwardness on display and how was it situated within host-country organizations of meaning? Did Balkan peoples perhaps exoticize their own nations in order to sell their wares to consuming Western publics? Or did East Europeans use these fairs as vehicles for exhibiting an image of their own bourgeoning progress and material prosperity to the world? How did East Europeans generate or reproduce national meanings at home through the vehicle of the world's fair or national exhibition? What architectural and design forms or other kinds of displays and messages were utilized in creating spaces for the making of a modern citizenry? Such questions raise issues not only about the power implications of Western representations of "other" peoples, but also about how East Europeans and others were able to "read" these fairs and as a consequence shape their own national participation and display. The situating of the Balkans within the East-West continuum was and continues to be integral to the Southeastern European national projects. World's Fairs and national exhibitions present an exceptional context for exploration of the South Eastern European encounter with the rest of Europe and the "West," both at home and abroad.

Exporting Democracy: What the West Can and Cannot Do
April 20-21, 2007

The organizers of this conference -- Professors Zoltan Barany and Robert Moser -- invited an exceptional group of scholars to consider the all-too-timely subject of whether or not democracies are obligated to promote democracy in authoritarian states and what sort of help they should render. Speakers also addressed specific issues such as how democracy builders could be sensitive to various cultures, promote civil-society, defuse ethno-religious tensions, establish a viable party system, write durable constitutions, and build democratic armies.

Challenges, Choices and Context: Health Behaviors in Eastern Europe and Eurasia
March 23-24, 2007

Organized by Professors Michele Rivkin Fish (University of North Carolina) and Cynthia Buckley (Texas), the conference focuses upon exploring the ways in which cultural, political and economic factors shape health behaviors and health related practices within Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Through workshop meetings and an afternoon public forum on Friday March 23rd, an international and interdisciplinary group of 17 scholars will engage in critical dialogues concerning the way in which health choices are structured, constrained, and enabled by forces beyond the individual, in an attempt to contextualize and structure assessments of health within the region.

Contemporary Islamic Movements: Ideology, Aesthetics, Politics
February 16-17, 2006

The conference Contemporary Islamic Movements: Ideology, Aesthetics, Politics explored Islamic thought, politics and social life through an interdisciplinary approach. The Keynote Speaker was Reza Aslan, author of No god but God.

The conference was co-sponsored by Center for Middle Eastern Studies CMES) Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies(CREEES) South Asia Institute(SAI) International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World Religious Studies Program Center for European Studies(CES).

Veiled Differences: Islamic Diversity and the Status of Women in Eurasia
April 18, 2005

This Symposium on the diversity of Islam highlighted the historical roles Islam has played in Eurasia and the variations found within Islamic Eurasian regions in the modern era. In the morning session, speakers discussed the complexity and diversity of Islam in the Central Asian states and how they have changed as their governments have grown more independent from their former Soviet rulers. The afternoon lectures addressed some of the challenges faced by Muslim women in these same societies. Co-sponsored by the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Sociology, and the College of Liberal Arts.

Adornment and History: A Symposium on Georgian Arts and Culture
February 2005

The symposium included a week of speakers and activities related to the Republic of Georgia. The highlight of the week was an exhibition of golden jewelry, which came from the Georgian Arts and Culture Center (GACC) in Tbilisi. The exhibition was partially underwritten by the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and the US Embassy in Tbilisi, and traveled to Austin after showings in New York and Washington, D.C.  University co-sponsors included the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Jewish Mysticism and its Charismatic Leaders [from Kabbala to Khassidut]
October, 2004

This event, co-sponsored by The Gale Chair of Jewish Studies, CREEES, the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Jewish Studies, Religion Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Harry Ransom Center, Texas Hillel Foundation, and the Jewish Community Association of Austin caused great interest as the first major symposium in Austin devoted to Jewish Mysticism.

The Future of Russia's Environment March 2004 A day-long symposium featuring four specialists from Russia and Central Asia in dialogue with four US specialists on Russia's environmental hotspots,legislation and policy-making, impact on health care and potential political ramifications.

A Symposium on Eastern European Jewish Folklore: Lecture and Concert
February 2003

Co-sponsored by the Gale Chair of Jewish Studies, the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the School of Music and the Jewish Community Association of Austin with the support of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, The Jewish Studies Program, The Department of Anthropology, The Program in Comparative Literature and Texas Hillel Foundation.

Afghanistan: Cultural Loss and Reconstruction
April 26, 2002

This symposium focused on the cultural upheavals in Afghanistan that accompanied a period of tumultuous political change. For millions of Afghans, the experiences of war, exile and suppression profoundly altered the possibilities for cultural expression. Since the fall of the Tailban, Afghanistan has begun to redefine itself as a nation-state. Will political stability endure and provide the necessary framework for cultural rejuvenation? What roles might art, music and poetry now assume? Which parts of the heritage will be chosen for preservation? And who will interpret the past and represent it, and to whom? Co-sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

Bytes and Sites: A Symposium on Using Technology in Language Teaching and Learning
April 2002

This one-day symposium brought together specialists and practitioners interested in using computer technology in enhancing the teaching of our area's languages and cultures.Richard Brecht of the National Foreign Language center delivered the keynote address. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

From Red to Gray: Aging in the Russian Federation

April 6, 2001

An aging population is one of the most dramatic demographic trends in the Russian Federation.  Over 31 million permanent residents of the Russian Federation are past pension age (60 for men and 55 for women) and nearly 30 million citizens receive state pensions for old age.  As with countries across the industrialized world, long term trends in fertility and mortality, point to both further population aging and increased stress on the state pension system.  This conference brought together national and international experts to discuss their research on the demographic, political, economic and social implications of population aging within the Russian Federation.

The Future of the Past: Ten Years after Yugoslavia
April 14-16, 2000

This symposium brought together artists, activists, scholars and public figures from each of the newly created countries of former Yugoslavia.  The purpose was to explore the complexities of the past and their bearing on the possibilities for a shared future.