Lecture Performances: Transliterative Tease

 Join us for a lecture by Slavs and Tatars studio, exploring how changing alphabets can serve as a tool to challenge systems of power and investigate ideas of identity, colonialism, and religion. The lecture highlights Turkic languages that were used in regions such as Anatolia and Xinjiang within the Soviet Union, reflecting Lenin’s belief that changing the alphabets of Muslims to Latin letters was the first step toward revolution in the East. The lecture will also shed light on the historical expansion of empires and how alphabets expanded alongside them – tracing how the Arabic script spread with Islam, Latin with Roman Catholicism, and Cyrillic with the Orthodox Church and later communism.

What will you learn?
Gain insight into how alphabets shape power, identity, and cultural shifts across history and empires.

Who is it for?
This lecture provides valuable insights for those interested in topics such as identity, colonialism, and religion.