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Alek D. Epstein (; born April 18, 1975) is a Russian-Israeli sociologist of culture and politics. He divides his time between Jerusalem and Moscow, taking part in a number of academic, educational, social change, and civil rights activism projects in both countries. He has published more than 200 manuscripts in various scientific journals and collections and authored more than 20 books on Israel and the Middle East.


Biography

Alek Davidovich Epstein graduated from the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
in 1995, and obtained his PhD in 2001. His M.A. and Ph.D. dissertations were supervised by Martin van Creveld and
Baruch Kimmerling Baruch Kimmerling (Hebrew: ברוך קימרלינג; 16 October 1939 – 20 May 2007) was an Israeli scholar and professor of sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Upon his death in 2007, ''The Times'' described him as "the first academ ...
. From 1999 till 2012 he was affiliated with the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication,
Open University of Israel The Open University of Israel (, ''Ha-Universita ha-Ptuha'') is a distance education, distance-education university in Israel. It is one of ten public universities in Israel recognized by the Council of Higher Education (CHE). Open University ...
. His professional experience includes courses taught at the Department of Sociology, Rothberg International School and Chais Center at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
and at the School of Communication and Journalism at the College of Management,
Tel-Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. During twelve years (from 1999 till 2010) he served as an adjunct professor of
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
of
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
at the Department of Jewish Studies, Institute of Asian and African Countries,
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
. In 2009 he joined the faculty of the Russian-British postgraduate program at the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, where he taught during two academic years. As a former coordinator for academic cooperation at the Chais program in Jewish and Israel studies in Russian at the
Open University of Israel The Open University of Israel (, ''Ha-Universita ha-Ptuha'') is a distance education, distance-education university in Israel. It is one of ten public universities in Israel recognized by the Council of Higher Education (CHE). Open University ...
, Epstein pushed forward contacts with various top-ranked Russian universities. From 2006 till 2008 agreements were signed with the
Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...
(MGIMO); State University of Nizhniy Novgorod;
Ural State University The Ural State University (, , often shortened to USU, УрГУ) is a public university located in the city of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Federation. Founded in 1920, it was an exclusive educational establishment made of several in ...
(Ekaterinburg);
National Research Tomsk State University The National Research Tomsk State University, TSU () is a public research university located in Tomsk, Russia. The university, which opened in 1888, was the first university in the Asian part of Russia and, in practice, the first Russian unive ...
; Center of International Studies of
Kazan State University Kazan Federal University (; ) is a public research university located in Kazan, Russia. The university was founded in 1804 as Imperial Kazan University, which makes it the second oldest continuously existing tertiary education institution in Rus ...
. Alek D. Epstein lectured in all of these universities; his articles were published in various journals and collections issued by each of the five abovementioned institutes of higher education. He has always been particularly concerned with the issues of Russian history, culture and social life both professionally and personally. He describes himself as a humanist, a cosmopolitan and a social democrat. As a convinced atheist, he speaks out for the human rights, for national, ethnic and gender equality, for the recognition of same-sex marriages including the child adoption by same-sex partners, for the protection of the environment and the development of the ecologically-oriented thinking, for the decrease of the number of prisoners. He strongly opposes the ideas of capital penalty, militarism, xenophobia and the concept of a strong nation-state. In November 2012 he initiated the creation of ''An Alternative Prize for the Russian Activist Art'' and became the chairperson of its jury. The laureates included Matvey Krylov, Artem Loskutov, Maria Kiseleva and
Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...
group and others. The ceremony was organized as part of the ''Media Impact'' Assembly at the Zverev Center for Contemporary art on December 4, 2012."Alternative Prize for the Russian Activist Art"
Radio Free Europe.


Grants and awards

Epstein has been awarded
Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...
scholarship and research grants from the Bernard Cherrick Center for the Study of Zionism and the
History of Israel The history of Israel covers an area of the Southern Levant also known as Canaan, Palestine (region), Palestine, or the Holy Land, which is the geographical location of the modern states of Israel and Palestine. From a prehistory as part ...
; Minerva Center for Human Rights (twice); Leslie and Vera Keller Foundation for the Enhancement of the Jewish Heritage; Lavon Institute for the History of the Israeli Labor Movement; Shaine Center for Research in Social Sciences; David Asseo Foundation and the Open University of Israel. He is listed in ''2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century'' (2008) and '' Who’s Who in the World'' (2009).


