A two-day workshop (March 27-28) that investigates the productive sides of studying waste as a discursive construct or material practice in the contexts of Russian and Eurasian modernisms and modernization. Contrary to the semantic meaning of waste, studying its processing, framing, and genesis can produce significant insights into diverse cultural processes. This workshop examines relationships between waste and: natural resources, manmade materials, artistic practices, aesthetic theories, cultural production, and shifting political ideologies. Scholars from USC, Stanford, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and Reed College will present scholarly papers followed by discussion.