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The Slavic Connexion

News & Politics Podcasts

A fresh international chat show from The University of Texas at Austin meant to share research, ideas, politics, and culture from the Slavic world and beyond in digestible episodes. The Slavic Connexion is a production of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at UT Austin. "It's not typical Texas." The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies condemns the Russian Federation’s military invasion of Ukraine. We stand in support of the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and sovereignty in the face of the unjustified invasion by Russian military forces. TPN 2021 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin.

Location:

AUSTIN, TX

Description:

A fresh international chat show from The University of Texas at Austin meant to share research, ideas, politics, and culture from the Slavic world and beyond in digestible episodes. The Slavic Connexion is a production of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at UT Austin. "It's not typical Texas." The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies condemns the Russian Federation’s military invasion of Ukraine. We stand in support of the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and sovereignty in the face of the unjustified invasion by Russian military forces. TPN 2021 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin.

Twitter:

@SlavXRadio

Language:

English

Contact:

5129878264


Episodes

KAZKA: The Voice of Ukraine

3/23/2023
On this special episode, Sergio and Misha get the opportunity to speak with Sasha Zaritska, the lead singer of U-pop band KAZKA, and Andriy Urenov, producer and manager of the band. Their new single "Bez Kohannya" (Without Love) is out this Friday! Listen to the end of the episode for a sneak preview. Learn more about KAZKA and check out their music on their official site https://kazka.band/en/. To watch an amazing concert given in the Kyiv metro by Kazka in late 2022, follow this link:...

Duration:00:51:10

You Only Need to Die: The Secret Police of East Germany and Romania

3/6/2023
On this episode, Valentina Glajar and Alison Lewis share their personal stories and research on the history of East Germany's STASI and Romania's Securitate and the dismantling of these secret police forces. Thank you for listening! You can listen to Douglas Selvage's episode here: https://www.slavx.org/listen/episode/b54c0fff/operation-denver-and-russias-disinformation-playbook-with-douglas-selvage ABOUT THE GUESTS Dr. Valentina Glajar is a professor of German at Texas State University. She...

Duration:00:36:59

Milan Rastislav Štefánik: The Slovak National Hero and Co-Founder of Czechoslovakia

1/20/2023
On this episode, Cullan talks with Professor Michal Kšiňan about his monograph on the Slovak national hero and co-founder of Czechoslovakia, Milan Rastislav Štefánik. Michal talks about Štefánik's military career and meteoric rise and the place he continues to hold in Czechoslovakia history and memory. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE BOOK https://www.routledge.com/authors/i21001-michal-kian This is the first scientific biography of Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880–1919) that is focused on...

Duration:00:32:53

"In the Storms of Transformation": History of Balkan Migration and Globalization with Ulf Brunnbauer

1/7/2023
On this episode, Cullan sits down with lauded historian Ulf Brunnbauer, managing director of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg, Germany, whose research on the social history and anthropology of Southeast Europe reveals that the Balkan region is in many ways more globalized than the rest of Europe. ABOUT THE GUEST: Ulf Brunnbauer, Academic Director of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg, holds a PhD in history...

Duration:00:28:33

The Other: Russian-American Relations Through the Centuries with Ivan Kurilla

12/30/2022
On this episode, historian Dr. Ivan Kurilla from European University in St. Petersburg shares about his research on the rich and little-known history of US-Russia relations since the 18th century. Dr. Kurilla explains how the US and Russia are "constitutive others" that have developed historically within the same political language, were both projections of the Greater Europe, and at times shared similar social and political upheaval and transformation. Please visit European University's...

Duration:00:35:10

Compounding Conflicts: Russia in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Africa with Robert Freedman

12/23/2022
On this episode, venerated political scientist Dr. Robert Freedman joins us to expound on the various wars and conflicts that Russia has gotten into, not only in Ukraine, but also in Syria, Libya, Mali, and more. Dr. Freedman articulates Putin's current goals as he sees them, touches on the liberal use of the Wagner Group by Russia, and prognosticates on the future of the war in Ukraine and Ukraine's prospects in joining Western security organizations. Thanks for listening (and happy...

Duration:00:44:08

The Reception Desk: Soviet Bureaucracy with a Human Face, 1979-1985

12/13/2022
On this episode, Lera speaks with Emily Joan Elliott of H-Net about what got her interested in Soviet and post-Soviet history and her particular focus on migration to Moscow and the Priemnaia (reception desk) of the Supreme Soviet. Per Elliott's research: "the Priemnaia received thousands of complaints and petitions annually, often from individuals or groups who argued that local soviets or enterprises failed to deliver on various aspects of their material wellbeing, including housing. But...

Duration:00:32:19

The Politics of Soviet Football in the 1950s and 60s

11/28/2022
On this episode, Sergio talks with Yacov Zohn, football historian and former semi-professional footballer in Russia, France, and the US. Yacov's research into the development of Soviet football sheds light on the immense political pressure placed on the primary USSR team, the Sbornaya, to win each and every game--but ultimately the unrealistic aim to earn gold at the Olympics in 1952 is never realized. Yacov also discusses how Lavrentiy Beria himself was involved in the politics of the...

Duration:00:23:39

"Budapest's Children: Humanitarian Relief in the Aftermath of the Great War"

11/23/2022
On this episode, Friederike Kind-Kovács visits with us in Austin, Texas, to talk about her latest book which explores the ways in which migration, hunger, and destitution affected children's lives, casting light on their particular vulnerability in times of distress. You can find her book "Budapest's Children" (published by Indiana University Press) here: https://iupress.org/9780253062161/budapests-children/. The book series referenced in the episode is Worlds in Crisis: Refugees, Asylum,...

