POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN
As I have previously posted on this blog, Russian sociologist and professor Boris Kagarlitsky is serving a 5-year sentence in a Russian penal colony on the fabricated charge of “justifying terrorism.” Kagarlitsky, whose dissident activity dates back to an earlier imprisonment under the Soviet regime of Leonid Brezhnev, has become a symbol of scholarly dissent from and resistance to the Putin regime’s war against Ukraine.
On October 8, scholars from around the world gathered in a day-long conference in Kagarlitsky’s honor. The livestream of the entire program, almost eight hours long, is now available online:
Speakers include US philosopher and feminist Nancy Fraser, University of Johannesburg Centre for Social Change director Patrick Bond, Russian sociologist Greg Yudin, Ukrainian historian Hanna Perekhoda, UCLA professor Robert Brenner, University Solidarity Trade Union (Russia) co-chair Pavel Kudyukin, and speakers from Russian-based Feminist Anti-War Resistance. To access individual panels or speakers use this schedule:
0.00 Introduction: Andrea Levy and Alina Chetaeva
14:48 Opening address: Nancy Fraser
35:53 The Long Retreat (presentation and discussion)
Moderator: David Castle
Speakers: Bill Fletcher, Alex Callinicos and Jayati Ghosh
2:31:54 The situation for the left in Russia today
Moderator: Alexei Sakhnin
Speakers: Greg Yudin, Ilya Budraitskis and a representative of Feminist Anti-War Resistance
3:37:53 Presentation of the Daniel Singer Prisoner of Conscience Award
Suzi Weissman and Ksenia Kagarlitskaya
4:28:21 Imperialism(s) today
Moderator: Adam Novak
Speakers: Robert Brenner, Ilya Matveev and Hanna Perekhoda
6:15:09 Repression and the threat to intellectual freedom: Russia and beyond
Moderator: Fiona Dove
Speakers: Pavel Kudyukin, Patrick Bond, Anna Ochkina and Trevor Ngwane
7:51:34 Launch of the Kagarlitsky Network for Academic and Intellectual Freedom
Contributing editor Hank Reichman is professor emeritus of history at California State University, East Bay; former AAUP vice-president and chair of the AAUP Foundation; and from 2012-2021 Chair of AAUP’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. His book, The Future of Academic Freedom, based in part on posts to this blog, was published in 2019. His Understanding Academic Freedom was published in October, 2021; a second edition will be published in March 2025.
