On Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th, Prof. Irina Kostina hosted The Caucasus: A Mosaic of Histories and Cultures, an on-line conference that explored the Caucasus region. This is a region of profound historical, cultural, and geopolitical significance that remains underrepresented in academic, public discourse. The Caucasus is the most conflict-ridden territory in Russia, which follows its own laws, gradually separating and freeing itself from Russian influence in terms of mentality, civil rights, values, and cultures.
This conference helped to understand contemporary issues from an internaional or global perspective outside of the United States by focusing on issues such as territorial conflicts, social and human rights problems, environmental problems, and the strong influence of Islam.
The conference fostered cross-cultural dialogue and understanding between the University of Iowa community and the best representatives of the Caucasus region.
See the videos from this conference at the bottom of this page.
"This conference is an example of the incredible work being done at the University! I was very happy to participate in the conference. It's a big deal for all participants, but particularly all the students who were involved."
-Alice Ganieva --- award-winning author; UI International Writing Program (2012, 2018)
"Thank you for organizing and inviting us all to this wonderful conference! While I could not attend the second day, I was happy that I was able to watch the recording of presentations. Please let me know about future conferences like this!"
-Rahman Abdullayev
"Congratulations on the success of the conference and thank you for the joy of communicating about such an important topic!"
-Dr. Janetta Vardzelashvili --- Professor at Georgian American University