Panel Discussion AUCA STAB IFL August 14, 2016
Are our cities Still Post Socialist?
August 14, 2016
10:00 – 12:00
American University of Central Asia, Bishkek
7/6 Aaly Tokombaev Street, Room 410
Organisers:
American University of Central Asian (AUCA), Bishkek
STAB, School of Theory and Activism, Bishkek
Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL), Leipzig, Germany
Panel Discussants:
Georgy Mamedov, Artistic director of STAB, School of Theory and Activism, Bishkek
Sebastian Lentz, Professor of Regional Geography at the University of Leipzig and Director of the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography
Oksana Zaporozhets, Associate Professor in sociology, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, and senior research fellow at Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities
Joseph Salukvadze, Professor for Human Geography and Deputy Rector of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Moderator
Wladimir Sgibnev, Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig
Abstract
A quarter of a century has passed after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. However, the “post-socialist” or “post-Soviet” label still firmly sticks to cities in the region, both inside and outside academia. But what does “post-socialist” actually mean? A particular period in time? If yes, when will the “post-“phase be over? A regional denominator implying a shared heritage which is still relevant for contemporary urban trajectories? But is Riga really closer to Bishkek and Tashkent, than to Stockholm or Warsaw? Is the label just some catchy tune we can’t get rid of or some buzzword for funding applications – or does it still bear sincere analytical value?