In the Name of the “People”: The Rise of Populism in Europe

Lunch available at 11:30; speech starts at 12:00.

Dr. James Richter’s current research pursues two different but related tracks. First, following upon earlier scholarship on the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russian governance under Putin, he is working on a long-term project that compares and contrasts the relation between state and society in Russia and China. He is particularly interested in tracing continuing patterns of governance back through the imperial period of the 19th century.

His second line of research consists of a number of shorter studies in the politics of memory throughout Eastern Europe and Eurasia. He has two articles near completion, one comparing the different ways in which collectivization is commemorated in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and another analyzing Putin’s efforts to manage the memory of the Russian revolutions during the centennial year of 2017. Other potential studies in this period include the politics of memory surrounding the expulsion of Germans in Poland and the Czech government, and the transnational diffusion of memory through institutes of history in many of the Eastern European states.

Lunch costs $12, payable at the door. MMGF’s aim is to provide an affordable, tasty lunch; thank you in advance for understanding our need to slightly raise the cost of lunch in response to the rise in food costs.

Please register with your lunch request by Thursday, February 15. Lunch includes soup, sandwich, cookies, coffee, tea and water. Sandwich options include Turkey, with lettuce, tomato and cheese on wheat; Chicken Salad, with lettuce, tomato and cheese on Italian bread; or Avocado, with cheese and vegetable in a wrap.

Please Note: Registrants who request lunch are responsible for the lunch fees. If your plans change and you are unable to attend, please notify us so that lunch orders can be adjusted.

Sponsored by the Mid-Maine Global Forum.