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Each semester, the Havighurst Center hosts the Havighurst Colloquia Series. This lecture series, which is attached to an undergraduate, cross-listed topics course focusing on Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REEES), is comprised of invited guest speakers who lecture on some aspect of the topic being taught that particular semester.

Fall 2024 Havighurst Center Virtual Colloquium Series: Humanity and the Arctic
All lectures are online and open to all
Moderator: Dr. Daniel Prior, Professor of History

The Fall 2024 Havighurst Colloquium considers the Arctic—in its planetary and environmental extremes—as a human phenomenon. We explore the changing Arctic, from people’s earliest adaptations in extreme polar conditions and their key relationships with the natural world, to current issues of governance, indigenous knowledge, gender, and security (strategic, human, environmental, and societal) in a region profoundly affected by global climate change. We are delighted to welcome an international group of guest lecturers in this virtual series.

All lectures will be from 11:40-1:00, US Eastern time. 

Monday, September 23 ()
Edward Vajda, Western Washington University
Cattle, Horses, and Reindeer: The Origins of Eurasian Pastoralism

Monday, September 30 ()
P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Trent University
Arctic Security in an Era of Geopolitical Competition

Monday, October 7 ()
Tahnee Prior, Women of the Arctic and Dalhousie University
Toward Gender Equality in the Arctic

Monday, October 28 ()
Svein Vigeland Rottem, Fritjof Nansen Institute
The Arctic Council in Arctic Governance

Monday, November 4 ()
Igor Krupnik, Smithsonian Institution
Partners in Knowledge: What Are We Learning from Arctic Communities for Our Common Sustainable Future?

Monday, November 11 ()
Karina Lukin, University of Helsinki
‘Samoyeds’ and Ethnic Shows: At Least Two Historicities

Monday, November 18 ()
Dmitri Arzyutov, Ohio State University
Under the Shadow of a Mushroom Cloud: An Indigenous Nenets Hunter, the Tsar Bomba, and Entangled Sovereignty on a Russian Arctic
This lecture deals with the history of Novaya Zemlya, an Arctic archipelago, focusing on its transformation into a military zone and subsequent conversion into a Soviet nuclear bomb testing ground. This process, which took place in the 1950s, resulted in extensive environmental destruction and the forced relocation of Nenets and Pomor communities to the mainland and nearby islands. To comprehensively understand these events within the context of Indigenous sovereignty debates, this paper explores the life history of Tyko Vylka (1886-1960), a Nenets hunter from Novaya Zemlya. Vylka, known for his skills as a painter, epic singer, and guide in Arctic expeditions, eventually became a prominent political figure in the archipelago. He earned the semi-ironic but accepted title of "President of Novaya Zemlya," recognized even by Soviet officials. However, his ambiguous integration into Soviet politics led him to guide the Soviet military in establishing the nuclear test site and eventually sign the documents for the relocation of Indigenous communities from the archipelago. By analyzing Vylka's art, writings, Soviet official documents, and oral history accounts, this lecture offers insights into the intricate interplay of Soviet politics in the Arctic and the loss of Indigenous sovereignty during the early Cold War. The study draws on extensive archival research conducted by the author in Russia and Europe, supplemented by oral history accounts from Nenets families who were relocated from the archipelago.