External Grants

Below is a list of external grant opportunities that could be of interest to members and partners of the UPTAKE consortium as well as to other senior and junior scholars focusing on Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Please note that UPTAKE is not responsible for the accuracy of the information on the pages of third parties, nor is it involved in their application and selection processes.

Academy Robert Bosch Fellowship, Chatham House (open to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine)
Deadline: 29 April
Visiting Researcher fellowship at IRES, Uppsala University
Deadline: 31 March
Visiting PhD researcher Fellowship at IRES, Uppsala University (open to PhD students based in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland or Slovakia)
Deadline: 31 March
OSF Eurasia programme fellowships at the University of Tartu
Deadline: 10 May 2018
George F. Kennan Fellowship for applicants from diverse backgrounds working on Russia, Ukraine, or the region.
Deadlines: 1 March and 1 September
Scholarships and grants from the Swedish Institute
Deadlines depend on the programme
Dora Plus programme for foreign MA and PhD students for short-term (up to 10 months) research in Estonia
Deadlines depend on the programme
Estophilus scholarship for the holders of Master or Doctoral degree to write a research paper on Estonia or gather material for it
Deadlines: 1 March and 1 October
Mobilitas Plus programme from Estonian Research Council for coming from abroad to do research in Estonia (various grants)
Visiting Fellowship Programme of the Baltic Defence College
Deadline: 31 July 2017

april

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies Lossi 36 - 214

6apr - 7All Day4th Easter Platform - Tartu Seminar“All Quiet on the Western Front? EU-Russia Relations in the Age of Populisms?”

Event Details

The two-day seminar is organized

Event Details

The two-day seminar is organized by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu draws on the experience of the Eastern Platform-Platform Ukraine, a multidisciplinary project based at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES), University College London. The event is generously supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

Eastern Platform-Platform Ukraine is a multi-disciplinary initiative aiming to analyse and better understand the most recent development in the relations between the EU and Russia and their shared neighbourhood, starting from Ukrainian crisis of 2014, and the ensuing deterioration of relations between the West and Moscow by creating a unified resource and network of academics studying the post-socialist space. It has the ambition to develop and grow as a forum and incubator to promote high-quality research and knowledge-sharing on the broader post-Soviet space.

Academic conveners of the event are Dr Stefano Braghiroli (University of Tartu) and Prof Andrey Makarychev (University of Tartu).

The Tartu Seminar “All Quiet on the Western Front? EU-Russia Relations in the Age of Populisms?” represents the fourth edition in a series of annual events launched in 2015.

The seminar constitutes an opportunity for researchers and practitioners from very different disciplinary areas to debate and fruitfully discuss potential future practical and conceptual scenarios that might characterize the region in the years to come. It has also the ambition to shed light on the short- and mid-term evolution of the crisis in terms of bilateral relations (i.e. stabilization, normalization, and frozen conflict) and its impact on the nature of the EU-Russia relations. This year’s edition of the event will devote specific attention to the role played, in this context, by Europe’s resurging populism(s) and centrifugal forces as well as their transitive connection with Moscow.

Further debate and in-depth academic discussion seem necessary in the light of Moscow’s chameleonic role as both a friend and foe of the EU over the past decades. Despite the current diplomatic black-out, in the long term, both the EU and Russia will need to find a common language again to address common global challenges, given the high level of interdependence that has characterized the Eurasian space for more than two decades since the collapse of the USSR and which has been dramatically threatened by the recent developments in Ukraine and by the internal and external challenges currently faced by the process of European integration (i.e. Brexit). At the same time, Moscow’s intermitting flirt and ambiguous relationship with Eurosceptic and anti-systemic forces in different member states and its alleged indirect interference domestic electoral processes has increased bilateral tensions and mutual distrust.

The organizers of the seminar welcome contributions on the developments in the relations between EU, Russia, and the post-Soviet space and the respective interactions, from different disciplinary and methodological perspectives ranging from politics, history, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, semiotics, and media studies.

While developments in and the turbulent relations between the EU and Russia, along with the role of resurging populisms will represent key foci of the event, they will not be the only ones and contributions that adopt a comparative perspective with other events and/or areas will be particularly welcome. Given the fortunate coincidence with the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania’s independence, a thematic panel with be devoted to the Baltic perspective.

Contributions are expected to address the multidimensionality of the current developments and the future patterns and relevant cleavages in the Eurasian political and cultural space. The seminar aims not only to map the challenges to the instable development of the EU-Russia relations, but also to understand and conceptually frame these challenges and their expansive potential within the former Soviet space and at the global level. Contributions are welcome addressing (but not limited to) the following issues:

From Baltic to Caucasus: An Emerging “Illiberal Belt” and its Security Dimension;
Multi-Vectoring Neighbourhood: Which Choice for Those who Do not Want to Choose?;
Empowering the Margins? Rethinking Centre-Periphery Relations in Europe;
Russia’s Western Friends: Betting on the Wrong Horse?;
From Berlin to Where? Electoral Developments in a post-Refugee Europe;
100 Years of Baltic Independence: Which Challenges Ahead?

