I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, which I used to call “the capital of Utopia,” because it was the capital of the Soviet Union at that time. I traveled the world extensively and lived abroad most of my adult life. I studied and worked in Europe, U.S., and, most recently, Western Canada, before coming to Fairbanks in Winter 2009. My personal history of displacement, border-crossing, and the need to negotiate cultural differences determined my research interest in globalization, postcolonial theory, and cultural studies.    Education and teaching: After receiving the undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Moscow State University in 1999, and the M.A. in Gender & Culture Studies from Central European University in Budapest in 2000, I proceeded to complete my Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (2008) at the State University of New York, Buffalo. I taught from 2000-2004 at the State University of New York, Buffalo and from 2004-2008 at the University of Manitoba, Canada before moving to Fairbanks in Winter 2009. Research: My research focuses on globalization and transnational approaches to contemporary literature with a particular emphasis on issues of gender, sexuality and race. I am particularly intrigued by “transitions” – transient literary formations that emerge during the times of rapid social transformations and cultural crises, which determined my interest in contemporary African and East European literatures. 

Curriculum Vitae:

http://lectureguru.net/index.html

Phone: (907) 474-5236

Email: aivanchikova@alaska.edu

Office: Gruening 810