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Book Talk with Tyler Kirk

The Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center is excited to host Tyler Kirk, a scholar of Russian history and post-Soviet memory, for a discussion on his latest book, After the Gulag: A History of Memory in Russia's Far North. Kirk’s talk will examine how survivors of Stalinist repression, as well as civil society members, worked to document and preserve the true history of Soviet atrocities as the USSR collapsed. His research sheds light on how local historians and communities in the Far North laid the groundwork for remembrance, even amid political suppression.

This conversation takes on new urgency given present-day Russia’s suppression of historical memory. With the 2021 forced closure of the International Memorial Society, Russia’s oldest civic and human rights organization, historians and activists face increasing challenges in preserving the stories of the past. Kirk’s talk will explore why these narratives of resilience and survival are now met with state resistance and why understanding this history is vital to understanding contemporary Russian society.

Don’t miss this timely and impactful talk on October 30 at 11:00 am AKST. Please be sure to to receive the webinar information. Tyler Kirk’s research offers valuable insights into the intersection of historical memory, civil society, and state power in Russia, helping us understand why the past is so critical to the present.

About the Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute, a part of the Wilson Center, fosters deeper understanding of Russia and Eurasia by bringing together scholars, policy makers, and the public for critical discussions. Through research, events, and collaboration, the Institute promotes insights into the region’s history, politics, and social transformations, providing a valuable platform for dialogues on historical memory and its impact on current political realities. This event is part of their ongoing series aimed at fostering dialogue on critical issues affecting Russia and its neighbors.

As Tyler Kirk prepares to share his insights at the Kennan Institute’s event on October 30, he brings with him a rich background of recent engagements aimed at broadening public understanding of Russia’s memory politics. Beyond his upcoming talk, Kirk has recently contributed to a range of platforms to reach both academic and public audiences:

Eurasian Knot

Kirk was recently interviewed by Sean Guillory and Rusana Novikova on their podcast, The Eurasian Knot, one of the most popular platforms in his field, where he discussed the complexities of memory and repression in Russia’s Far North. This episode is available at and includes a .

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Eurasian Knot

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From 1929 to 1958, hundreds of thousands of prisoners from across the Soviet Union were sent to the Komi Republic in Russia’s Far North. After their release, many left the region. But many also stayed in Komi and rebuilt their life under the shadow of the prison camp. And by the late 1980s, many of these former prisoners began writing memoirs, collecting and preserving documents, and building organizations to work through, publicize and house these materials. The result was the Komi branch of Memorial. Crucial to these efforts was the “camp brotherhood” that bound former prisoners. The shared experience of the camp became the basis for forming informal networks, mutual support, and collective solidarity. These showed that even in horrible, life threatening conditions, people still find companionship and support. And it is this, Tyler Kirk says, served as the foundation for gulag memory projects in Komi. The Eurasian Knot spoke to Tyler Kirk about his book After the Gulag: A History of Memory in Russia’s Far North to get the full story.

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Juneau World Affairs Council

On October 18-19, Kirk was a featured speaker at the Juneau World Affairs Council’s forum, “Political Authoritarianism on the Rise in the 21st Century.” The event, aired on Alaska’s KTOO public TV, examined how authoritarian legacies shape contemporary politics. More information can be found at .

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Juneau World Affairs Council

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Over two days of the Juneau World Affairs Council forum, “Political Authoritarianism on the Rise in the 21st Century,” participants experienced five expert presentations and two panel discussions tackling the complexities of authoritarianism in today’s world. Dr. Tyler Kirk's presentation, titled “The Politics of Memory in the Soviet Union and Post-Soviet Russia,” examined the critical intersection of memory and politics in Russia. The talk discussed the significant moment just two months before Russia invaded Ukraine when the Russian Supreme Court banned the International Memorial Society, the country's oldest civic organization dedicated to commemorating the victims of Soviet repressions.

Dr. Kirk's presentation explored the evolution of memory politics in the Soviet Union from the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 up to the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022. It highlighted the struggles of both the state and society to grapple with the legacies of Stalinist repression, emphasizing the connections between memory politics and democratic processes.

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The Russian Review

Kirk’s expertise is further showcased in his recent essay, “What Was the Gulag? New Books on the History and Memory of Soviet Repressions,” published in The Russian Review. This critical piece engages with contemporary scholarship on Soviet repression and is available through .

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The Russian Review

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Dr. Tyler Kirk has contributed to The Russian Review, one of the most respected journals in Russian studies. Established in 1941, The Russian Review is among the oldest and most widely-read journals of its kind, renowned for its broad exploration of Russian culture, history, literature, media, politics, and society. The journal’s mission is to provide a comprehensive view of the Russian experience, engaging readers with perspectives on both Russia and the wider Eurasian region, past and present.

Dr. Kirk’s recent publication, titled “What Was the Gulag? New Books on the History and Memory of Soviet Repressions,” is featured as a critical review essay in The Russian Review. His piece surveys recent scholarship on the Gulag and the ongoing impact of Soviet repression on collective memory. In this essay, Dr. Kirk highlights significant new contributions to the field, examining how scholars approach the history and memory of Soviet repressions in light of contemporary memory politics. His analysis offers readers a nuanced view of how the legacies of the Gulag continue to shape Russian society today, a theme that parallels his other work on memory politics and the resilience of civil society in post-Soviet Russia.

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About Tyler Kirk

 

Tyler Kirk, a former Title VIII Research Scholar, has conducted pioneering work on memory and history in post-Soviet Russia. His research provides a nuanced look at the impact of Stalinist repression on communities and sheds light on the civic and social efforts to preserve these histories against state suppression. Through the stories of Gulag survivors and their families, Kirk explores how the narratives of repression shape memory and identity in contemporary Russia, challenging the state-sponsored version of history.