Paper proposals (max. 150 words) can be submitted by February 15, 2018 via the submission system below or by e-mail directly to Dr. Stefano Braghiroli (stefano.braghiroli@ut.ee). Selected paper proposals will be notified by February 17. Should you need more information please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Stefano Braghiroli

Time

6 (Friday) - 7 (Saturday)

Location

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

Lossi 36 - 214

Organizer

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

Eesti Diplomaatide Kool/ Estonian School of Diplomacy Tõnismägi 2, 10122 Tallinn, Estonia

17apr2:00 pm- 4:00 pmBoris Nemtsov book launch and discussion

Event Details

The Estonian School of Diplomacy,

Event Details

The Estonian School of Diplomacy, in cooperation with the Open Estonia Foundation, is pleased to invite you to a book presentation (to be followed by a panel discussion) of the newly published edited volume Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance, released by Ibidem Press in 2018 (for more on the book, see https://cup.columbia.edu/book/boris-nemtsov-and-russian-politics/9783838211220)
The event will take place on Tuesday, April 17 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at ESD’s premises on the 6th floor of the Estonian National Library (Rahvusraamatukogu), which is located at Tõnismägi 2 in Tallinn.

Participants:
Ekke Nõmm, Director, Estonian School of Diplomacy (welcoming remarks)
Mari Roonemaa, Open Estonia Foundation (welcoming remarks)
Andrey Makarychev, Visiting Professor, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Science, University of Tartu, book co-editor
Alexandra Yatsyk, Research Fellow, Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, University of Uppsala, book co-editor
Marina Kaljurand, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Estonian Ambassador to Moscow
Hans H. Luik, Ekspress Group
Dr. Viljar Veebel (moderator)

The discussion will be held in English.

Registration is open until April 12. The event is free open to the public but participants MUST REGISTER via the Google Docs form, available both under “Tickets” above and here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU-E7h-jDl2myB_3UHeWIcbKEwEwwBFb7p-7BlmEKDXks5kA/viewform

For additional information, please contact Viljar Veebel, viljar.veebel@ut.ee, +372 5057255

Time

(Tuesday) 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location

Eesti Diplomaatide Kool/ Estonian School of Diplomacy

Tõnismägi 2, 10122 Tallinn, Estonia

Organizer

The Estonian School of Diplomacy

Uppsala University Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

17apr3:15 pm- 5:00 pmSeminar“Information war and identity-politics in Estonia and Latvia” with Dr. Vassilis Petsinis (University of Tartu)

Event Details

The seminar will

Event Details

The seminar will be based on a study that assesses the impact of the Russian-Estonian and the Russian-Latvian information wars on the identity-perceptions within Estonia’s and Latvia’s ethnic Russian communities. Particular attention is paid to the younger generation. The authors demonstrate that pro-Kremlin media exerts some impact upon younger ethnic Russians’ identity-perceptions, mainly as far as the unfolding antagonism between NATO and Russia inside the broader post-Soviet space is concerned. Nevertheless, this influence remains strongly conditional on socio-economic realities, the internal fragmentation within the ethnic Russian communities, and the external opportunities granted by Estonia’s and Latvia’s membership of the EU. One should also take into consideration the uniform impact of major external catalysts across the two societies, such as the refugee crisis and the virtual politics of anti-immigration. The study was based on semi-structured expert interviews with researchers, journalists, politicians and political activist, and individuals working in the NGO sector.

Vassilis Petsinis is a political scientist with expertise in European Politics and Ethnopolitics. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham. Vassilis Petsinis is currently a Marie Curie Experienced Researcher (Horizon 2020) at the University of Tartu in Estonia (Johan Skytte Institute for Political Studies).

Welcome!

