Constructing the Other: German-Russian Relations through Time. A conversation with John Lough

Germans and Russians have projected both loathing and fascination onto one another for centuries. Arsen Zhilyaev's ongoing solo exhibition at Pushkin House, _n Haus (on view until June 26), draws significantly from etymological history, where the word 'nemetz' (the Russian word for the German language) is rooted in the word 'nemoj' ('unable to speak', or 'barbarian' in Russian). In a mirror-like fashion, the perception of Russians as the ultimate "other" is present in German culture.

How have relations between Germany and Russia evolved throughout the centuries and in recent history? Join John Lough, Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre, for a conversation about the past, present and possible futures of the Russia-Germany dialogue.

John Lough is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre. He studied German and Russian at Cambridge University and began his career as an analyst at the Soviet Studies (later Conflict Studies) Research Centre focusing on Soviet/Russian security policy. He spent six years with NATO and was the first Alliance representative to be based in Moscow. He gained direct experience of the Russian oil and gas industry at TNK-BP as a manager in the company’s international affairs team. Since 2009, he has been an Associate Fellow with the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and has written extensively about Ukraine. He is the author of "Germany’s Russia Problem" (Manchester University Press, 2021).

You may also like the following events from Pushkin House:

• Next month, 16th June, 06:30 pm, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement in London
• Next month, 19th June, 06:30 pm, Book Prize Award Ceremony 2025 in London

Also check out other Exhibitions in London, Arts events in London, Literary Art events in London.