Social Science Research Council

Governance and Mobility in Eurasia: Continuity and Discontinuity

University of Wisconsin, Madison
March 31- April 2, 2006

Application Deadline: November 30, 2005

The Eurasia Program of the Social Science Research Council invites applications for a three-day dissertation development workshop, focusing on issues of governance and mobility in Eurasia. The proposed research may examine any aspect of governance and mobility, both broadly conceived, in historical, contemporary, or comparative perspective.

For purposes of the workshop, governance is understood as processes of interaction through which power is exercised in the distribution of economic, political and cultural resources among and between individuals, groups, and socio-political institutions. Mobility is conceptualized as both spatial and socio-economic relocation, reorganization and change. These processes and dynamics can be examined at global, regional, national and local levels.

Graduate students from relevant social science and humanities disciplines, who are at any stage of the dissertation process (from proposal to write-up), and whose projects examine Eurasia (including the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and New States of Eurasia) are eligible to apply.

Regions and countries currently supported by the program include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Funding is not presently available for research on the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).

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Eurasia has long been and remains a region where the interplay of governance and mobility produces dramatic changes. Both late Imperial reforms and the Bolshevik Revolution led to a massive restructuring of society, transforming existing social and economic structures and hierarchies and uprooting and resettling populations. More recent examples include the disintegration of Soviet borders and the centrally planned system and the emergence of new states as well as new economic and social systems.

Though Eurasia was for many years viewed as a place where state and party officials were dominant, recent scholarship has shown how different segments of the population-from writers to factory workers, miners, and school teachers, the military, and the entire nomenklatura-play different roles in governance. Collectivization, industrialization, nationality and cultural policies, democratization, and marketization have brought important changes to society, shifting and relocating huge segments of the population and restructuring social, economic, cultural and political hierarchies. Recent events in the post-Soviet period further highlight important issues of governance and mobility.

This workshop aims to examine various aspects of these processes over time. Possible topics for submission and discussion may include, but are not limited to:

We particularly encourage applicants who propose new theoretical perspectives and methodologies and who encourage the rethinking of expected relationships by emphasizing historical, economic, social and cultural issues.

To Apply:
In order to participate, individuals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in an accredited PhD program and working at some stage on their dissertation projects. They must also submit the following materials by November 30th, 2005:

The five-page summary and CV should be submitted electronically to eurasia@ssrc.org. The signed letter of recommendation must be received by mail at the Eurasia Program by the application deadline. If selected, participants will be required to submit a 15-25 page dissertation chapter or writing sample for circulation, along with their CV and initial five-page summary, prior to the workshop. The SSRC will cover expenses related to the workshop for all selected participants.

Funding for this workshop is provided by the United States Department of State, Program for Research and Training for Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII).