abi karas
@abikaras.bsky.social
likes roofs 𓆏 leverhulme ECF uni of st andrews. (post-)soviet urban space, local politics + identity. she/her/она
The NYT's Moldova photo essay called an elected official "a teacher," styled a fashion designer and a film student to look like Soviet factory workers, and opened with "gray" to describe the sunniest month Chisinau had all year. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
back home from a gorgeous end-of-summer research trip to chișinău! as i'm sure internal selection rounds are coming up for next year, if you're planning to apply for a leverhulme ecf and would like to see a successful application, let me know! I’d be very happy to send you mine
shoutout to the women in the moldovan national library who have brought me books that they’ll think i like based on my requests! they always get it right and have amazing recommendations and i’m sure they aren’t paid nearly enough 💓
publication day!!!! so many people to thank!!! всем спасибо за всё ˃̵ᴗ˂̵ please consider ordering for your library ♡ if you read it, i hope you enjoy it!!! and if you/anyone you know/your university/institution/secret roof club might enjoy hearing me talk about roofs, get in touch!!!!
i think about vladimir modârcă’s maritime school building at least biweekly
in moldovan architectural heritage news: icomos has now issued a heritage alert for the republican stadium in chișinǎu in response to plans to demolish it to develop a new US embassy !!!! www.icomos.org/news/heritag...
Heritage Alert: Chișinău’s Republican Stadium - ICOMOS
Explore the threats facing Chișinău’s Republican Stadium, a crucial example of Eastern European socialist realist architecture under danger.
icomos.org
oxford friends come say hi!
Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre, St Antony's College, Oxford@resc25.bsky.social · 6mo agoAll off to the Week 2 #RESCMondaySeminar! @abikaras.bsky.social discusses urban activism in Chișinău #Moldova. Convened by Panayiotis Xenophontos for St Antony's College Oxford, @osgaoxford.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social In-person only - all welcome! events.ox.ac.uk/oxford_event...
i’m so happy that ✨ 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 ✨ is finally out!! i’ve contributed a chapter on heritage, civic activism and the urban commons in chișinău ! it’s open access so give it a read but also buy a copy/ order it for your library (but only if you want to)!!! muse.jhu.edu/book/142608
ничего особенного but i wrote a commentary for memory studies on the relationship between skateboarding and imperialism (russian and epistemic) doi.org/10.1177/1750...
my review of post-soviet graffiti by @alexislerner.bsky.social is now out in city & society. a compelling read for anyone interested in post-socialist urbanism, political communication, and public space under both authoritarianism and neoliberal capitalism doi.org/10.1111/ciso...
City & Society | CUAA Urban Studies Journal | Wiley Online Library
Click on the article title to read more.
doi.org
Street name politics is back in the news in Moldova. There have been calls to rename Moscow blvd. in Chișinău into Ilie Ilașcu street. Ilașcu was one of the most well-known fighters against separatists during the Russian-Moldovan war in 1992 ...
if you’re in dc for aseees next week a) let’s get a coffee/drink and b) come hear me talk about this guy and his master plan for chișinău on saturday (there will be photos !! and drawings!!! and maps !! that you maybe have never seen before for all the șciusevheads out there) !!
Modern Languages students at the University of Nottingham have started a petition to save languages degrees. Please sign and share www.change.org/p/stop-the-r...
Sign the Petition
Stop the removal of Modern Languages courses at the University of Nottingham!
change.org
turns out you can always just move to the east coast of scotland
moldovan elections are underway (eek)!!! you can follow the voting + results as they come in this evening here: pv.cec.md
Prezența la vot
pv.cec.md
A long thread on how I'll be following returns for the Moldovan legisl. election on Sep. 28. Polls close inside MD at 9 p.m. Until then, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) will only be releasing turnout data throughout the day. Results will start rolling in fairly quickly ...
The Editorial to our Special Issue on Grey Spaces and Chromatic Leisure for @leisurestudies.bsky.social is now published. @indigowilling.bsky.social @benjaminduester.bsky.social @sanderholsgens.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The leisure of grey spaces, urban play and the chromatic turn
Published in Leisure Studies (Ahead of Print, 2025)
tandfonline.com
My favourite Moldova story of the week is Boney M performing at the city festival of Bălți. newsmaker.md/ru/boney-m-m... www.youtube.com/live/6IKxabT...
Boney M, Меладзе и Галкин: сколько Бельцы потратили на концерты ко Дню города
На организацию двух концертов ко Дню города в Бельцах потратили около 840 тыс. леев. Из этой суммы примерно 200 тыс. леев выделила администрация города, остальные расходы покрыли спонсоры. Об этом соо...
newsmaker.md
exciting news! ✩ i’ve been awarded a leverhulme early career fellowship to spend the next three years thinking about urban space, cultural heritage & the relationship between the local and national in moldova and will be based at st andrews ☆彡 hai să mergem// давай пойдём ミ☆
