What Happened in 1917?: Revolution in Theory

To kick off The Future Remains: Revisiting Revolution, Calvert 22 Foundation is hosting a series of lively debates about the lasting impact of the “ten days that shook the world”.

What Happened in 1917? will bring together leading UK scholars and theorists with their counterparts from across the New East for critical explorations of the legacy of the Russian Revolution and our shifting views across the last 100 years.

Join us at these dynamic evenings for lively discussions and new perspectives on social history, economics, sex, media, alcohol and fashion.

I. Revolution in Theory

What really happened in 1917? Have we reached any consensus in the past century? How do theorists of revolution interpret the legacy of 1917 today?

In the opening discussion, participants will present their perspectives on how to interpret the revolution of 1917 as a historical event. How has the way that it has been historicised affected our perspective on what happened? In particular: How does this affect our understanding of “revolution” today?

Participating speakers:

Artemy Magun is the Dean of the Department of Political Science and Sociology at the European University, St Petersburg. He is the author of Negative Revolution: Modern Political Subject and its Fate After the Cold War (Bloomsbury, 2013) and a member of the artistic collective Chto Delat.

Georgy Mamedov is the Artistic Director of the School of Theory and Activism – STAB in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He co-curated the Central Asian Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale and his interests are the history and theory of culture and contemporary philosophy. Georgy will join the conversation via Skype from Bishkek.

Jonathan Smele is a Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at Queen Mary University, London and is a specialist in the history of the Russian revolutions and civil wars. He is a long-standing member of the Study Group on the Russian Revolution and edited its journal, Revolutionary Russia, for a decade (2002–12).

Maria Chehonadskih is a writer and philosopher. She received an MA from the Russian State University for the Humanities in 2009 and is a PhD candidate at Kingston University, CRMEP (London). Chehonadskih is a member of Moscow Art Magazine editorial board. She works on the problem of Soviet epistemologies across philosophy, Marxism and art. She published texts in Moscow Art Magazine, Radical Philosophy, Mute, Alfabeta2 and other journals. Lives and works in London and Moscow.

Organised in partnership with the European University at St Petersburg.

Booking terms & conditions

A deposit of £5 will be taken in lieu of a ticket, which will be fully refunded when you attend the event or send someone else in your place. Not attending the event and not sending anyone else in your place will mean you lose your deposit.

Please allow up to 7 business days for your refund to be processed and show up on your account. If it’s past that time, do get in touch with us so we can look into it.

We have a 12-hour cancellation policy, meaning you can cancel your ticket up to 12 hours before the event start time by emailing [email protected] and the deposit will be refunded to your account. For any cancellations made outside this time frame the deposit becomes non-refundable.