Time

(Tuesday) 3:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Location

Uppsala University

Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

Uppsala University Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

24apr3:15 pm- 5:00 pmSeminar“Resistance in the Name of Putin: The myth of the ‘benevolent president’ and the ‘loyal folk’ in popular protests in contemporary Russia” with Dr. Natalia Mamonova (Swedish Institute of International Affairs)

Event Details

In her research, Dr. Natalia

Event Details

In her research, Dr. Natalia Mamonova applies the concept of naïve monarchism (i.e. the traditional peasant expression of reverence for the tsar as their benefactor) to study grassroots resistance and mobilisation in Putin’s Russia. Although Russia is not a monarchy, and its citizens are not peasants, the naïve monarchist myth in a benevolent tsar and loyal peasants manifests itself in many local grievances. At this seminar, Natalia will discuss three types of contentious politics that have traits of naïve monarchism: written petitions to the president, pro-Putin pickets and demonstrations, and geographical renaming in honour of Putin. Grievances voiced in this way are rarely subjects of repression from above, as they reinforce presidential authority and the existing order. This raises the question of whether protesters faithfully believe in a benevolent president or intentionally exploit their subordinate position and Putin’s image as the present-day tsar.

Natalia Mamonova is a Research Fellow at the Russia and Eurasia Programme of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). She received her PhD degree in 2016 from the Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, the Netherlands. Natalia’s research interests primarily focus on rural social movements, everyday (hidden) resistance, food sovereignty and state-society relations in Russia and Ukraine.

Welcome!

Time

(Tuesday) 3:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Location

Uppsala University

Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

may

Uppsala University Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

1mayAll DayCfA: Deadline for UPTAKE PhD Training SchoolSTRAIGHT TALK ABOUT RUSSIA Internal Developments, External Conflicts and Outside Perceptions

Event Details

Within the framework of the

Event Details

Within the framework of the H2020 UPTAKE Project, we are happy to announce a Call for Applications for the fourth UPTAKE PhD Training School. The event will be held from 26 August to 1 September, at the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden. Its main objective, as on previous occasions, is to offer an opportunity for research development, training and exchange of ideas for PhD and postdoctoral students working in the field of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

The theme of the Training School is to take stock of developments in and relations to Russia since the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent collapse of the USSR. The basic premise is that during these now close to three decades, Russia has been in more or less constant focus. In reflection of radical internal transformations, outside attitudes have swung from unbounded optimism, to doom and gloom, to re-energized beliefs in an economic boom and to perceptions, following the crisis in Ukraine, of Russia as a threat.

The purpose of the present Training School is to invite PhD and postdoctoral students to reflect on these developments, assuming that there are few if any developments in the region that have not in some way, directly or indirectly, involved Russia. Topics may be wide-ranging, from internal developments (Russian economic and political trends, including increased militarization), to external conflicts (from accusations against Russia of aggression against neighboring countries and of behaving like a bully in energy relations to increasing complications in relations with the EU and NATO), and outside perceptions (persistent failures to get Russia right, from “transition” to military confrontation and the Kremlin’s increasing foreign policy ambitions).

The approach of the Training School is interdisciplinary, meaning that we welcome participation from across the social sciences, the humanities and law. Papers may focus exclusively on Russia, on the impact of and responses to Russian actions in neighboring countries, including but not limited to the Eastern neighbourhood, the Baltics, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and on the changing geopolitical role of Russia in the global order. Comparative approaches are also welcome.

The mainstay of the Training School will be the presentation and discussion of papers submitted by the participating students. Papers will be grouped into a series of panels with 3-4 presentations in each. Panels will be chaired by senior scholars, and appointed discussants will lead off, to ensure that all participants get valuable feedback on their contribution. In addition to the panel discussions, the Training School will include invited lectures by senior scholars in the field, and by Swedish officials reflecting on the changing political and security situation in the Baltic region. The event will open with a keynote address and conclude with a panel discussion where students are expected to show active participation.

In order to ensure that all papers presented receive adequate attention, places are limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Participation by students from Uppsala, Tartu and Kent – the UPTAKE partners – is fully funded by UPTAKE, subject to the eligibility criteria (this includes travel, accommodation and selected meals). External participants are warmly welcomed, but will be expected to secure their own funding for travel and accommodation. There is no participation fee.

In order to apply, please fill in the attached form, including a brief abstract of the paper you intend to present at the Training School (150 to 200 words), and return it to Stella Marceta no later than 1 May 2018 (stella.marceta@ires.uu.se), including “UPTAKE TS UPPSALA” in the subject line. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by mid-May. In order to ensure a guaranteed place, participants will be required to submit position papers by 10 August.

Application Form
Call for Applications

The summer school is funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 691818 “Building Research Excellence in Russian and East European Studies at the Universities of Tartu, Uppsala and Kent (UPTAKE).”

Time

All Day (Tuesday)

Location

Uppsala University

Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

Uppsala University Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

4mayAll DayInternational Conference“Russia’s Role in World Politics: Power, Ideas, and Domestic Interests”

Event Details

In recent years, Russia has

Event Details

In recent years, Russia has played an increasingly active and assertive role in world politics. Prominent cases include Russia’s takeover of Crimea and meddling in eastern Ukraine; Russia’s military intervention in Syria and support for the Assad government; Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections; Russia’s promotion of new institutional arrangements like the BRICS-led New Development Bank and the Eurasian Economic Union; and the pursuit of closer economic and diplomatic ties with China. This conference brings together a group of international scholars to shed light on the drivers of Russia’s new foreign policy activism.

