Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University Institute for Comparative Studies of Modernity KFU Centre for Cultural Studies

of Postsocialism The Kazan Series of Workshops on Socio-Cultural Research invites you to take part in the International Interdisciplinary Workshop Mega-events in (post)socialist countries: neo-liberalism, socialist legacy and glocalization 15-17 October 2013 Kazan, Russia In the last decade (post)socialist cities have hosted numerous international sport and political mega-events, such as the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing , the 2012 European Football Championship in various Polish and Ukrainian cities in, the 2012 APEC Summit in Vladivostok and the 2013 World Summer Universiade in Kazan. Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, Almaty - the 2017 Winter Universiade, and in 2018 several Russian cities will host the FIFA World Cup. It is no accident that mega-events in these countries have become the object of study by academics from across the social sciences. On the one hand, researchers say that the preparation and organization of mega-events in postsocialist countries is a reflection of global trends in the neo-liberal capitalist economy as part of the host cities strategy to enhance their status and branding on the global stage. On the other, mega-events in (post)socialist countries have unique cultural and ideological peculiarities that stem from their common socialist past. Moreover, its important to take into account that the preparation and organization of global mega-events occurs in local political, economic and cultural contexts that are unique only for a particular host country, regions or cities. Thus, one of the important tasks for researchers of mega-events in postsocialist countries is to understand and explain the effects of glocalization.

The goal of the workshop to discuss both the theoretical and empirical studies concerning the preparation and organization of sport, political and economic megaevents in (post)socialist countries. The workshop will be conducted in Kazan the city branded as Russias sports capital thanks to the 2013 Universiade, the 2014 European Championships in badminton , the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, the FIFA World Cup 2018 and other sporting events in the city. Workshop participants will also have the opportunity to visit a number of sites associated with sports mega-events in Kazan. Topics for discussion: The applicability of Western theories for the analysis of mega-events in the postsocialist countries Comparison of mega-events held in the developed countries of Western Europe and North America with those in postcolonial and postsocialist countries Mega-events in the (post)socialist countries and neo-liberalism Mega-events and socialist legacy Mega-events in postsocialist countries and the effects of glocalization The impact of mega-events on the development of urban cultures and infrastructure Mega-events and the local community: conflicts and consensus Working languages - English, Russian. In order to participate in the workshop, please, send a brief CV and abstracts in Russian and (or) English up to 300 words before by September 6, 2013 (for Russian and CIS citizens) or by September 1, 2013 (for citizens of other countries) to megaeventkazan2013@gmail.com. Thanks to the financial support of the Open Society Institute Foundation the workshop organizers can pay the travel and accommodation expenses of the selected participants. If you would like to receive travel support, please, indicate the cost of your trip to Kazan.
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