The Vladimir Vysotsky Centre for Slavonic Studies

Institute for Area and Migration Studies (AMIS)

Our mission is to bring Eastern European cultures to a Western audience. We want to bridge the gap between Slavonic countries and the UK through facilitating an inter-cultural dialogue and to conduct research in the field of Eastern European thought, literature, music, history, and art.

Overview

Our Centre is named after Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980). He became a cultural icon for the people of the USSR during his lifetime and continues to exert a considerable influence on cultural developments and national identity in the post-Soviet space. He was a poet, bard and actor. His literary work was largely forbidden by the Soviet authorities, but his songs, as unofficial audio recordings, could be heard from every window.

Vysotsky’s art served as a breath of fresh air in the totalitarian state stifled by ideological control and hypocrisy. It helped people to sustain their human dignity and cultural distinctiveness. Vysotsky was one of those artistic personalities who became a living conscience of the entire nation.

Strategic plans

  • Spearheading global research initiatives: We are working on several ongoing international and interdisciplinary research projects sustained by external grants’ applications.
  • Building global cultural alliances: Establishing strategic partnerships with cultural institutions around the globe to enrich our academic and cultural footprint.
  • Curating a dynamic event programme: Our commitment to Slavonic Studies is brought to life through a diverse lineup of events, from scholarly seminars and workshops to lively festivals, concerts and performances.
  • Nurturing academic exchanges: We facilitate numerous academic and cultural exchanges that bring fresh perspectives into our Centre.
  • Collaborating for collective impact: Collaborating with other Centres and Institutes within UCLan and beyond to amplify our reach and impact.
  • Empowering the next academic leaders: We foster the next generation of scholars through specialised support for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Past events

Impact

We publish high quality research in the form of peer-reviewed books and articles in international academic journals. Our activities bridge the gap between cultures, assisting the non-academic world to acquire in-depth knowledge of the cultural past and present of Eastern Europe and beyond, thus facilitating cultural enrichment and transnational understanding.

By organising a diverse programme of events within and outside UCLan, we bring Slavonic cultures to the English North-West, facilitating an inter-cultural dialogue and mutual awareness at a grassroots level. In our research, we engage in international collaboration with Social Scientists, Literary Scholars, and Cultural Studies experts from around the globe to produce pop-up exhibitions and ground-breaking documentaries, and to help socio-political practitioners and policymakers.

Academic expertise

Dr Olga Tabachnikova
Reader in Russian
Dr Elena Artamonova
Lecturer in Russian Studies
F.M. Dostoevsky
F.M. Dostoevsky