From 13 to 14 August 2026, the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University will host the international workshop “Failure as Governance in Post-Socialist Contexts.” The workshop is organized by Alina Jašina-Schäfer (JGU Mainz) and Lena Hercberga (Uppsala University).

The workshop will explore how conceptions of “failure” shape political processes, social transformations, and everyday life in post-socialist contexts. The presentations will examine how failure functions as an instrument of governance, how it establishes social hierarchies and affiliations, and to what extent failure can simultaneously open up spaces for criticism, resistance, and alternative political visions.

In addition to Alina Jašina-Schäfer’s role as co-organizer, the Department of Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology at Mainz is also represented by a presentation from Prof. Dr. Čarna Brković.