Macalester College, St. Paul, MN

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026

The Spectacle: Culture and Politics in Eastern Europe and Eurasia 

Why do political regimes invest so much into “spectacles?”  

We invite undergraduate students from all disciplines to reflect on the question posed by Dr. James von Geldern in his seminal book, Bolshevik Festivals, 1917-1920. During a time of uncertainty, economic collapse, and social upheaval, the Bolsheviks devoted significant resources to organizing mass spectacles for ordinary people. They were neither the first nor the last to do so. Today, political leaders and various actors across the post-Soviet space continue to employ similar strategies. 

This in-person conference invites students to examine the role of spectacles in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, both in the past and present. Looking at “spectacles” that different groups and political powers have staged across Eastern Europe and Eurasia over centuries gives us an opportunity to explore the deep intersections of culture and politics. It also allows us to interrogate the boundaries and relationships between spectacle and spectator, viewer and participant, organizer and consumer.  

Most importantly, this intellectual gathering offers us an opportunity to celebrate Dr. James von Geldern’s outstanding scholarship and teaching at Macalester College, and to continue the work he inspired: examining the complex ties between culture and politics in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. 

Conference topics may explore (but are not limited to):

• Spectacles and power: imperial pageantry, coronations, revolutionary festivals, mass celebrations, and parades. 

• Spectacle and religion.

• Spectacles of dissent.

• Spectacles in theater, film, music, and art.

• Worlds on display: construction of national identity and the Other through photography, television, posters, exhibitions; ethnographic exhibitions; visual representations of borderlands; sport or music festivals and competitions; etc.

• Public staging and hidden control: public trials and executions; surveillance. 

• Wonders of science: scientific theater; scientific displays and exhibitions; celebrations of innovations; spectacle and scientific progress. 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. James von Geldern, May 2, 2026

In addition to traditional papers, we invite participants to submit digital projects, musical pieces, visual artwork, and literary creations. Each panelist will present a 10-minute overview of their project at the conference. 

Limited funding is available to help defray travel expenses for accepted participants located outside the Twin Cities.

Please submit your proposal (250 words or less) by March 1, 2026, to Masha Fedorova (mfedorov@macalester.edu).