Amsterdam, Netherlands | 
13 Feb 2026Please see the poster with full information here.
Call for Participation: International Workshop
Ethnicity, Indigeneity, and Identity in Soviet and Post-Soviet Contexts
Exploring how Soviet legacies continue to shape identity, belonging, and nationhood across Eurasia
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
13 February 2026
Venue: University of Amsterdam
Hosts: East European Studies Group (University of Amsterdam) and ETHNICGOODS (a project of the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals, IBEI, funded by the ERC)
About the Workshop
The Soviet Union profoundly influenced how ethnicity, indigeneity, and nationality were categorized, governed, and lived. Through nationalities policy, census practices, and institutional frameworks, the Soviet state not only classified its populations but also embedded these identities deeply into social and political life.
Yet these categories were never fixed; they were constantly contested, negotiated, and reimagined. Today, across the post-Soviet space, their legacies continue to evolve in new and complex ways:
- In Central Asia, Soviet-era ideas about nationality and indigeneity intersect with debates on language, Islam, and state-building.
- In the Baltic states, questions of citizenship and belonging emerge amid European integration and minority politics, reinterpreting the Soviet legacy.
- Among Russia’s ethnic minorities, Soviet classifications still shape autonomy and recognition even as Moscow’s centralizing policies reshape these dynamics.
- In Ukraine, identity politics are being redefined in light of war, memory, and coloniality.
This interdisciplinary workshop brings together scholars examining how Soviet and post-Soviet identities are contested, renegotiated, and transformed across time and space.
Key Themes
We invite contributions that engage with topics such as:
- Soviet nationalities policy and its afterlives
- Institutionalization of ethnicity and identity politics
- The politics of indigeneity before and after 1991
- Memory and narrative as sites of contestation
- Intersections of ethnicity with religion, class, gender, or migration
- Comparative and global perspectives on nationalism and decolonization
Format
This one-day workshop will emphasize discussion and collaboration rather than formal presentation.
Participants will:
- Submit a short draft paper in advance
- Present a 10–15 minute summary of their work
- Engage in structured feedback sessions with peers and a discussant
Panels will include 3–4 participants, fostering in-depth conversation around shared themes.
Who Should Apply
We welcome early-career scholars, PhD researchers, and established academics working on questions of ethnicity, nationhood, and identity in the Soviet and post-Soviet contexts.
Interdisciplinary approaches from history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and related fields are particularly encouraged.
How to Apply
Please send the following to atarasov@ibei.org by 15 December 2025:
- Abstract (200–300 words)
- Short bio (max. 150 words)
Accepted participants will be asked to submit their paper drafts by 1 February 2026.
Practical Details
- No registration fee
- Lunch, coffee breaks, and group dinner provided
- Participants are kindly asked to cover their own travel and accommodation costs
Contact: Andrei Tarasov – atarasov@ibei.org
Organized by the ETHNICGOODS Project (IBEI) and the East European Studies Group, University of Amsterdam. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 864333).
