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Post-‘Brexit’, Our Mandate Is More Urgent Than Ever

For centuries the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ has cultivated a deep understanding of and respect for the diverse nations of Europe. It is home to a vibrant, engaged community of students and scholars in the Department of Slavonic Studies who work hard to advance the study of the languages and cultures of Poland, Russia and Ukraine.

Today’s news of the result of the British referendum to leave the European Union only underscores the urgency and importance of our mandate. In the ‘Brexit’ debate, politicians frequently mobilised xenophobia and employed nativistÌýrhetoric with particular reference to immigrants and migrants from Central and Eastern European countries. In a recent speech in Poland, our Vice Chancellor Leszek Borysiewicz rightlyÌýÌýsuch anti-immigration discourse on the whole as ‘an absolute failure of the imagination, of empathy, and of vision’.

Now more than ever, it is theÌýstudy of language and culture that can combat stereotypes and foster the communicative skill and cross-cultural understanding needed to ensure peaceful and prosperous relations between European states. In the Department of Slavonic Studies, we are steadfast in our commitment to ourÌýwork in the spheres of teaching and research, which isÌýÌýthe best in the United Kingdom. We are also leading the way inÌý, inviting ever-growing audiences across Great Britain to explore such topics asÌýPolish poetry and intellectual history, Russian cinema and art, and Ukrainian literature and music.

Expanding upon this teaching, research and public engagement – and preparing a new generation of British leaders with an extensive knowledge of the languages, cultures and histories of Central and Eastern Europe – are goals we embrace with even greater enthusiasm and resolve today.Ìý Ìý

Dr Rory Finnin Head, Department of Slavonic Studies Director, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ Ukrainian Studies programme °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼

24 June 2016

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Slavonic Studies Taster Day

21 May 2024

Nations and Cultures Academic Taster Day: Polish, Russian & Ukrainian Calling all Slavonic-curious linguists, literary critics, cultural historians and political scientists! Applications are open until 9 June , for the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ University Slavonic Studies Taster Day on Wednesday 3 July. This event is followed by the...

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We are delighted to share that Professor Rory Finnin has been awarded two prestigious prizes by the Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) for his book Blood of Others: Stalin's Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (University of Toronto Press, 2022). These ASEEES prizes follow on from two other awards for Blood of Others announced earlier this year.