We invite you to join an online meeting dedicated to discussing the phenomenon of imperiality. The event will include expert presentations, a question-and-answer session, and an open discussion. It will take place online via Zoom on 26 March 2026 at 15:00 CET / 17:00 Moscow time.
Our current political context is shaped to a great extent by a world imagined and built by empires. The question of how to address imperial legacies — political, economic, and social — therefore remains highly relevant today. This is all the more important given that imperial ambitions continue to affect the lives of people both within empires and beyond their borders.
Discussions of imperiality are often reduced to calls for shame and repentance. Yet this approach frequently provokes rejection and only deepens the problem. This makes one question particularly important: which formats of discussion and methods of engagement can genuinely help shift perspectives?
Since 2023, our team has been researching the phenomenon of Russian imperiality and possible approaches to working with it. Over this period, we have held two expert seminars, conducted more than 50 interviews, organized three international educational and dialogue-based Laboratories, and launched an educational media platform featuring texts on various dimensions of imperiality.
This work has allowed us to gather a wide range of stories and observations, engage with people from different regions of Russia, and test a variety of formats for discussing the issue.
Despite the growing isolation of Russian society, we have sought to continue this conversation with people inside Russia — listening to them, asking questions, and collecting personal stories and reflections. We have been interested in whether people are capable of rethinking their own position, how they perceive empire and imperiality, whether they see themselves as part of it or, on the contrary, as its victims, and whether they believe they can influence the social and political order around them.
This work has produced several important and at times unexpected findings: where opportunities for change emerge and where the conversation still reaches an impasse; which topics resonate and which provoke resistance; and what prospects and limitations currently shape further work on Russian imperiality.
During the online meeting, we will present the findings of our research, discuss expert views on the future of conversations about imperiality, and reflect on the challenges currently facing Russian civil society in this area.
The meeting will bring together members of our team and external experts — researchers and activists working on the issue of imperiality.
The meeting is intended for a broad range of participants engaged with this topic through research, education, media, human rights, or activist work.
To take part, please register using the following link.
We kindly ask you to register in advance so that we can send all participants their individual Zoom access links in a timely manner.
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