In the ongoing debate about identity in post-Soviet Kazakhstan, contemporary children’s literature has taken on a potentially trailblazing role. It maps social discourses on identity while offering young readers alternative ways of imagining who they are and where they belong. Through imaginative and often fantastical narratives, these works present visions of identity that are strikingly open, tolerant, and creative—perhaps more so than one might expect in an authoritarian context.

Dr. Nina Friess is a researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) in Berlin. She holds a PhD in Slavic Studies and is a co-founder of the project Russophone Voices. She also co-organizes the Colloquium for Children’s Literature. Her research focuses on Russophone literatures, children’s literature, and Memory Studies.

All interested staff and students are welcome.
This event is organized by the Global studies research program.
Contact: Birgitte Beck Pristed, birgitte.pristed@cas.au.dk

Poster

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