Duration:00:27:55

Russian Law: "Is There Any?" with Will Pomeranz

11/16/2022
On this episode, recorded in-person at the ASEEES 2022 Convention in Chicago, Lera and Taylor sit down with Will Pomeranz, the director of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, to talk about his experience practicing Russian law in Russia, the work of the Kennan Institute, the evolution (and devolution) of Russian law from the tsarist period through Vladimir Putin today, and the legality of the referenda in Ukraine. A timely discussion, especially in light of the bombings Poland at the...

Duration:00:36:40

"The Demise of the Multiethnic Soviet Union" with Brigid O'Keeffe

11/8/2022
On this episode, author and historian Brigid O'Keeffe joins Sergio and Misha to discuss her research and newly released work on the rise and fall of the multiethnic Soviet Union. The social histories which Dr. O'Keeffe mentions are: Jeff Sahadeo's Voices from the Soviet Edge https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501738203/voices-from-the-soviet-edge/ and Adrienne Edgar's Intermarriage and the Friendship of Peoples...

Duration:00:46:53

"Oil, the State, and War" with Emma Ashford

10/31/2022
To continue our discussion on the effects of the War in Ukraine on the energy sector, Foreign Policy columnist and Stimson Center senior fellow Dr. Emma Ashford joins us to share about her book "Oil, the State, and War: Foreign Policy of Petrostates." You can find more about this comprehensive guide to understanding petrostates and the significant role that oil plays in international relations here: http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/oil-state-and-war. Follow her on Twitter...

Duration:00:39:34

Shifting Sands: The Middle East and North Africa in Russia's War in Ukraine

10/25/2022
On this episode, Misha speaks with Middle East expert Nicole Robinson who expounds on how MENA countries have responded to Russia's War in Ukraine and the reasons why. Ms. Robinson sheds some light on the future of the region as the conflict evolves and Russia's capacity to arm and feed its regional allies dwindles. Furthermore, she suggests that Russia's declining influence may allow for other actors to increase their influence in the Middle East region -- actors such as China, for example,...

Duration:00:40:30

"Ingredients of Change": History of Food in Bulgaria with Mary Neuburger

10/21/2022
On this episode, Taylor talks with the director of CREEES, Dr. Mary Neuburger, about her latest book entitled Ingredients of Change: The History and Culture of Food in Modern Bulgaria. Thanks for listening! https://cornellpress-us.imgix.net/covers/9781501762581.jpg?auto=format&w=300 From the publisher: Ingredients of Change explores modern Bulgaria's foodways from the Ottoman era to the present, outlining how Bulgarians domesticated and adapted diverse local, regional, and global foods and...

Duration:00:42:23

"The Fastest Game in the World" with Bruce Berglund

10/14/2022
On this episode, Eliza talks with sports historian Bruce Berglund who shares about his personal love of hockey, the global development of the sport, the rise of hockey in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and its role of hockey in the expression of national identity on the international stage. Thanks for listening! We encourage you to check out Dr. Berglund's excellent book, entitled "The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sports":...

Duration:00:48:09

Putin's War in Ukraine: Mobilization, Annexation, and the Coming Winter

10/7/2022
On this episode, Lera and Taylor speak with returning guest Leonid Ragozin who candidly updates us on the war in Ukraine and helps us make sense of the fog of this conflict and the continual stream of headline-making actions from the Kremlin. They discuss Putin's mobilization orders, the West's response to Russians fleeing the draft, an unseen struggle for power within the Russian military, the "annexed" Donbas region, and the role that the coming Winter may play in the war for Europeans...

Duration:00:42:13

Putting Poland, Ukraine, and Russia in Context with Norman Davies

9/28/2022
On this episode, luminary historian Professor Norman Davies joins us to talk about the state of Polish studies, the deep history of Ukraine when it was ruled from Warsaw and Krakow, and the importance of broadening European and Slavic studies as taught in academic spaces. This episode was all about historical context, so we hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST Norman Davies, born in 1939 in Bolton (Lancashire) was educated at Bolton School, Magdalen College, Oxford, the...

Duration:00:34:35

"Black Garden Aflame": The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict with Artyom Tonoyan

9/21/2022
On this first episode of season 5, Lera and Zack talk with Dr. Artyom Tonoyan about the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, delving into the history of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia's role and presence as mediator, and the various geopolitical vectors in the region. Thanks for listening! From the publisher: "East View Press aims to provide readers with the immediate context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the lens of Moscow, along with some insight into its complex...

Duration:00:56:17

Black Widows: Female Terrorists in Chechnya

8/29/2022
Recent dual-degree CREEES and LBJ Global Policies Studies MA graduate Lucia Winkeler returns to the podcast to discuss her research and report “Chechen Chernie Vdovi: The Most Lethal Human ‘Black Widows’” in which she examines the motivations and explanations for Chechen women’s involvement in extremist organizations and actions. Content warning: There are discussions of sexual assault and suicide in this episode. Listener discretion is advised. You can listen to Lucia's first episode with...

Duration:00:41:19

"All Future Plunges to the Past" with José Vergara

5/28/2022
With the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, we are taking a short reprieve before beginning our new season. In the meantime, we have the pleasure of bringing out a wonderful episode from our backlog recorded at the end of 2021 with guest José Vergara who speaks both about his passion for Russian literature and the unique methods he applies in the classroom to help students engage with novels by Dostoevsky, Nabokov, and others. Vergara also talks about his book which came out in October 2021...

Duration:00:35:02