A quarterly scholarly journal and news magazine. September 2011. Vol IV:3 From the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) conference Södertörn University, Stockholm reports BALTIC W O Rbalticworlds.com L D S In Joseph Roth Land The project of Galicia Karl Schlögel on PUZZLING displaced persons – Russia Abroad PATTERNS Travels through a Russia in OF EUROPE stagnation The limited effect of borders book reviews ILLUSTRATION: MOA THELANDER BATTLE BEFORE POLTAVA / FEUDALISM & MODERNIZATION / LIFE-STORIES / DDR YOUNGSTERS REMEMBER cover2 artist dialogue Wikipedia Moa Thelander, born 1985 warnings She feels like an artist, not an illustra- It is therefore Readers have made us aware of the tor, but finds it very rewarding to do dangers of using Wikipedia as an illustrations, since it involves dedicating striking that the authoritative source of information and herself to things she doesn’t address in history professor knowledge. We have, with a few excep- her own art. in Zubov’s team who tions, refrained from doing so when it Her “home” institution is Bergen comes to empirical evidence. If there is National Academy of the Arts in Nor- wrote on the Bolshevik correct information on Wikipedia, it can way. She spent last year at the Royal terror during the Civil always be found somewhere else. If the Institute of Art in Stockholm, and is ‘‘ information is only available on Wikipe- now commencing the third year of her War of 1918–1921 dia, one cannot be sure it is correct. bachelor’s degree program. referred to a news- We have not been persuaded that (as That Moa Thelander sought an edu- is occasionally claimed in the interna- cation in the arts was more or less a paper published in tional press) Wikipedia is self-correct- given. She grew up in an artistic home Edinburgh in 1923. ing; there are examples to the contrary. – devoting herself to art, but also to And Professor Zubov’s Nor do we maintain that other literature, writing, has been the obvious choice for online or in printed form, would, gener- a long time. defense of this ally speaking, be more reliable. It is, Writing is important – her own and historian’s reference however, subjected to a more exacting others’. For her there is no one single scrutiny, for example via reviews, but artistic exemplar, it could easily be In addition to her education in the merely confirmed my also public debates and controversies. language and literature that serve as arts, she thinks a lot about the future – first impression that This makes it easier to avoid inferior inspiration as she works with her art; to a great degree, deciding what to do neither of them had and unusable literature. authors she would mention in this con- involves the kind of life one wants to text are Sara Lidman and Djuna Barnes. live. even consulted the WEB PUBLISHING that is not quality- Otherwise she is reading a lot of art To make a living from art is difficult. source for their table.” controlled is generally risky. Ideological theory at the moment, an active reading Moa Thelander says that it is very elements seem to be more prominent and searching for things that may be much (too much) about networking, here than in traditional book and useful in her own artistic process. marketing, and the now so-cherished Lennart Samuelson magazine publishing, where there is a As an artist, Moa Thelander uses entrepreneurial thinking. comments on Andrei Zubov’s commercial motive for strict objectivity. many different forms of expression – Perhaps it is possible to buy time for comment on his review on Freedom of publication and free access preferably at the same time – currently art via other ways of earning money, www.balticworlds.com. must be dealt with wisely, for example including: sculpture, photography, text, such as working at a second-hand when it comes to indicating primary and video. Not painting however; she bookshop, as she is doing now. The sources on the Internet. doesn’t see painting as her language. essential thing is to find a space for What we are talking about here is When she does illustrations for one’s own art, but she does not yet primarily the role of Wikipedia in the Baltic Worlds, a different work method know what this space should look like, wide realm of scientific references. But comes into play. She has a systematic if she is to feel both safe and free. ≈ this applies likewise to serious journal- approach and always starts with a MARIELOUISE SAMUELSSON ism. Wikipedia should be used primarily concentrated reading of the text, yet as a search engine, where it without tries not to ponder too much, but rather Note: Moa Thelander has previously question can be extremely useful. But it starts from the first impression, the first done illustrations for Baltic Worlds as Correction