Russia’s choices for 2030

Conference venue: University of Helsinki, Finland
Period: 25-27 October 2017
Deadline for submitting full papers:15 May 2017

Notification of acceptance: 16 June 2017
Online registration and registration fees due by: 25 August 2017
Conference programme published: 10 September 2017

Where Russia will be in 2030 is no longer as clear as it seemed a while ago. Some years ago, ‘emerging powers’ and the BRICS countries, including Russia, seemed to be on a path to experiencing strong economic growth, delivering well-being to their citizens, shaping global cultural trends, and ultimately challenging the prevailing balance of power. For many reasons, such expectations have proved somewhat one-dimensional. As a response to this changing trajectory, the Russian Government has initiated a new development strategy until 2030. World leaders in economy and politics, in academia and outside continue related debates.

The 17th Aleksanteri Conference will focus on Russian actors, who are making the choices on the way to 2030; explore the multiple structures and environments within which these actors are making these choices; and analyse the legacies of the pre-Soviet, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods which, in turn, are shaping Russia’s choices.

While we particularly welcome paper, panel, and roundtable proposals addressing this forward-looking agenda, we also wish to see proposals examining any current or historical developments that can be relevant for understanding Russia’s choices and the contexts within which they are made. We also welcome proposals that address the choices of less central actors in Russia, as well as Russia’s neighbours in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere that have a bearing on Russia.
The 2017 Aleksanteri Conference will also be the closing conference of the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Russian Studies “Choices of Russian Modernisation”.

The conference committee suggests the following sub-themes for consideration:

closing text on eligible topics. (leave blank if useless)

Registration rates:
Paper presenters, chairs, and discussants 100 €
Graduate students, participants from ex-Soviet countries or with an income of less than 30,000 euros 50 €
Accompanying persons and observers not presenting a paper (partial participation in the conference allowed) 25 €

Submissions:
The deadline for submitting paper, panel, and roundtable proposals is 15 May 2017.

Paper proposals: Please submit your individual paper abstracts of max. 300 words via the abstract submission form. The organisers will form thematic panels from individual proposals. If you submit a paper for an organised panel, please do not submit it as an individual paper proposal.

Panel proposals: Panels should consist of 3-4 paper presenters, a chair, and a discussant. Panels must aim for an international composition. Preferably, one or more panel members should represent different countries of origin; at the very minimum, the discussant must represent a different country of origin to those of the speakers. The conference organisers may be able to nominate chairs and discussants for speaker-only panel proposals. Please submit your panel proposal including an abstract of max. 500 words via the panel proposal submission form.

Roundtables: Each roundtable features a structured discussion on a timely theme or problem, which requires a more open format of debate than a conventional paper session. Roundtables must have a chair and 3-5 speakers. Please submit your roundtable proposal including an abstract of max. 500 words via the roundtable proposal submission form.

Notification of acceptance for paper, panel, and roundtable proposals will be sent by email by 16 June 2017. The abstracts of accepted papers / panels / roundtables will be published on the conference website.
 
Guidelines for sessions:
Panel sessions will last 90 minutes each:
Panellists: 15-20 minutes each
Discussant: 10 minutes
Q&A

The chair will introduce the panel and its participants. Each panellist will have a maximum of 15-20 minutes for their presentations. The discussant will have 10 minutes to give their comments. The papers will be circulated amongst the panel chairs and discussants prior to the conference.
Roundtables will also last 90 minutes. Please be mindful of the time constraints and the fair allocation of time between participants.

General information:
The working language of the conference is English. Unfortunately, no translation can be provided.
There is a PC and a projector in every lecture hall.

For furtherinformation, or if you wish to ask any questions, please contact the conferenceorganisers at: fcree-aleksconf@helsinki.fi