Please visit our website to find out more about the event http://www.ires.uu.se/russia/

For further information, please contact conference organizer Dr. Elias Götz (elias.gotz@ires.uu.se ) or Information Officer Jevgenija Gehsbarga (jevgenija.gehsbarga@ires.uu.se ).

Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

The event is organized in cooperation with Uppsala Forum on Democracy, Peace and Justice, Uppsala University.

Welcome!

Time

All Day (Friday)

Location

Uppsala University

Hall VIII, Main University Building (Biskopsgatan 3)

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

University of Tartu, Estonia University of Tartu, Estonia

15mayAll DayCfP deadline: UPTAKE workshop “Democracy in Reverse”Democracy in Reverse: Patterns of Autocratization in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Event Details

Research Workshop Friday, 19

Event Details

Research Workshop
Friday, 19 October 2018
University of Tartu, Estonia

In what ways can we compare and better understand patterns of autocratization in the postcommunist world? Autocratization can be seen as a process, in which democratic institutions, rights and practices are curtailed or undermined – to the point, of course, where an autocratic regime takes hold. However, because this phenomenon is defined as a continuum, it may also involve only incremental steps away from democratic rule, therefore allowing us to view this phenomenon in greater detail.

This one‐day workshop will invite papers from scholars, doctoral candidates as well as other guests, who are interested in comparing the processes and structures of democratic decline in the post‐communist region. It is designed to look at both the more visible pathways of autocratization in areas such as Central Asia, Russia or Belarus as well as more recent cases in countries like Hungary and Poland. While many of the temporal and contextual factors driving these processes may be different, there is clearly a growing need within the study of postcommunist politics to understand how democratic orders can be weakened and how increasingly impervious autocratic regimes are built up in their place.

A special focal point for the workshop will involve examining comparative data on democratic and autocratic regime change available from the Varieties of Democracy (V‐Dem) dataset. VDem features comparative measurements of some 400 aspects (or variables) of democratic political order for more than 170 countries for the entire period 1900 to 2015. As such, VDem is the most comprehensive dataset currently available for not only evaluating, but also disaggregating patterns of political change – both democratic and autocratic.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Anna Lührmann, post‐doctoral research fellow at the V‐Dem Institute at the University of Gothenberg. Formerly a member of the German Bundestag, Dr. Lührmann will speak on “Measuring Varieties of Autocracy with V‐Dem Data”.

We invite paper proposals (between 300‐500 words) on all topics related to autocratization in the post‐communist region. Proposals should be sent by May 15 to: Prof. Vello Pettai, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, vello.pettai@ut.ee.

Download CfP in .pdf

Fees and costs

The workshop is sponsored by the UPTAKE research consortium (funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme) and the V‐Dem Regional Center for Eastern Europe and Russia.

There is no participation fee. Participation of researchers from Uppsala, Tartu and Kent – the UPTAKE partners – is fully funded by UPTAKE, subject to the eligibility criteria (this includes travel, meals and accommodation). External participants are warmly welcome, but will be expected to secure their own funding for travel, meals and accommodation. UPTAKE will host a joint dinner for all participants.

Time

All Day (Tuesday)

Location

University of Tartu, Estonia

Organizer

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

june

University of Tartu, Estonia University of Tartu, Estonia

10jun - 12All DayThird Annual Tartu Conference on Russian and East European StudiesReflecting on Nation-Statehood in Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia

Event Details

The Tartu Conference is a venue for

Event Details

The Tartu Conference is a venue for academic discussion of the fundamental cultural, social, economic and political trends affecting all aspects of people’s life in Russia and Eastern Europe. Inaugurated in June 2016, this forum brings together scholars from across multiple disciplines, from the region and beyond. As in previous years, the organizers expect the number of participants to reach or exceed 200.

The year 2018 marks a century since the introduction of nation-statehood as the main frame for political, cultural and economic life for the peoples of Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. While the discursive and cultural roots of nationhood go back at least another one hundred years, until the First World War the region was dominated by three multi-ethnic empires. Their collapse was a decisive moment which established popular sovereignty as the key organizing principle. Its implementation, however, took decades and, in more than one sense, is still incomplete. While remaining the principal foundation for democracy, nation-statehood continues to present a broad range of intellectual challenges until this day.

Conference website: https://sisu.ut.ee/tartuconference/avaleht

Time

10 (Sunday) - 12 (Tuesday)

Location

University of Tartu, Estonia