The Twentieth Annual Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Northwest Conference Saturday, April 26, 2014 Portland State University Portland, Oregon The Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington and the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University are currently soliciting papers, panels or

By Indra Ekmanis On July 7, 40 University of Washington choral students stood 5,000 miles from home surrounded by a 15,000 member choir singing patriotic songs in an obscure Baltic language. The UW delegation was one of only two non-Latvian choirs to participate in the Latvian cultural event of the decade, the XXV National Song

Ellison Center Director Scott Radnitz looks at China’s strategies for integrating ethnic Uighurs in his latest Foreign Policy Magazine article. Radnitz and co-author Sean Roberts argue that neither sticks nor carrots are working to integrate the population. Rather, the Chinese government’s outdated development strategy is at the root of increasing instability. Modernization and material goods did not buy

by Christi Anne Hofland This article is based on a paper presented at the Nineteenth Annual Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Northwest Conference in April 2013. Since independence in 1991, Ukraine has struggled with uncertainty as it attempts to solidify a national identity and forge a path for its future. One of its greatest

by Indra Ekmanis Can the dream of a basketball team represent the dream of a country? Director Marius Markevicius, argues “yes” in The Other Dream Team, a colorful film that merges the fight for an Olympic title with the struggle for an independent Lithuania. The film follows the careers of five Lithuanian basketball players, four of whom (Šarūnas

by Austin Malloy I couldn’t believe what was happening, and that I was there, right in the center of it all. Wedged between a crowd of over 50,000 Russian citizens protesting on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s presidential inauguration and rows upon rows of OMON (Russian Special Forces Police) in full riot gear, I knew

by Allison Dvaladze It was a welcome sight to see so many familiar faces gathered under the Georgia Race for the Cure tent, selling homemade goods, and marking another year as breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in Georgia, and despite progress, over 55 percent

by Indra Ekmanis In a ghoulish mash-up of American Halloween and Baltic St. Martin’s Eve (or Martinmas) traditions, supporters of the UW Baltic Studies program flock to the Latvian Community Center in vibrant costumes each October. Celebrating the end of the traditional harvest season and the enduring success of the Baltic Studies Program, community members

by Katie MacDonald Sitting together on the porch in the village of Chobogh, members of a rural Tajik family asked where I was from, if I liked Tajikistan, the cold weather in Seattle, if I made cow-patties to heat my family’s home there, and why I had my nose pierced. I joked that it was

by Indra Ekmanis Cleveland native Nadia Tarnawsky can make your body vibrate with the sounds of East European folk song. Born to Ukrainian émigrés in Ohio, Tarnawsky’s first language was Ukrainian. Now a Seattleite, she shares her passion and profession with the community, leading workshops and performing around the city. This fall, Tarnawsky has performed