should not be used as evidence. ≈ image that pops up, and then tries to re- Moa Franzén. Last issue’s cover artist Ragni Svens- THE EDITORS fine it. Then things goes quickly, when son was regrettably not mentioned by she knows what she wants to convey. name. Modernization is much needed in Russia Today, twenty years after the transition where. At the same time you find the troduced a compensatory tax system. at every level. There is a feeling of being in Russia, there is a polarization be- greatest number of poor in Moscow, Resources are redistributed from rich stuck and not being able to change tween regions and between people. more than one million people. Also you regions to poor so that people will re- one’s situation. People are focused on This process is noted by Natalia find large differences in income distri- main there and receive social services. survival. Putin and the government say Zubarevich, Department of Geography, bution, a factor of 32 and more. Here In the 2000s, this tax policy has meant they will take care of people, that ev- Moscow State University, who is key- you find the richest and the poorest.” that incomes have increased, and that eryone should be able to live well. This note speaker at Baltic Worlds Annual She argues that one reason for this the poverty rate has decreased. On the makes many people take it easy and Roundtable, “Market Reform and Socio- development is that growth was based other hand, the tax policy, according assume that the state will take care of all Economic Change in Russia”, October 6. for many years on the export of raw Zubarevich, has not given the regions problems,” says Zubarevich. ≈ Via telephone from Moscow she says: materials. Profits were rarely invested an incentive to try to modernize and “To start business is difficult every- in manufacturing. participate in socio-economic develop- Note: Read more about the Baltic where in Russia, but in Moscow there To counter polarization between ment: “Mobility is low — social, eco- Worlds Roundtable on the website. are more job opportunities than else- regions and people, the state has in- nomic, institutional, indeed, mobility BALTIC editorial 3 W O R L Dbalticworlds.com S Sponsored by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies The shrill fear contents he better people feel, a certain nationality. The international the more threatened community is a fellowship of the win- review essay they think they are”, ners. wrote German Scandi- Still, the Danes can hardly be consid- ARIN SUNVISSON 4 A country that ceased to navianist Bernd Hen- ered losers. They were among the most K exist — Galicia ningsen in a newspa- willing in the war against Libya — to per commentary on be sure, perhaps not a self-evident tri- feature Midsummer Eve. “In umph. (Germany declined.) For the last Editor-in-chief this sense, it doesn’t few years, a Dane has been Secretary ILLUSTRATION: Anders Björnsson 12 Is the Baltic Sea curable? matter how real the General of NATO. (And many Danes Editor threat at hand is.” (Der have fallen in Afghanistan.) The threat Ninna Mörner reports Tagesspiegel, 2011-07- to national sovereignty needs not be an Publisher 24) He was alluding to imagined one — but this predicament is Anu Mai Kõll 15 Obsessed with Shalamov the Danish-German one Denmark shares with other coun- Editorial advisory board border war that was looming in the spring and early tries that have joined the European Sari Autio-Sarasmo, 16 Privatization as a magic summer, but also to the inflated Danish self-image — be Union. (Though certain people say, with Aleksanteri Institute, Hel- formula it self-delusional or not — as the happiest people in the some justification, that by EU as well sinki, Monica Hammer, world, and now also one of the most threatened. as by NATO membership, Danes have Södertörn University, 17 Cultural studies go East The issue is the concern of leading Danish politi- received guarantees of national sover- Lars Johannsen, Univer- cians that unwanted elements, exploiting Schengen eignty.) sity of Aarhus, Ann-Cath- 18 Russian identity Agreement provisions on free movement, will enter rine Jungar, CBEES, by land from Germany or by sea or bridge from Swe- SO THEN: NEW imbalances in a world Anu Mai Kõll, CBEES commentaries den to a Denmark that in the eyes of the world is be- where differences tend to be filed (Director), Thomas Lun- coming, to an increasing degree, a xenophobic coun- down — where every major airport dén, Chair, CBEES, 9 Green is a German color try. One has visions of bands of robbers from Poland, looks the same, where it is permissible Jens E. Olesen, Universi- Latvia and Estonia who “abuse” the EU membership that coffee tastes the same in all world ty of Greifswald, Barbara 10 Different worldviews.