Education:
University of Cambridge, PhD in Social Anthropology, 2013;
Doctoral dissertation: “Knots of absence: death, dreams, and disappearances at the limits of law in the Counter-Terrorism Zone of Chechnya”;
University of Oxford, MPhil in Social and Cultural Anthropology, 2007;
Graduate Center, City University of New York, PhD Programme in Cultural Anthropology, 2001 – 2003;
Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania, BA in History and Archaeology, 1998;
Work activities:
Teaching positions
Vilnius University, Institute of Creative Medias, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Lecturer 2013-present.
Courses Developed and Taught:
Visual Cultures, MA course
Politics and Aesthetics in Contemporary Cinema
William Patterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, United States
Lecturer, 2003-2004
Courses Developed and Taught:
Law in Society and Culture
Anthropology of Religion
Introduction to Anthropology
Pace University, New York, New York
Visiting Adjunct Assistant Professor, 2003
Courses Developed and Taught: Crime and Social Justice
Recent fellowships and awards
Nipkow Programm Fellowship (film project development), Berlin, 2014
Honorary Visiting Fellowship, Granada Center for Visual Anthropology and Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change, University of Manchester, 2014
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Global Grant of European Social Fund, Lithuanian Institute of Cultural Research, Vilnius, 2013-2015
William Wyse Dissertation Writing-Up Grant, Trinity College, University of Cambridge 2010
William Wyse Fieldwork Grant, Trinity College, University of Cambridge 2007
Cambridge European Trust Scholarship, University of Cambridge, 2007-2010
Carr and Stahl research grant. St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 2006
Professional activities
Extimacy Films. A founder and director of Lithuania based international film production and Distribution Company. 2010-present.
Center for Underwater Archaeology. A founder and board member of archaeological company specializing in an underwater archaeological survey and research. Vilnius, 2003-present
Languages
Lithuanian, English, Russian, Spanish, Greek
“Stásis”
120 min Lithuania/ France/ Germany; produced by Studio Uljana Kim/ Uljana Kim, Rouge International/Nadia Turincev, Pallas Films/Thanassis Karathanos) in production. Director, scriptwriter, co-producer. Experimental feature, expected 2017.
“Barzakh”
Lithuania/Finland, 2011, 59 min. produced by Sputnik Oy/Aki Kaurismaki; world sales by The Match Factory, Cologne). Director, cinematographer, co-producer. Film essay on disappearances in Chechnya (see more barzakhfilm.com). Participant of more than 50 international film festivals including, Berlinale, Busan, San Sebastian, Viennale, Nyon. The opening film of Berlin International Film Festival, Panorama Dokumente and DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival. Winner of more than 15 awards including:
Awards:
Amnesty International Award, Berlin International Film Festival, 2011;
Eucumenical Jury Award, Berlin International Film Festival, 2011;
Best Film, Tallinn International Film Festival, 2011;
FISPRESCI Award, Tallinn International Film Festival, 2011;
Best Film, Belgrade International Documentary Film Festival, 2011;
Best Film, Vilnius International Documentary Film Festival, 2011;
Best Lithuanian Documentary Film, Silver Crane Award, 2011;
Best Film Ljubljana Documentary Film Festival 2012;
Best Lithuanian Cinematographer, Oak Award, 2012;
Publications:
Knots of Absence: Notes from the Zone of Counter-Terrorist Operation. Book manuscript. Under review.
“Shadowing the Scene: Negativity in Affects, Politics, Aesthetics. Introduction”. Editor (together with Avaramopoulou, E. ) Special issue, Subjectivity. Pelgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming.
“The Images of Absence”. In Shadowing the Scene: Negativity in Affects, Politics, Aesthetics. Introduction” (eds. Kvedaravicius, M. and Avaramopoulou, E. ) Special issue, Subjectivity. Pelgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming.
“Pornography of Violence”. In Porno-graphics and porno-tactics: desire, affect and representation in pornography (eds. Peano I., Avramopoulou E.). Punctum Books. Forthcoming.
“Carnal Legalities: A Note from the Zone of Counter-Terrorist Operation”. In S.E.Wilmer and A. Zukauskaite (eds.), Resisting Biopolitics: Philosophical, Political and Performative Strategies. London: Routledge. Under review.
“What did the Tobacconist on Tobacco street Say: The mutilation of the sublime in the last work of Aleksey German” Athena: Journal of Philosophical Studies. No.9. Vilnius 2014
“The art of disappearance”. In Foocal: Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology. Special Issue, Violence and politics through the Benjamin’s legacy (ed. Chrystos Lynternis). Under review.
“Facial presence”. In Athena: Journal of Philosophical Studies. No.8. Vilnius 2012.
Select conference papers and lectures
Shadowing the Scene: Negativity in Affects, Politics, Aesthetics, Interdisciplinary Conference on Affect and Visuality, Center for Contemporary Art and Lithuanian Institute of Cultural Research, Vilnius, 27-27.09.2014. Organizer.
“Images of absence”, Collaboration, Intimacy & Revolution
- innovation and continuity in an interconnected world. 13th Biennial Conference of European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA), Tallinn University, 31.07 -03.08.2014
“(Dis)appearance: Body and Absence in the Counter-Terrorism Zone”, Visual In-sights Theory, Method, Practice”, Newcastle University, 25-29.06.2014
“Anterior hopes and voided actions: searching for the disappeared in the Counter-Terrorism Zone of Chechnya”, Future publics, current engagements. The American Anthropological Association's 112th Annual Meeting, Chicago. 19-24.11.2013
“Facing”, Biopolitics in the Context Of Contemporary Philosophy, Politics and the Arts. International Conference, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius. 21-23.09.2012
“Displaced Gazes: Theorizing Affect In Post-Soviet Chechnya”, Traces, Tidemarks and Legacies. The American Anthropological Association's 110th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada. 16-20.11.2011
“Fatal Absence: disappearance in Counter-Terrorism Zone of Chechnya”, Anthropology of Political Violence, International Conference, Department of Social Anthropology, St Andrews University, 10-12.06.2011
“Bare life of anthropologist?”, The ‘Local’ in Global Understandings of War and Peacemaking Anthropological and Inter-disciplinary Perspectives. International Conference. Pasca-Prio Cyprus Center, Nikosia, Cyprus. 1-2.09.2011
“Purloined life: the document, the typeface and the misplaced grapheme”, Can I see your ID? Personhood and paperwork in and after the Soviet Union. International Conference, CRASSH (Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities), University of Cambridge. 24-25. 09.2010
“On the ineffable and the dead”. Invited lecture in Europe East and West: Film, History and Mourning seminar series. Kings College, University of Cambridge. 08.06.2010
“Outlaws in Lawless Land? Torture and the ‘Rule’ in Post-Soviet Chechnya”, The 9th Annual Conference of the Central Eurasian Studies Society, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. 18-21.09.2008
“Dreaming Conspiracies: Experiencing and Expressing the Law in post-Soviet Chechnya”, Experiencing Diversity and Mutuality. The 10th Biennial Conference of European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA), Ljubljana, Slovenia. 26-30. 08. 2008
“Tortured Engagement: Anthropologist and Human Rights Activists in post-Soviet Chechnya”, Inclusion, Collaboration and Engagement. The American Anthropological Association's 107th Annual Meeting, San Francisco. 19-23.11.2008