U of A Faculty and Student Present at Kentucky Foreign Language Conference

Russian instructor Alla Savelieva and undergraduate students Anna Fielder and Jacob Crommett traveled to Lexington to participate in the annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference at the University of Kentucky. Savelieva and Crommett presented research examining the cultural impact of the war in Ukraine on both Russian and Ukrainian society. The presentations underscored the continuing importance of linguistic and cultural expertise in understanding the region's evolving political and social landscape. 

History major and Russian minor Jacob Crommett presented work on modern paganism in Ukraine. Drawing on coursework in Slavic folklore as well as materials collected from Ukraine, Crommett explored understudied aspects of modern Ukrainian paganism and "double-faith," the blending of Orthodox Christianity and pre-Christian beliefs. His presentation examined how contemporary pagan practices contribute to emerging forms of Ukrainian national identity and religious self-definition apart from the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. Crommett's project reflects the commitment of both WLLC and the Honors College to fostering undergraduate research and highlights undergraduate scholarship in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies at the U of A. 

Savelieva's presentation, "Poetry in the Age of Drone Warfare," focused on how musicians engage with Debord's concept of the society of the spectacle in their interpretations of violent imagery produced during the war in Ukraine. 

Founded in 1948, the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference is one of the longest-running academic language conferences in the United States and attracts scholars of languages, literatures, and cultures from across the country.