Aleksandra Burshteyn
Amherst College
Project
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Living Memories and Present Experiences of States in Transition
Czech Republic, South Africa, United Kingdom, Mongolia
I will spend my Watson year learning about the memories and experiences of people who lived, or are living through fractures and restructurings of their nations and realities: the Czech Republic as it left behind both 'Czechoslovakia' and communism, South Africa as it abolished apartheid, Northern Ireland as it grapples with compromise and reconstruction, and Mongolia as it moves towards an urbanization at odds with its nomadic way of life. I will surround myself with local storytellers; immerse in communities of writers and artists; volunteer with cultural organizations and stables. I aim to make visible the multifaceted, textured, and complex realities of those who lived, or are living through, major transitions, and the often-overlooked effects.