Report from ECR Bursary Recipient for the Kuwait International Symposium (2025)

The Society for Global Nineteenth-Century Studies was thrilled to be able to offer a £300 bursary to one early career researcher to attend our international symposium in Kuwait (16-19 January 2025). This generous award was provided by Liverpool University Press, our publishing partner, to celebrate its 125th anniversary.

Anastasia M. KURYANOVA, a PhD student at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, was awarded the bursary to deliver her paper “Back and Forth: China through French Eyes in Russia and through Russian Eyes in France in Nineteenth-Century Visual Images.” Anastasia has recently written to us about her experience:

"I was delighted to attend the international symposium in Kuwait this January, thanks to the generous bursary from Liverpool University Press. The opportunity to take part in such a prestigious event was invaluable.

As a PhD candidate, my research examines how Russian artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries constructed images of China, through a multidisciplinary lens spanning art history, visual studies, colonial studies, and cultural history. The symposium's diverse gathering of scholars – from historians to philologists and fellow art historians – provided fresh perspectives that have enriched my approach.

This first international conference of my doctoral journey was a true highlight. I greatly valued connecting with researchers from around the world, engaging in stimulating conversations, and, most importantly, beginning new academic friendships that I hope will continue well beyond the conference. The hosts' warm hospitality – including the unforgettable conference lunches – made the experience all the more memorable.

I am deeply grateful to the Society for Global Nineteenth-Century Studies and Liverpool University Press for making this opportunity possible. The symposium was a powerful reminder of why I chose the path of academic research."

Some of the attendees at the Kuwait symposium