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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 2025 Havighurst Center Colloquia Series
Soviet Propaganda: History and Legacy
 
All lectures are open to the public

Organizer: Dr. Stephen Norris, Professor of History
Mondays, Benton Hall 115, 11:40am - 1:00pm

When the Bolshevik Party seized power in the former Russian Empire in October 1917, they instituted what one prominent historian has called a “propaganda state.” The propaganda system built by the Communist Party of the USSR – the Bolsheviks would rename themselves “Communists” in March 1918 – from its inception to its end in 1991. The Fall 2025 Havighurst Colloquium will welcome five prominent scholars to talk about various aspects of Soviet propaganda. As we will see, propaganda remained a central feature of Soviet politics, culture, and society from the beginning to the end of the USSR’s life. 

September 22
David Brandenberger, University of Richmond, Soviet Propaganda in the Interwar Era

October 6
Lisa Kirschenbaum, West Chester University, Soviet Perceptions of America: Ilf and Petrov’s 1935 Road Trip

October 13
Jonathon Dreeze, Cornell College, Soviet Propaganda in Kazakhstan

October 20
Emil Draitser, Hunter College, CUNY, Soviet Satire, Condoned and Condemned

November 17
Neringa Klumbyte, ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, Soviet Propaganda in Lithuania: Humor, Satire, and Soft Power