Our Mission 

The Black Sheep Society is an independent and interdisciplinary group of scholars in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies working within the tradition of leftist analysis and critique, broadly construed. Within a field still structured by Cold War binaries and increasingly by neoliberal imperatives, we seek to provide an intellectual home for scholars at all career levels who share a commitment to overturning reigning conservative and liberal paradigms. The Black Sheep Society aims to build structure and shape for critical research and to foster connections between leftist academics and activists in the region.

While most BSS members work in the field of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, we welcome those from outside that regional focus who may share similar interests, for instance, in the history and study of socialism. We welcome scholars from every field at our events, as well as independent scholars and interested members of the public. 

Our History

Our group’s origins lie in the leftist panel series we initiated in the early 2010s at the annual conventions hosted by the Association for Slavic, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). Many of our early participants came from the editorial collective of LeftEast and, in the early 2020s, from the Working Group for Solidarity in REEES. By 2023, the annual series, now bearing the name of “Socialism or Barbarism,” had grown to 15 panels with hundreds of presenters and attendees. That was also the year we decided to form two permanent organizations: the Black Sheep Society, named after the pub where our first meeting took place, and the New Yugoslav Studies Association. The two sister organizations have continued to grow, coordinating a slate of more than 50 panels and events at ASEEES 2026.   

Activities and Collaborations

Two years into its existence, the Black Sheep Society has more than 400 subscribers, continues to run panels at ASEEES, organizes various online symposia, a few of which could be found on YouTube, as well as smaller in-person events and conferences, such as a workshop on Political Economy and Cultural Form in April 2025, and on Red Feminisms in April 2025. We are also building out local chapters (so far, in NYC and Berlin). Finally, we work closely with Red Threads, an online publication for internationalist politics speaking from the former Second World to the planet, rooted in lived realities, shared politics, and struggles across our region but addressing global questions. 

Membership

As of the time being membership in the Black Sheep Society is completely informal. The best way to get involved is to fill in this sign-up sheet, which will automatically put you on our listserver. We also have a facebook group. 

We welcome any suggestions for events, activities, collaborations, or just ideas for future lines of work. The easiest way to reach the organizing committee with questions or suggestions is at blacksheepsocialism[at]gmail.com.

Organizing Committee 

Julia Alekseyeva | University of Pennsylvania

Rossen Djagalov | New York University

Renny Hahamovitch | University of Michigan

Zach Hicks | UC Berkeley

Nikolay Karkov | SUNY Cortland

Yulia Kim | Swarthmore College

Ilya Kliger | New York University

Dominick Lawton | Stanford University

Olena Lyubchenko | York University

Esa Purschke | Princeton University

Djordje Popović | UC Berkeley

Elena Razlogova | Concordia University

Masha Salazkina | Concordia University