After the storm: Rebuilding cultural identity & local knowledge | In-person
About this Event
Rebuilding national identity after war or natural disaster involves more than restoring buildings and infrastructure. It also involves bold attempts at reviving ways of thinking about the world that have been forgotten, overlooked or suppressed.
From Eastern Europe’s efforts to survive Soviet oppression, to Indigenous ideas about ecology, local communities around the world are looking for ways to talk about their experiences in a quest for justice.
In this Curious conversation, three researchers will explore how culture, storytelling and collective memory can help shape national identity in times of recovery and change.
Dr Viktoria Bavykina examines the role of culture and the arts in Ukraine, and how it probes conventional historical narratives to offer a riposte to Russian imperialism. Via Shakespeare in translation, Dr Elsie Albis centres the experiences of survivors of natural disasters in the Philippines, highlighting their struggles in the context of climate change. Dr Dustin Lalkulhpuia explores how Indigenous ideas of care, dignity and continuity can help address some of today's most pressing global challenges.
This event is in collaboration with The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh which is one of the world's premier Institutes for Advanced Study. They support innovative research and public engagement activities across the arts, humanities and social sciences through a range of interdisciplinary and international projects and programmes.
Can't attend in-person? Watch online!
This is a hybrid event. This event page is for the in-person tickets only. If you would like to attend online, please book your tickets through the
Important points to note
- This event is suitable for age 16+
- Event format: This event is a talk and will involve some speakers sharing talking followed by a Q&A. There may be some interactive parts of the event but you can just sit back and enjoy listening.
- Content warning: The discussion may touch on issues such as the war in Ukraine and catastrophes like Typhoon Yolanda. However, there will be no graphic imagery or descriptions. This talk looks to focus on rebuilding after disaster, with a view towards positive proposals for change.
- Filming: Livestreaming and photography may take place at this event. Please let a member of the RSE Public Engagement team know if you do not want to be photographed. Recorded events will be made available on the RSE YouTube channel.
CHAIR
Christine Wilson
Director, Research & Insight at the British Council
Christine Wilson FRSA is Director Research & Insight at the British Council. She has been with the British Council since 2004. She works on a programme to reinvigorate a portfolio of cross-sectoral research, to ensure that the knowledge and experience generated through 80 years of international working is accessible to stakeholders around the world. She leads the global Next Generation research programme, which aims to engage youth voices around the world and contribute to improved policy making. She also co-ordinates British Council responses on the Sustainable Development Goals.
SPEAKER
Dr Elsie C. Albis
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow
Dr Elsie C. Albis (she/her) is a teacher and theatre practitioner. She teaches literature and theatre at Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) in the Philippines, where she served as the chair of the Creative Endeavors Council (CEC) and founded the university's theatre organization, Dulaang Agabaab. She holds a PhD in Literature from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, and was a fellow of the UST, DLSU Kritika, and Ricky Lee writing workshops. Her scholarly work has been published in various outlets, including the journal Filipinas and the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. As a theatre practitioner, her plays have been featured in Pista Nin Teatrong Bikolnon in Albay, Philippines. She organized the Hablon Theater Festival and the Aligas Writers Workshop in Naga City, Philippines.
SPEAKER
Dr Viktoria Bavykina
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow 2025
Dr Viktoria Bavykina is a curator, art critic, and sociologist of culture. She is co-founder of the Ukrainian Photographies platform and co-curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. She is an associate curator of the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, where in 2023, she co-curated the HOME programme as part of the EuroFestival, a parallel programme of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. In 2024, she organised a symposium on Ukrainian photography at the University of Salford. She works with photography, political art, and feminist optics in artistic practices. She was a curator of the Grynyov Art Foundation and art director of the AKT art space in Kyiv, Ukraine. She co-curated several exhibitions dedicated to the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative, an informal group that united over 100 photographers from all over Ukraine. She is a recipient of the UK Government’s Chevening Scholarship.
SPEAKER
Dr Dustin Lalkulhpuia
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow 2026
Dr Dustin Lalkulhpuia (he/him) is a Mizo academic and writer from Northeast India with a PhD in English and Culture Studies. His research engages with Indigenous knowledge, ethics, and postcolonial literatures drawing on over a decade of embedded experience among more than twenty Indigenous communities across the Northeast Indian region, including the Mizo, Khasi, Naga and Tripuri. He has collected and documented Indigenous folk narratives, oral histories, and songs that inform both his scholarship and creative work. He is the author of the monographs Identity in Northeast Indian Literature: Rereading Select Writings from Meghalaya (2024) and Kokborok Literature from Tripura: Voices from Below (2023), and has more than nine years of experience in media and journalism.
About the Curious festival
The RSE’s free Curious festival of knowledge is back, from Saturday 5 − Sunday 13 September 2026!
Curious is Scotland’s annual festival of knowledge. Across its seven-year history, Curious has welcomed over 10,000 attendees into its yearly programme of talks, workshops, discussions and exhibitions – all covering different topics and subject areas. There’s no need for you to have any prior specialist knowledge before coming along, just bring your curious self! With plenty of events both in person and online, you can take part from anywhere.
You can check out the full programme of events here.
Accessibility
We aim to make events as accessible as possible. If you have any accessibility requirements or have any questions related to how we can support this event, please contact [email protected]. Accessibility information for the RSE building can be found on our website.
- Step-free access: Ramped access for visitors is available via 26 George Street through Lakeland. Upon arrival, please call 0131 240 5000 and a member of staff will meet you and guide you to the event. Please note that the entrance ramp has a steep gradient (1:12).
- Wheelchair spaces: If you would like to book a space as a wheelchair user, please select the ticket type 'wheelchair space ticket' during the booking process. If this is sold out, please contact the Curious team on [email protected].
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Where is it happening?
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