Research

His Ph.D. dissertation was dedicated to the study of “The Involvement of the Academic Community in the Public Discourse on the Formation of the Israeli Political Culture in the Period of Labor Movement Hegemony”. Later he served as a principal researcher in the study on the development of sociology of the Israeli society as a research field; in the study of the inter-cultural dialogue between scientists and teachers from the former USSR and their Israeli colleagues; etc. An expert in Israeli history and politics, as well as in the history of the
Arab-Israeli conflict The Arab citizens of Israel form the country's largest ethnic minority. Their community mainly consists of former Mandatory Palestine citizens (and their descendants) who continued to inhabit the territory that was acknowledged as Israeli by ...
, he has written extensively on intellectuals' influence on the emergence of
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.conscientious disobedience as an indicator of the changing patterns of
civil–military relations Civil–military relations (Civ-Mil or CMR) describes the relationship between military organizations and civil society, military organizations and other government bureaucracies, and leaders and the military. CMR incorporates a diverse, ofte ...
, on the development of Israel studies as a research field in various countries, on the emergence of the
Palestinian refugee problem Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, fled or were expelled from their country, village or house over the course of the 1948 Palestine war 1967 Palestinian ex ...
and unsuccessful attempts to solve it, on various aspects of immigrant scientists’ and teachers’ professional and social integration in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, on bilateral relations between Israel and Russia, Middle Eastern peace initiatives and on several additional topics.


Works on Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict

Epstein has published 150 articles in such scientific journals as ''Journal of Human Rights''; ''Terrorism and Political Violence''; ''International Studies in the Sociology of Education''; ''Journal of Educational Administration and History''; ''New Global Development: Journal of International and Comparative Social Welfare''; ''Language in Society''; ''Language Problems and Language Planning''; ''Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development; Journal of International Migration and Integration''; ''Tourism, Culture and Communication'', as well as ''Jewish Political Science Review''; ''Journal of Israeli History''; ''Israeli Sociology'' and others, among them journals, published by Russian and Ukrainian Academies of Sciences. Epstein authored fourteen books, published in Russian, among them: ''Wars and Diplomacy. Arab–Israeli Conflict in the 20th Century'' (
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
and
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2003), ''Israel and the Palestinian Refugee Problem: History and Politics'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2005), ''Israel in the Era of “Post-Zionism”: Academy, Ideology and Politics'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2006), ''After the Collapse of the “Road Map”: The Attempts to Mitigate the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2006), ''Israel’s War Against Hezbollah and Its Impact on the Middle Eastern Politics'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2006), ''Confronting HAMAS: Israel, Jordan and PNA Face to Face with Islamic Fundamentalism'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2007), ''Diplomatic Struggle over Jerusalem. An Offstage History'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2008), ''Israel and (Non) Administered Territories: Between Annexation and Withdrawal'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2008), ''Israel’s Policy of Targeted Killing: Politics, Law and Ethics'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2009), ''Israelis and Palestinians: From Confrontation to Negotiations and Back'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2009), ''The Black Years. Soviet Jewry between Hitler and Stalin, 1939–1953'' (together with Kiril Feferman,
Raanana Ra'anana () is an affluent city in the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where an important World War I battle had tak ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, 2010), ''The Rise and the Decline of the Israeli Left'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2011), ''Russia and Israel: A Difficult Journey'' (together with Stanislav Kozheurov,
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2011), ''The Revitalization of the Jewish Statehood and the Unresolved Jewish Dilemma'' (
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, 2011), ''To Free the Hostages by Any Means Necessary: Israel’s Negotiations with Palestinian and Lebanese Guerrilla Organizations'' (together with Evgeni Varshaver, Moscow, 2012) and ''Close Allies? United States and Israel: The Hidden History'' (2 vols., Moscow/Jerusalem, 2014). His books ''Political and Ethnic Cleansings in the USSR, 1918–1953'' (
Raanana Ra'anana () is an affluent city in the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where an important World War I battle had tak ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, 2007) and ''Russian-Speaking Israelis at ‘Home’ and ‘Abroad’: Identity and Migration'' (together with Zeev Khanin and Marina Niznik,
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
–
Ramat-Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exchanges), S ...
, 2011) were published in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
. He has contributed to and edited twelve volumes in various languages, among them ''Mass Migration and Its Impact on the Israeli Society'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2000); ''Contemporary Israel: Politics and Society'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2002); ''The Zionist Imperative: An Anthology of Contemporary Thinking'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2003); ''The Palestine-Israeli Conflict in the Mirror of Public Opinion and International Diplomacy'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2004); ''The Post-Soviet Jewry: Identity and Education'' (
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2008); ''The Jewish State at the Beginning of the 21st Century. An Anthology of Contemporary Israeli Social and Political Thought'' (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
/
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2008) – in Russian; ''National Priorities: Immigration and Integration in Israel in the Beginning of the 21st Century'' (
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2007) – in Hebrew; ''Every Seventh Israeli: The Jews of the Former Soviet Union – Patterns of Social and Cultural Integration'' (
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2007); ''Constructing the National Identity: Jewish Education in Russia Twenty Years after the End of the Cold War'' (
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2008); and ''Immigrant Scientists in Israel: Achievements and Challenges of Integration in Comparative Context'' (
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 2010) – in English. In addition, he has edited the Russian versions of the Open University’s courses ''Israel: The First Decade of Independence'' (Part I. “The Founding of Israeli Democracy”, 4 volumes, 2001; Part II. “Society, Economics and Culture”, 4 volumes, 2002–2003), ''From National Home to a State in the Making: The Jewish Community in Palestine between the World Wars'' (2 vols., 2006), ''Democracy and National Security in Israel'' (3 vols., 2007–2009) and ''Search for Identity Between Assimilation and Immigration: Russian Jewry in the Twentieth Century'' (2 vols., 2007–2008).


