We welcome submissions to the 23rd Annual Aleksanteri Conference. This year’s conference will address the challenges posed by the spread and seeming resilience of authoritarianism in Eurasia in a variety of spheres: political contestation, social movements, political legitimacy, repression, and cultural resistance. All of these spheres reflect the formation and transformation of solidarities in the turbulent times, disruption of previously existing identities in the context of ongoing war in Ukraine and emergence of new ones.
The upcoming conference aims to explore and discuss political transformations from the perspectives of various political actors and institutions, with a particular emphasis on civil society groups and political resistance. The conference will focus on both domestic developments within authoritarian regimes in the region and the approaches adopted by democratic societies in facing the challenges posed by authoritarianism, where the defense of human rights and political freedoms sometimes requires even armed resistance.
By addressing issues related to authoritarian resilience and authoritarian spillover in historical and contemporary contexts, as well as exploring themes such as legitimacy, civil resistance during times of war, oppression, and human rights violations, this conference seeks to shed light on the reshaping of political alliances and solidarities in the new era. It also aims to examine the cultural and historical origins of dictatorial regimes, as well as sources of pluralism. Furthermore, the conference aims to explore how cultural, economic, and political attitudes have changed in times of profound crisis.