A new academic year often means a renewed sense of motivation, eagerness and excitement in anticipation of the year ahead. For SLOVO, it also means a changing of the guard that is the editorial team.

In this blog post, our new editorial team will be introduced as we welcome you to the 2021-2022 year. We have a Call for Papers too for our next issue, the deadline for submitting them is 10 December. If you are interested in submitting a paper, please see our poster on social media platforms for more information.

Our Editor-in-Chief this year is Saffy Mirghani, a doctoral student researching Fyodor Dostoevsky’s influence on twentieth-century, African-American literature. This builds upon her Master’s Degree in Russian and East European Literature and Culture, which she studied for at SSEES.

The Managing Editor for this year is Pippa Crawford, who is currently studying for her MA in Political Analysis of Russia and Eastern Europe. Her current research examines the imprisonment of dissidents in Russia and Belarus. Her long-term career aim is to get involved in the world of journalism, so this post of Managing Editor will undoubtedly help her gain relevant experience, as well as allowing her to share her enthusiasm for the topic.

Our Book Editor is Monica Zulyte. When not getting lost in research projects requiring a lot of statistical analysis (she loves quantitative research!), Monika is studying for an MA in Political Analysis with special focus on Russia and Eastern Europe. Her particular interests concern economic development in Eastern Europe, representations of Eastern Europe and Eastern Europeans, as well as Baltic-Russian relations.

Louis Marmion is the Film Editor for this academic year. He is Louis Marmion, who is undertaking a PhD on Iréne Némirovsky, a Russian-Jewish émigré of French expression. As well as a love for films, Louis enjoys Russian literature, for which he has a Master’s Degree, in addition to his MRes in East European Studies.

SLOVO’s General Editors this year are Margo Bondarchuk and Qianrui Hu. Margo is a MA History student wishing to specialise in Ukrainian and Russian history. This builds upon her undergraduate degree in History and Politics which she earned from the University of Oxford. Her main research interests include nationalism and nationality policies, agrarian populist movements, and the socio-cultural histories of serfdom within the Russian Empire. Quianrui is a first-year PhD student who obtained a double degree from SSEES and Charles University, Prague. His current research focus revolves around the dynamics of identities in the context of the ongoing war in Donbas. When not studying hard, he enjoys cooking, hiking and learning new languages.

Sarah Moore is our Online Editor for this coming year. She is a doctoral student with a research focus of the ways in which childhood, memory and gender intersect in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. Her other research interests include topics of nationalism, identity, ethno-politics, genocide studies and European monarchies. In her free time she enjoys reading, visiting historic places, sports and creative writing.

The Online Editor’s Assistant for this year is Alina Vrabie. In her second year of studying for a BA in History, Politics and Economics at SSEES, Alina is interested in areas concerning self-determination and ethnic party dynamics in Eastern Europe, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in research.

Eleanor McDonald-Dick is SLOVO’s Copyeditor this year. In her second year of studying for an MRes in East European Studies, Eleanor’s main interests include medieval Northern and Eastern Europe, and her research is currently focussed on courtiers in Kiev during the tenth and eleventh centuries.

And last, but by no means least, is our Typesetter. Aleksandra Walczak is a final year undergraduate student studying Social Sciences with Data Science. Originally from Poland, Aleksandra’s research interests include East Slavic languages, authoritarian populism and the use of conspiracy theories in foreign and domestic policies. Her hobbies include running, pole dancing and embroidery, an interesting mix but demonstrative of her talents in many fields!

With everyone now introduced, there is little else to say until our next blog post, except to say that we are all so excited and thrilled to be part of SLOVO this year, and we can’t wait to share with you what we are working on.

As mentioned above, we have a current Call for Papers, the deadline for which is 10 December. This includes film and book reviews as well as translations. If you wish to submit an entry, please contact us for more information regarding the films and books recommended for review, and for advice on submissions.

Take care and until next time,

The SLOVO Team