Next month Russia hosts the FIFA World Cup, which interests a wide spectrum of audiences. Obviously, soccer fans are looking forward to the event itself, but for a long time historians and social scientists have been researching Russia’s aims in terms of hosting mega-events and analyzing the eventual outcome for the Russian state. Please join us for two stimulating presentations and a discussion that will help you understand both the international and domestic logic for hosting mega-events. What role did mega-events play during the Cold War?
What role have mega-events played in the recent history of Russia? How does the Russian media cover Russian mega-events? How did the international media cover Russia’s most recent mega-events, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi? What does Putin hope to get out of hosting the World Cup?

9:15 Welcome and Short Introduction

9:30 Pia Koivunen (University of Turku), ”Putin’s Mega-Event Boom in Historical Perspective”

10:30 Coffee

10:45 Vitaly Kazakov (University of Manchester), ”A Battle for World Audiences in the Age of ’Information War’: Russia Today’s Coverage of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on Air and Online”

11:45 Discussion

12:30 Discussion Continues over Lunch (can be purchased from Nobelparken canteen)  

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