MIASU

Eurasianism and Cosmism in Russia

The talk is about two movements in Russia, namely Eurasianism and Cosmism. Whilst differing in terms of agenda and ideas, they have similarities in that both emerged in the early twentieth century, were suppressed in the Soviet period, and are becoming popular in today’s Russia.

The Mobile Master: Modes of hospitality in Mongol Lands

Historically there have been a number of Mongolian practices and associated concepts that could be described as forms of hospitality. We examine a range of forms, from the everyday hospitality of the domestic unit to the grand hosting practices of rulers and monasteries in pre-revolutionary times. The central duality often ascribed to the idea of hospitality – the host and the guest – is complicated by the interaction of multiple and variously enabled persons and the agents. Here we find masters that may be mobile and guests that may invite their presence. These hospitality forms are intertwined with past and present projects of governance, and reflect complex histories in which the obligation to host others was a product of the wider socio-political order.