Session 3:
Civil Society in Russia: From Above and Below
Time: 4:00-5:30 pm
Chair and Commentator: Joan DeBardeleben
Presenters:
Arina Dmitrenko (U. of Toronto) – Federalism and the Rule of Law: A Discussion of Putin’s Re-Centralization Policies
Arina is a first-year graduate student at the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research currently focuses on infrastructure, cities, and development in the post-Soviet space. Arina completed her BA at the University of Toronto, specializing in Political Science and minoring in European Studies.
Alexandra Yao (U. of Toronto) – Impact of the 2020 Constitutional Changes on Authoritarian Constitutionalism in Russia: Judicial Pragmatism between the Russian Constitutional Court (RCC) and the State
Alexandra Yao is a second year Master’s student at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs’ Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (CERES) studying political science and history. Her research interests include Russian domestic and international politics, international adjudication, constitutionalism, European energy security, German-Russian energy relations, German Energiewende, and populism. Her thesis examines the ongoing Yukos shareholders v Russia trials in multiple international courts and how Russia continues to reject the court compensation rulings.
Nataliya Bezborodova (U. Alberta) – “Flying Community”: Places in Dialogue
Nataliya Bezborodova is a PhD Candidate (ABD) at the Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta. She is interested in interdisciplinary approach including anthropology, ethnography, cultural and religious studies. Her doctoral project focuses on the meaning of space and place in migrations, multilayered identity and the role of religion in the social and political turmoil on the example of “Flying Community,” a part of Comunione e Liberazione, Catholic-born Italian-rooted international movement. Nataliya is also a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Anthropology, and a Research Assistant at the Kule Folklore Center and Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives, University of Alberta. She has taken part in various research and artwork projects.
Grigory Hakimov (U. Massachusetts)– Temporalizing the Concept of “Grazhdanskoe Obschestvo” in Russian Political Discourse
Grigory Hakimov is a third year PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a BA degree in Political Science from Tufts University. Grigory’s interests include comparative analysis of civil society activities under authoritarian regimes including Russia and other post-communist states. Currently, he is working on the research project elucidating the controversial conceptualization of “grazhdanskoe obschestvo” (civil society) in Russian political discourse.