Supported by
The support of the Scottish Funding Council is vital to our work to inspire and share knowledge with audiences, local communities, and future generations.
After the storm: Rebuilding cultural identity and local knowledge
When
Wednesday 9 September 2026
18:00 - 19:30
Where
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22-26 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ
View directions on Google Maps
Format
Hybrid
Access
Hearing loop, Wheelchair access, Wheelchair accessible toilets
Age
Suitable for ages 16+
Cost
Free to book
About this event
How can communities rebuild and preserve identity after disaster?
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.
Note for audiences: 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.
Event type
Curious
Talk
Contributors
Dr Elsie C. Albis
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow 2026SPEAKER
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.
Dr Viktoria Bavykina
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow 2025SPEAKER
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.
Dr Dustin Lalkulhpuia
British Council 90th Anniversary Fellow 2026SPEAKER
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.
Christine Wilson
Director, Research & Insight at the British CouncilCHAIR
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.
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.Event testimonial
Book now
In person tickets Get tickets
Online tickets Get tickets
What is Curious?
Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival that celebrates the research, ideas and knowledge shaping society today.
Each year, Curious brings a packed programme of free in-person and online events covering themes from the arts, humanities, policy, science and more. To date, we’ve welcomed over 10,000 attendees for talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions where you can learn from and speak with Scotland’s leading thinkers. As part of the RSE’s mission to make knowledge useful and accessible for everyone, Curious is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them. No specialist knowledge is needed, just bring your curiosity.
Related Curious events
-
Read MoreCycle of migration
Cycle of Migration is a powerful blend of theatre, lived experience, and policymaking. The play is performed by a group of theatre makers and members of the community.
-
Read More
Scotland’s history with UFOs
Scotland has a long and surprising history with flying saucers and UFOs. This talk looks back on UFO sightings in Scotland from the 1950s–1990s, and how people experienced them.
-
Read More
The refugee abyss
Join Hyab Yohannes for this in-person talk. Hear powerful stories and reflections on the struggles and hopes of displaced people around the world.
