Our Brown Bag research talks and discussions are, as the name suggests, lunchtime sessions. The ongoing research work showcased in these sessions will give students and staff plenty of food for thought to munch on and discuss in a friendly, informal and cross-disciplinary environment. Come along and join in the discussion!
Coming up next
5 November, 13.00-14.00, Buchanan 215
Abigail Karas
“It’s more like a village here”: Rural identities in contemporary Chișinău and the limits of urban transformation
This talk examines the concept of “ruralization” in Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. By challenging conventional narratives of urbanization as a unilinear process, it argues that rural identities and practices persist and are reasserted within Chișinău’s urban spaces, blurring the urban-rural boundary. This hybridity, influenced by Moldova’s complex history under various imperial rules, is evident in vernacular architecture, subsistence practices, and a cultural valorization of the village as a core national identity marker. The talk contends that Chișinău’s “urban rurality” offers an alternative vision of urban life, resisting teleological models of modernity and fostering a unique socio-spatial landscape.
If you are interested in presenting your own work, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Details of our past events can be found here.
