[Candrama] Performing Censorship: The Russian Case. Research Seminar by Yana Meerzon and Mikhail Kaluzhsky

[Yana Meerzon]

Dear Colleagues,



We are delighted to invite you to this year’s Theatre and Performance Studies Research Seminar Series at the University of Warwick. The series brings together scholars, artists, and practitioners to share and discuss new work across a wide range of themes in theatre and performance research.



Our upcoming seminar will feature Yana Meerzon and Mikhail Kaluzhsky, who will share insights from their recent research, Performing Censorship: The Russian Case.



TPS Research Seminar, Tuesday 9 December 2025, 4 pm (LONDON, UK TIME), Online Teams Meeting

Performing Censorship: The Russian Case

Seminar delivered by Yana Meerzon and Mikhail Kaluzhsky

The 1993 Russian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and prohibits censorship, but in practice censorship has long functioned as a tool of state control. Historically, it has been a central mechanism of state power, dating back to the Tsarist era and continuing through the Soviet period. In the post-Soviet years, censorship took new shape under Boris Yeltsin, particularly during his second term (1996–1999), which marked the rise of conservative ideologies. Since Vladimir Putin’s ascent to power in 2000, the Russian government has enacted numerous laws and constitutional amendments regulating cultural production. These laws target language use, blasphemy, depictions of historical events, and representations of sexuality and gender identity. Their impact has been especially pronounced in the performing arts, where they are enforced not only through legislation but also through grassroots actions, such as protests by nationalist and religious groups, public disruptions, and personal denunciations.

Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, censorship in Russia has become even more repressive, with harsh penalties for dissent, including fines, imprisonment, and exile. The book, Performing Censorship: The Russian Case, traces the evolution of state censorship under Putin and illustrates how his regime has fostered a culture of intimidation, conformity, and violence, perpetuating Russia’s long history of control over artistic expression. In this talk, Yana and Mikhail will outline the book’s major arguments and present several case studies that exemplify these practices.

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NWJiZDVhN2MtYjY1YS00YmRjLTgwYzYtMjNlYzA1OTA0NjU3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2209bacfbd-47ef-4465-9265-3546f2eaf6bc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2219c05396-aa1f-45e4-a0fb-0e714f827385%22%7d>

Meeting ID: 325 211 568 003 37

Passcode: sG2mZ6ws



To register for the seminar, please email:

aishwarya.walvekar at warwick.ac.uk

shuangting.chen at warwick.ac.uk





[Yana&Mikhail.PNG]

_
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://artsservices.uwaterloo.ca/pipermail/candrama/attachments/20251112/cf9e41cc/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Yana&Mikhail.PNG
Type: image/png
Size: 5994480 bytes
Desc: Yana&Mikhail.PNG
URL: <http://artsservices.uwaterloo.ca/pipermail/candrama/attachments/20251112/cf9e41cc/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Yana&Mikhail.PNG
Type: image/png
Size: 5994480 bytes
Desc: Yana&Mikhail.PNG
URL: <http://artsservices.uwaterloo.ca/pipermail/candrama/attachments/20251112/cf9e41cc/attachment-0003.png>