June 7, 2023 Reports by Veronika Usacheva and Vladimir Shubin within the framework of the scientific seminar "Culture and Society"
June 7 (Wednesday) at 12 o'clock in the framework of the seminar "Culture and Society" of the Centre for History and Cultural Anthropology, a report was made by Senior Research Fellow, Ph.D. in History, Veronica Usacheva "The fight against monuments in the context of the BLM movement as a phenomenon of the politics of memory".
The report examined the main theoretical approaches to the problem of vandalism and the fight against monuments in the modern world. On specific examples, the features of the policy of memory in the USA and Europe are analyzed in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as examples of the vandalization of monuments of the colonial period in Africa. It is emphasized that vandalism and the destruction of monuments have acquired the features of a phenomenon that has spread throughout the world. As a rule, this is a reflection of the society's memory policy, which thus reacts to the historical policy pursued by states and authorities.
At the seminar, Leading Research Fellow, Doctor of History V.G. Shubin made a report on a scientific trip to South Africa as part of the delegation of the National Committee for the Study of BRICS. This delegation, headed by the chairman of the board of the committee, Vyacheslav Nikonov, took part in the BRICS Academic Forum, which took place on May 14-17 in Cape Town.
The BRICS Academic Forums are organized by the BRICS Think Tank Council, the decision to establish which was made in 2013, when South Africa chaired the association for the first time. They are aimed at enhancing the dialogue between academia and developing recommendations for the summits of the leaders of the five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). This year, South Africa chairs the BRICS for the third time, and the summit will be held in Johannesburg on August 22-24.
The BRICS Academic Forum in Cape Town was the first major event of the year of the South African Presidency and was attended by about 100 experts from member countries, diplomatic representatives, and scholars from several African countries, as well as teachers and students from South African universities. Vladimir Shubin made a presentation at the forum on the theme “Russia and the African Union” and held conversations during the days of his work with the Chairman of the BRICS Academic Forum, the head of the South African Council for the Study of the Humanities (HSRC) Dr. Sarah Motsoetsa, faculty of the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), and the University of the Western Cape.
After the completion of the forum, Vladimir Shubin visited the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, where he met with the director of the School of Management of the University of the Witwatersrand, prof. Mzukishi Kobo, prominent historian Dr. Arianna Lissoni, collaborator of the same university, prof. David Monyae, Director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Johannesburg, Prof. Tean Potgieter, one of the leaders of the National School of Management, prof. Andreas Feldhuesen and other employees of the School. Thabo Mbeki University of South Africa (UNISA). In addition, at a meeting with Prof. Sifiso Ndlovu, co-director of the project on the historical memory of the struggle against apartheid, jointly with Russian researchers (second leader - Vladimir Shubin), issues of publishing a collection of articles based on the results of this study in South Africa and Russia were discussed.
