What’s Happening in Ukraine—UVM Professors Weigh In
by Ruby LaBrusciano-Carris
It was clear upon entering the John Dewey Lounge on late Wednesday afternoon that nobody had expected such an immense turnout for the much-anticipated teach-in on the crisis in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the lack of both space and chairs didn’t stop any of us latecomers from cramming into the stuffed lounge, standing in the back and sitting cross-legged on the floor. The atmosphere had the revelry and excitement of going to see an extremely popular concert or well-publicized speaker—buzzing with interest and curiosity. It was one of those moments where I found that I was infinitely glad to be in a school where so many people can get so excited at the prospect of a lecture on current events, so much so that they are content to sit uncomfortably on the floor, stuffed up against one person’s knees and nearly sitting on another’s hands, just for the sake of seeing a professor panel on current events.
Opening the lecture with the first 15-minute block was the cultural scholar Adrian Ivakhiv. Mr. Ivakhiv focused his time on addressing the ways that the various media outlets in both the West and in Russia have reported on the issues in Ukraine. Namely, Mr. Ivakhiv picked apart the numerous info-graphics that have been floating around the Internet, magazines, and newspapers since the start of the crisis in late November. With an extensive use of visuals, Mr. Ivakhiv explained why, although the graphics often make the situation look very cut and dry between East and West Ukraine, there is really much more “grey area” than is reported.
Continuing the discussion after Mr. Ivakhiv was anthropologist Jennifer Dickinson, who took another spin on the issue, looking at it through the lens of social media. As we have seen in many uprisings, revolts, and revolutions lately, social media’s role is paramount in organizing, rallying, and spreading information for these groups. The situation is exactly the same in Ukraine, a crisis that, as Ms. Dickinson pointed out, was inspired by one call-to-action Facebook post on November 21st of last year. Since then, people have continued to use various social media platforms to further their cause.
Following Jennifer Dickinson was UVM Russian professor Kevin Mckenna, outlining the implications of relations between Ukraine and Russia, as well as Russia and the US. And lastly but certainly not least, UVM political science professor Michele Commercio wrapped up the presentations with her interpretation of the outlook for the future, questioning where Russia will go next.
There was no shortage of questions for the question and answer session, and by the time everything was said and done, it was clear that the crowd was more than happy to have been there, no matter how cozy or uncomfortable the seating arrangement was. If you are interested in more presentations on politics, international relations, or current events, keep checking the BORED calendar to see what you can find!
Coming up:
Rakin Symposium: Assessing the Arab Spring
April 3rd , 3-5pm, Davis Center
http://uvmbored.com/event/rakin-symposium/
Howard Dean: Does Obamacare Have a Future?
April 7th , 3-4:30pm, Billings North Lounge
http://uvmbored.com/event/howard-dean-obamacare-future/
