How Soviet Prison Subculture Shapes the Russian Political Landscape

How Soviet Prison Subculture Shapes the Russian Political Landscape

A symposium co-sponsored by the
UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy and the
UCLA Department of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Languages and Cultures
Organizers: Marianna Petiaskina, Lydia Roberts

University of California, Los Angeles
May 3-4, 2024

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This event will be available on Zoom — please write to lydia.h.roberts@ucla.edu for the Zoom link.

This symposium gathers scholars, policymakers, civic activists, and human rights defenders to explore topics including:

♦ The impact of criminal logic and discourse on modern Russian political dialogue;
♦ Artistic and literary traditions that influence Russian societal views of criminality, authority, and prison life;
♦ The effect of the Soviet prison system and Gulag legacy on Russia’s social dynamics and cultural identity;
♦ The implications of the above topics in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, particularly the recruitment of soldiers from Russian prisons and the consequences of this strategy for the social fabric of former Soviet countries;
♦ Comparative analysis (regional and global) of these topics;
♦ Strategies for comprehensively understanding and addressing the interplay between criminal culture and political discourse in Russia.

Event Program:
May 4, 2024
Luskin Conference Center
Artistry Room
University of California, Los Angeles

09:0–09:10 ………………………… Opening Remarks        Marianna Petiaskina
                                                                                             Co-Organizer
09:10–10:40 ………………………… Panel 1

Soviet to Post-Soviet: Carceral Dynamics, Gulag, Law
Chaired by Marianna Petiaskina

The Gulag Reputation System in Post-Soviet Society
Gavin Slade, Associate Professor, Sociology, Nazarbayev University

Russian Criminality in Early Gulag Memoirs
Lydia Roberts, PhD Candidate, Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures, UCLA

Law as a Tool for Putin’s Authoritarian Legitimation and as an Opportunity for Resistance
Lauren A. McCarthy, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Legal Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst

10:40–11:00 …………………………………………. Morning Refreshment Break
11:00–12:30 …………………………………………. Panel 2

Current events: Ideology, Putinism, War
Chaired by Igor Pilshchikov

From «Notions» to Ideology: Patsan culture and its place in the ideology of Putin’s regime
Ilya Budraitskis, Visiting Scholar, Program in Critical Theory, UC Berkeley

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s “March of Justice” against “Bespredel”
Marianna Petiaskina, PhD Student, Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures, UCLA

The Russian Penitentiary System after Russia’s Full-Scale Aggression Against Ukraine
Olga Romanova, Civic Activist and Journalist, Founder of ‘Russia Behind Bars’ (Rus Sidyashaya)

12:30–13:30 …………………………………………. Lunch Break
13:30–15:00 …………………………………………. Panel 3

Cultural Memory: Discourse, Codes, Prison Subculture
Chaired by Lydia Roberts

The Gulag Resurfaces: Society, State Power, Literature and the Theme of Soviet Repression
Andrea Gullotta, Senior Researcher, University of Palermo

The Evolution of Russian Criminal Slang and its Influence on Russia’s Public Discourse 
Igor Pilshchikov, Professor and Chair, Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages & Cultures, UCLA

Harmonies of Discord: War Shansons
Anastasia Gordienko, Assistant Professor, Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona

15:00–15:30 …………………………………… Afternoon Refreshment Break
15:30–16:45 …………………………………… Keynote Address

Reasons and Consequences of the Interpenetration and Fusion of the Prison “Blat Committee” with Penitentiary Authority: From Correctional Colonies to the Kremlin
Olga Romanova, Civic Activist and Journalist, Founder of ‘Russia Behind Bars’ (Rus Sidyashaya)

16:45–17:00 …………………………… Closing Remarks        Lydia Roberts
                                                                                                 Co-Organizer

Parking at the Luskin Conference Center: https://luskinconferencecenter.ucla.edu/about/campus-map-parking/

Related Document: Abstracts and Bios