Participants

Andrei Zavadski⁴; Natascha Drubek²; Veronica Davidov⁵; Vlad Strukov¹; Katerina Suverina³;  ¹ University of Leeds, UK;  ² Freie Universität Berlin, Germany;  ³ University of Konstanz, Germany;  ⁴ TU Dortmund University, Germany;  ⁵ Monmouth University, United States

Discussion

The task of decolonizing the interdisciplinary fields of Slavic Studies, and Russian Studies in particular, has been urgent for a while, its need made horribly acute by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the war that has been ongoing since then. The work of decolonization has been undertaken by individual scholars, departments, conferences, and publishing houses. Sadly, sometimes it goes little further than mere declaration. But if approached in earnest, decolonization implies a slow and painstaking process that brings dramatic changes in perspective, a reassessment of power structures, reevaluation of knowledge(s), and diversification of voices and narratives. This roundtable will be dedicated to the role of independent academic publishing initiatives in the decolonization of Slavic Studies. How do smaller independent journals contribute to this collective endeavor? What strategies of decolonization and, importantly, self-decolonization do they employ? What are the key challenges and obstacles that they face? The roundtable will bring together four independent publications: Apparatus. Film, Media and Digital Cultures of Central and Eastern Europe; Laboratorium: Russian Review of Social Research; Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media (www.digitalicons.org); and The February Journal. Their editors will discuss the publications’ (self-)decolonization efforts. 

Natascha Drubek is the founding editor of the open-access journal Apparatus. Film, Media and Digital Cultures of Central and Eastern Europe, established in 2015, and apparatuspress.net, launched in 2023. Apparatus publishes current and historical research as well as theoretical and empirical studies.

Veronica Davidov is a co-editor of the international peer-reviewed bilingual journal Laboratorium: Russian Review of Social Research, a platform for critical discussion of the processes and phenomena taking place in the post-Soviet space.  

Katerina Suverina is a сo-founding editor of The February Journal (www.thefebruaryjournal.org). The journal presents interdisciplinary research that uses decentering, queer, feminist, decolonial, and autotheoretical methodologies to address urgent cultural, social, and political questions. 

Vlad Strukov is the founding editor of Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media (www.digitalicons.org). Since its launch in 2009, the journal has served as a platform for pioneering research on the emerging internet, social media, and other digital technologies. The journal laid foundations for research on digital activism, protest activities and social media, film and gaming convergences, and other issues. 

Andrei Zavadski (chair) is a сo-founding editor of The February Journal.