Online Location Details: https://tufts.zoom.us/meeting/register/3iCEq-gVR1KFk7Upuo_zlA Building: Barnum Hall City: Medford, MA 02155 Campus: Medford/Somerville campus Location Details: Rabb Room, Barnum Hall Wheelchair Accessible: Yes Open to Public: Yes RSVP Information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1982803055314?aff=oddtdtcreator Admission/Cost: Free Register (In-Person)      Register (Virtual) Prisons are not apart from civic life—they are a powerful expression of it. Melanie MacFarlane from Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT) will share her experience mentoring a college student earning his Tufts degree while incarcerated and how prison challenges us to rethink civic participation. Attendees will also learn about how they can get involved with TUPIT mentorship opportunities and more.    All are welcome and lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.   

Building: Barnum Hall City: Medford, MA 02155 Campus: Medford/Somerville campus Location Details: Rm. LL008 Wheelchair Accessible: Yes Open to Public: Yes Event Sponsor: School of Arts and Sciences Event Sponsor Department / Area: Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora department Speaker Name: Therí Pickens (Bates College) RSVP Information: https://tufts.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9NX9AuvfEcshwAC Event Contact Email: rcd@tufts.edu The Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora (RCD) invites you to join us for our Spring 2026 Black Feminist Speaker Series Event: "It's So Cold in the D": What Instagram Shows Us About Arab & Black Relationships featuring guest speaker Therí A. Pickens. Therí A. Pickens is a poet-scholar and Professor of Africana Studies and English at Bates College, specializing in African American, Arab American and disability literatures and theories. She is the author of two books: New Body Politics (Routledge, 2014) and Black Madness :: Mad Blackness (Duke 2019). You can find her public scholarship in Ms. Magazine, The Root, and Medium (@tpickens). She is also on Twitter (@TAPPhD) and at www.tpickens.org. Pickens received her undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature from Princeton University (P’05) and her PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA (2010). 

Building: Cabot Intercultural Center City: Medford, MA 02155 Campus: Medford/Somerville campus Location Details: ASEAN Auditorium Open to Public: Yes Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium Event Sponsor: The Fletcher School Event Sponsor Department / Area: Russia and Eurasia program Speaker Name: Bradley Jardine + Edward Lemon RSVP Information: forms.gle/pTpFnsnwys7B24KX9 Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1Iebm1S3wqHpHeLd8HTIsdIgsvBys9SKcCyKa6VM7lU7T1Q/viewform Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia Please join the Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, for a book discussion and award ceremony honoring the 2026 Fletcher Russia and Eurasia Book Prize winner, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia. Authors Bradley Jardine and Edward Lemon will discuss the book’s central arguments in conversation with Chris Miller, Professor of International History at The Fletcher School and Co-Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program. The ceremony will be followed by a reception and book signing. Copies will be available for purchase on the event site. Backlash examines how Central Asians are pushing back against China’s global ambitions, and trace Beijing’s attempts to manage its image and secure its interests in response. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork, Backlash reveals the uncertainties of China’s rise. Far from being the omnipotent strategist often depicted in international media, Beijing is making significant missteps, alienating local people and becoming entangled in costly interventions to protect its citizens and investments. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 undermined Moscow’s regional position, creating opportunities for China to expand its role. But to do so, it must contend with the agency of Central Asians themselves: their interests, policies and priorities. About the authors Bradley Jardine is a political risk analyst, strategic consultant, and Managing Director of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. A former fellow at the Wilson Center, he served as editor of The Moscow Times (2016-2018). His work has appeared in TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Nikkei Asia, The Atlantic, and Foreign Policy, and on the BBC and CNN, among others. Bradley is a frequent guest lecturer at the US Foreign Service Institute and resides in Washington, DC. Edward Lemon is Research Assistant Professor of Government and Public Service at the Bush School of Government and Public Affairs, Texas A&M University, Washington, DC, and President of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. He previously held positions at the Wilson Center and Columbia University. His research focuses on authoritarianism and security issues in Central Asia. Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Time: 5:00 - 6:30 PM ET Location: Tufts University, Medford Campus Please register to attend via the Google Form