Works on Russian civic activism and the protest art

In June 2011, the Moscow-based publishing house ''Gileya'' headed by Sergey Kudryavtsev published the book ''The Thought Police: Authorities, Experts and Anti-Extremism Campaign in Contemporary Russia,'' co-authored by Alek Epstein and Oleg Vasiliev. The presentation of the book featured speeches by Alexander Verkhovsky, Vsevolod Yemelin, Boris Stomakhin and others, and the Kasparov.ru portal published an extensive interview with the authors. In June 2012 the ''Free Marxist Publishing House'' headed by Kirill Medvedev published the follow-up book entitled ''Defending the Authorities against Criticism from Society: Ten Years of Anti-Extremism Campaign in Contemporary Russia'' (it also included articles by the philosophers Ilya Budraitskis and Aleksey Penzin who participated in the presentation that was organized as part of the VII Moscow International Book Festival in the Central House of Artists). In March 2012 the Moscow-based ''Umlaut Network'' publishing house issued Alek Epstein’s book ''Total ‘War’: Art Activism in the Age of Tandemocracy'', a social and political analysis of the phenomenon of the "Voina" art-group throughout the five years of its existence starting with its first appearance in February, 2007. Fragments of this research were published in two issues of the ''NZ: Debates on Politics and Culture'' journal in the fall of 2011. The presentation of the book that took place in the Vinzavod Center for Contemporary Art was highlighted by speeches by Andrey Erofeev, Yury Samodurov, Peter Verzilov, Anton Nikolaev and others, and detailed interviews with the author were published by such Internet portals as ''Around Art – Contemporary Art'' and ''Art-Chronicle'', as well as by the ''
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
''. It was named among the best books of the week by ''
Kommersant (, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia certified July 2013 circulation of the daily ...
'' and ''Moscow News'' newspapers as well as by the ''Russian Reporter'' weekly. In the late July 2012, on the eve of the trial of
Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...
(
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Nadezhda Andreyevna "Nadya" Tolokonnikova ( rus, Надежда Андреевна "Надя" Толоконникова, p=nɐˈdʲeʐdə ɐnˈdrʲejɪvnə ˈnadʲə təlɐˈkonʲːɪkəvə; born November 7, 1989) is a Russian musician, concep ...
,
Yekaterina Samutsevich Yekaterina Stanislavovna Samutsevich (; born 9 August 1982) is a Russian political activist. She was a member of the anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Riot. Criminal history On 17 August 2012, she was convicted of hooliganism motivated by re ...
and
Maria Alyokhina Maria "Masha" Vladimirovna Alyokhina (; born 6 June 1988) is a Russian political activist. She is a member of the Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Riot. Early life and education Maria Vladimirovna Al ...
), the publisher Viktor Bondarenko and ''Kolonna publications'' released the book entitled ''Art on the Barricades: ‘Pussy Riot’, the ‘Bus Exhibition’ and the Protest Art Activism'', edited by Alek D. Epstein. Along with the extensive preface (its fragments were published in two issues of the ''NZ: Debates on Politics and Culture'' journal) the album also includes over a hundred photos of actions and works of art created by Victoria Lomasko, Anton Nikolaev, Lena Hades, Aleskey Knedlyakovsky, Lusine Dzhanyan, Evgenia Maltceva, Leonid Danilov, Vladimir Kozin, Oleg Khvostov, Victor Bogorad and other contemporary Russian artists. This art book was designed by Galina Bleikh. Extensive interviews with Alek D. Epstein concerning the book were published on the portals of ''
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
'', Gazeta.ru and ''Be In'', a fragment of the album was published on the ''Artguide'' website and numerous comments appeared on such websites as ''Art-Chronicle'', Grani.ru, ''Noart Gallery'', ZHIR project and others. The album was named one of the most important art books of the summer of 2012 by ''Art-Chronicle'' and “TimeOut Moscow” journals. In late September 2012 the ''Russia for all'' foundation and the ''Kolonna publications'' issued the album entitled ''Victor Bondarenko and Evgeniya Maltceva’s Project ‘Spiritual Combat’ and the Struggle for the Christian Sacred Images’ New Life in Art'', authored by Alek D. Epstein. The unique material, as well as different versions of the works by Evgenia Maltceva exhibited at the Vinzavod Center for Contemporary Art in September 2012, published for the very first time, makes this book a valuable historical record of one of the most resonant art exhibitions that took place in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
in the past few years. The book was designed by Galina Bleikh. The speakers at the presentation included Victor Bondarenko,
Marat Gelman Marat Aleksandrovich GelmanOfficial (in the passport) Latin-graphics spelling of his last name is Guelman as in French. (; born 24 December 1960) is a Russian collector, gallerist, and op-ed columnist. The former director of PERMM contemporar ...
, Roman Bagdasarov and others, while an extensive interview with the author was published on the website of the ''
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
''."On the Field of Spiritual Combat"
Radio Free Europe.


