Russia in the Arab World: History, Literature, Policy
An Interdisciplinary Workshop
Fri-Sat Feb 17-18, 2017
Boston University

We invite abstracts for contributions to an interdisciplinary workshop on Arab-Russian and Arab-Soviet ties to be held at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, Feb. 17-18, 2017. The Arab-Russian conjunction is timely, as dramatized by ongoing events in Syria, but few analysts have thought through the historical and cultural backgrounds. Our proposed framework “Russia in the Arab World: History, Literature, Policy” makes room for an interdisciplinary group of participants across humanities and social sciences, bringing together scholars who might not ordinarily engage with each other’s work. We invite reflections on such moments as Russian Orthodox missionary experiences and travel narratives about the Holy Land and Greater Syria, Arab writings about encounters with Russia and the USSR, the history of literary translation in both directions between Russian and Arabic, Afro-Asian writers’ networks, Soviet-era cultural policy and diplomacy, key moments or figures in the relations between the Arab left and the USSR, and so on. This workshop asks an important, genuinely open question: Are there meaningful continuities across the three periods (Czarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet) of Arab-Russian ties? We hope to gather and publish the outstanding contributions, revised in light of the workshop discussion. Please send a 400-word abstract and CV or statement of interest to mlitvin@bu.edu by December 18, 2016.