The Davis Center at Harvard University

The Davis Center

The Kathryn W. and Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University seeks to foster comprehensive understanding and multidisciplinary study of Russia and the countries of Eurasia. Founded in 1948 as the Russian Research Center, the Davis Center sponsors a master's program, seminars and conferences, targeted research, fellowships, undergraduate and graduate student support, and an outreach program. The center's more than 300 affiliates come from Harvard University, the greater Boston area, and around the world.

  1. The MapMaker: Episode 7 - The Black Sea in (Poly)Crisis

    07/28/2025

    The MapMaker: Episode 7 - The Black Sea in (Poly)Crisis

    Dr. Kelly O'Neill sits down with Anastasiia Pereverten and Markus Vaher to learn more about the cascading effects of the war waged in the Black Sea that is reshaping the way we think about regionalism and international law.

    1h 18m
  2. Eurasia from the East, 2024

    11/20/2024

    Eurasia from the East, 2024

    As we approach the third year of the war in Ukraine, the ripples from the conflict go deeper and further into the fabric of international relations. This seminar brings together three scholars from Japan to analyze the war’s impact and meaning outside Eastern Europe. Their expertise includes not only Russia but the Middle East and Northeast Asia. Issues to be addressed include Japan’s policies, historical contexts, borderlands, energy security, and China’s perspective on the war.

    1h 35m
  3. Amb. Krol (Ret): America Discovers Central Asia, Central Asia Discovers America

    10/24/2024

    Amb. Krol (Ret): America Discovers Central Asia, Central Asia Discovers America

    Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan George Krol will discuss the development of relations between the United States and the Central Asian states from the inception of diplomatic relations in 1992 to the present time. Drawing on personal experiences and insights gained from his 36 years as a career diplomat, Krol will describe the American and Central Asian politics and personalities that have influenced relations from the collapse of the Soviet Union through the war in Afghanistan to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and China’s emergence as a dominant player in the region.

    1h 15m
  4. The MapMaker: Episode 6 - The Day Watermelons Almost Toppled the Russian Empire

    09/09/2024

    The MapMaker: Episode 6 - The Day Watermelons Almost Toppled the Russian Empire

    Dr. Kelly O'Neill recounts the convoluted events of the so-called Watermelon Rebellion, a little-known episode in Russian imperial history full of intrigue, deception, espionage, personal animosities, and… watermelons.

    1h 4m
  5. The MapMaker: Episode 5 - Water, Memory, and the Steppe

    08/26/2024

    The MapMaker: Episode 5 - Water, Memory, and the Steppe

    REECA alumna Jackie Erlon-Baurjan talks with Kelly about water: about how it was conceptualized and managed on the Kazakh steppe in the 19th century, and about how it (or the lack of it) shaped her own family's traditions near the Altai Mountains.

    34 min
  6. The MapMaker: Episode 4 - Shakespeare versus Stalin: Why Place Names Matter

    08/13/2024

    The MapMaker: Episode 4 - Shakespeare versus Stalin: Why Place Names Matter

    Graduate student Valerie Browne shares her research into the history of Crimean place names. She explains how Stalin attempted to remake the map after World War II and how Wikipedia allowed her to reconstruct the stories of lost, forgotten, and renamed villages.

    29 min
  7. The MapMaker: Episode 1 - Crimea as Queen Victoria Saw It

    07/18/2024

    The MapMaker: Episode 1 - Crimea as Queen Victoria Saw It

    In our first episode, Dr. O'Neill goes to the Harvard Map Collection with high-school student Lily Grodzins to investigate a map of Crimea produced in 1855 and dedicated to Queen Victoria. What they find is a map bigger than most kitchen tables, riddled with misinformation, and full of everything from mountains to mud volcanos. Who made the map? And where do the British fit in? Join us to find out!

    24 min
  8. The MapMaker: Episode 2 - The Art of Map-Listening

    07/18/2024

    The MapMaker: Episode 2 - The Art of Map-Listening

    Lily and Kelly dig into what it was like to live in Crimea as a subject of the Russian Empire. They explore power-relations, the survival of local practices, imperial ideology, and yes, the art of map-listening.

    26 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Kathryn W. and Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University seeks to foster comprehensive understanding and multidisciplinary study of Russia and the countries of Eurasia. Founded in 1948 as the Russian Research Center, the Davis Center sponsors a master's program, seminars and conferences, targeted research, fellowships, undergraduate and graduate student support, and an outreach program. The center's more than 300 affiliates come from Harvard University, the greater Boston area, and around the world.

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