Scientific conferences

Epstein was an organizer and co-chairperson of the International conference “Contemporary Israel: Politics, Culture and Society” that took place at the Moscow Institute of Israeli and Middle Eastern Studies and
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
on September 8–11, 2000. This conference was the first one in the Russian academic history that was fully dedicated to the study of Israeli society. Later he chaired sessions on the history of
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
and Israel at the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th Annual International Interdisciplinary Conferences on Jewish Studies (Moscow, 2006–2009). He presented his pieces of research at the 34th, 36th and 37th World Congresses of the International Institute of Sociology (IIS) (
Tel-Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
, Israel, 1999;
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, 2004;
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, 2005), at the 7th and 10th Conferences of the International Society for the Study of the European Ideas (
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, 2000;
University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...
, 2006), at the 25th and 31st Scientific Conferences of the
International Society of Political Psychology The International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) is an interdisciplinary not-for-profit organization, representing all fields of enquiry involved with the exploration of relationships between both psychological and political processes and ...
(Berlin, 2002; Paris, 2008), at the
International Political Science Association The International Political Science Association (IPSA) is an international scholarly association, founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949. IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world. During its history ...
Conference on "Nationalism and National Security" (
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public university, public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Named after Israeli List of national founders, national founder David Ben-Gurion, the unive ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, 1999), at the 9th and 10th Bi-Annual Conferences of the International Society for the
Intellectual History Intellectual history (also the history of ideas) is the study of the history of human thought and of intellectuals, people who conceptualization, conceptualize, discuss, write about, and concern themselves with ideas. The investigative premise of ...
(
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, 2007;
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
, 2009), at the 3rd International Conference on “Intellectuals, Intelligentsia and Society” (
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
, 1999), at the 3rd, 4th and 5th Annual Conferences of the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations” (
Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, 2005, 2006 and 2007), at the
Association for the Study of Nationalities The Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) is an academic association dedicated to the promotion of knowledge and understanding of ethnicity, nationalism, and ethnic conflict broadly, with a particular geographic focus on Central, East ...
conference "Twenty Years Later (1991–2011): The Reshaping of Space and Identity" (
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 2011) and various thematic conferences. He has appeared on many TV and radio programs and his articles have been published in the Russian and Jewish press in various countries.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Alek D. 1975 births Living people Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Israeli political scientists Israeli sociologists Academic staff of Moscow State University Academic staff of the Open University of Israel Russian political scientists Russian sociologists Place of birth missing (living people) Academic staff of Ural State University