We are excited to announce a new weekly series of 15-minute informal virtual Zoom lectures about memes and viral video on the Russian Internet, presented by our very own Eliot Borenstein. Each lecture will be followed by a moderated, on-line discussion, as well as just more general chat for anyone who feels like staying on-line. The lecture will subsequently be uploaded to YouTube, where you can find all the lectures in this series.

Lecture Six – Squatting Slavs: Watching the Gopniki

Of all the possible images to spread from the former Soviet Union, why did memes featuring Russian street thugs squatting on street corners become such a phenomenon?

Watch the event recording on YouTube here.