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Fri, February 12, 2016

History & Heritage of Russian America Conference in Moscow


The Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences and the Kennan Institute (USA) presents an international conference “The History and Heritage of Russian America.” To be held April 13-14, 2016 in Moscow. This international conference aims to consider a variety of issues related to the history of the exploration of the North Pacific. The conference will present the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church, the history and heritage of Fort Ross, the history of the indigenous peoples of America, and the history of the Russian-American and other joint-stock companies. The conference will discuss issues of the history of Russian-American relations related to current issues involving Alaska and subarctic space as well as various aspects of Russian heritage in this region. The conference aims to highlight the character of U.S.-Russian cooperation through the study of their common history and heritage. The conference will utilize an interdisciplinary approach incorporating the most up-to-date research results in history, archeology, linguistics, and other disciplines that help in the understanding of the phenomenon of Russian-America.

The working language of the conference is English.

St Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Sitka, Alaska. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

St Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Sitka, Alaska. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Key topics will include:

1. The history and heritage of Russian America, including the Russian Orthodox Church, Fort Ross,

indigenous peoples, and Russian-American joint-stock Russian-American and Hudson’s Bay Companies.

 

2. Russian-American relations, especially as they influenced the development of the North Pacific.

 

3. Contemporary international cooperation surrounding Alaska and subarctic space, including cultural

exchanges, the economy, and interactions between the indigenous peoples of California, Alaska, and

Russia.

Time for papers will be roughly 20 minutes.

Please send us the title of your report at your earliest convenience ! Reports may be delivered using Power Point, but please let us know one week in advance of the conference. Reports of the conference will be published. The length of articles should be around 12,000 words. Illustrations should be in high resolution JPEG format. Submission of articles for publication will be accepted until May 1, 2016.

The conference will be held on April 13, 2016 from 10:00 – 17:00 at Leninsky Prospekt 32a, Moscow.

Potential Agenda for the Conference Beginning April 13, 2016

Official greetings from US and Russian officials. Moderator: Alexander Y. Petrov

American scholars: a complete list of speakers from the USA and countries other than Russia will be developed in February 2016.

Russian Scholars: a complete list of speakers from Russia will be developed in February 2016.

Examples of possible Russian presentations by Russian scholars:

1. Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk (Kapalin), Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Doctorate in History: “The significance of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska.”

2. Alexander Y. Petrov,  PhD, (Kennan Scholar, 2001, 2008): “The importance of the history and heritage of Russian America in Russian-American relations.”

3. Michael G. Malakhov, MD: “The Russian heritage in Alaska (based on Russian expeditions).”

Discussion

Conference summations

Cocktails

Possible Exhibitions:

April 14, 2016

Sightseeing tour

(Direction and recommendations will be announced in February)

With questions on participation please do not hesitate to contact Alexander Y. Petrov at alaska13@yandex.ru or cell +7 916 531 6305. Please address questions regarding logistics of the conference (visa, hotels, and transportation) to Evgenii Osipov at comhist-rus@yandex.ru

As well as to the Kennan Institute: rozhanovskaya.kennan@gmail.com