Hosted at Yerevan State University, the two-day workshop formed part of the preparatory phase for a broader consortium application. It brought together researchers working across post-socialist contexts to examine how the legacies of the 1990s persist through vernacular memory, cultural production, and institutional frameworks, and how these legacies shape present-day dynamics within specific societal settings.

Memory, materiality, and the afterlives of transition

The first day was structured around four thematic panels that collectively mapped the multiple registers through which transition heritage operates.

The opening panel on vernacular transition memory examined how lived experiences of the 1990s are remembered and negotiated across generations. Contributions underscored the fragmented and often contradictory nature of these memories, challenging linear accounts of post-socialist transformation.

The second panel turned to material and spatial dimensions of transition heritage, exploring how infrastructures and urban environments function as sites of what participants described as “everyday cohesion.” These discussions highlighted how stability is not only produced through institutions, but also through informal adaptations embedded in material life.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to cultural production and “memory genres” of the 1990s, including literature, visual culture, and other expressive forms. These were approached not merely as representations of the past, but as active mediators that shape how the decade is interpreted and politicised.

The final panel examined institutions and education systems, with particular attention to how narratives of transition are curated and, at times, instrumentalised. This opened onto a broader concern central to the project: how transition-related heritage is framed and amplified in political discourse and digital environments, including through emotionally charged narratives and disinformation.

Towards inclusive narratives and shared frameworks

The second day shifted from panel presentations to cluster-based collaboration, enabling participants to develop comparative and conceptual approaches. These sessions focused on articulating inclusive heritage narratives that do not erase conflict or inequality, but instead acknowledge the ambivalence of transition experiences while enabling forms of shared responsibility and mutual recognition across social and generational groups.

A central component of the programme was the book presentation by Kulshat Medeuova (L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana), introducing Baikonur vs Baiqoñyr: An Oral History of Space, published by Tselinny. The book traces a mosaic of space-related memory sites- from museum representations to artistic practices and state space policy- highlighting the entanglement of Kazakhstan’s cosmodrome landscapes with broader socio-cultural environments.

The workshop concluded with cluster presentations and a plenary discussion outlining directions for future collaboration within the emerging consortium. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening exchange between researchers, heritage practitioners, educators, and policymakers, and on developing evidence-based recommendations and practical tools for contexts where cultural heritage intersects with questions of cohesion and security.

The workshop “Unsettled 1990s Transition Heritage,” held in Yerevan on 26–27 January 2026, was co-organised by recipients of the RPA Decolonial Futures Seed Grant, Gulnaz Sibgatullina (Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam) and Ksenia Robbe (University of Groningen), with the support of Alex Agajanian and Gayane Shagoyan (Yerevan State University).