KU in Wichita - Erik Scott, "Defectors: How the Illicit Flight of Soviet Citizens Built the Borders of the Cold War World"

Erik R. Scott’s talk is based on his groundbreaking book Defectors, in which he explores the Cold War through the experiences of those who fled the Soviet system, revealing how their stories reshaped Cold War geopolitics, international migration, and asylum policies. Drawing on years of meticulous research and rich storytelling, his book provides a nuanced look at the complexities beneath the journey “from tyranny to liberty.” Scott unpacks how superpowers colluded and competed to define their borders, using defectors to shape narratives of sovereignty and freedom. His analysis connects the Cold War’s human dimensions with broader debates on globalization and migration, situating these stories in a context that resonates today.

Scott is the John P. Black Professor of History and director of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Kansas. He is the author of Familiar Strangers: The Georgian Diaspora and the Evolution of Soviet Empire and editor of The Russian Review.

Reception to begin at 6 p.m., with the lecture following at 7. To attend, RSVP to eliottor@ku.edu.