Beyond the historical events of Budapest, Hungary and Berlin, Germany, communism permeated a multitude of elements within various societies, and students will have the opportunity to learn how those memories remain-and what they mean to the world today.

From Oct. 25-27, Miami University's Havighurst Center will be hosting the 7th Annual International Young Researchers Conference. This year's topic is the "Dream Factory of Communism: Culture, Practices and the Memory of the Cold War."

The Havighurst Center, which specializes in Russian and post-Soviet studies, is in charge of organizing the event. The conference has been held every year for the past six years, and is an opportunity for faculty and senior Ph.D. students from across the nation to share their perspectives on a broad topic, said Karen Dawisha, director of the Havighurst Center.

"We try to find a topic that a lot of different departments are interested in," Dawisha said. "Departments ranging from anthropology to political science can contribute an angle to the topic of communism and its impacts during the Cold War era."

Kate Brown from the University of Maryland, Harlow Robinson from Northeastern University, and Michael Urban from University of California will be the three keynote speakers for the conference. Lectures will take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with panel sessions being held Friday and Saturday at the Miami Inn. All lectures and panel sessions are free to the public, and no registration is required to attend, Dawisha said.

Neringa Klumbyte, who recently joined the Havighurst Center after getting her Ph.D. in anthropology, will be one of the researchers sharing her theories during a panel Oct. 27.

"The panel discussions will be a great opportunity for students to experience how theories are developed and changed, especially in the social sciences," Klumbyte said. "Big theories about the Cold War era and its effects on today's society will be presented at this relatively small conference. It really is amazing to hear such revolutionary ideas in such an intimate setting (like what the panels provide)."

According to the Havighurst Center's Web site, the conference will look at remnants of the Cold War culture, reflections on that era and how they affect thinking today. The Web site also has links to the papers that will be presented at the panels, so students can read them before attending the discussions.

"Each researcher will present their information for approximately 10 minutes, then we will discuss their topic for approximately 15 minutes," Klumbyte said. "The idea is everyone will read the papers online ahead of time, but it isn't required to do so."

During the Cold War era, eastern European countries underwent incredible changes when regimes switched from one political faction to another, and the effects of these quick takeovers are still felt decades later, Klumbyte explained.

"Current students don't have any direct knowledge of the Cold War, so they don't fully understand the complications these nations have regarding socialist ideas, " Dawisha said. "Even today, there is a lot of nostalgia for the communist period in countries where communism was followed for a brief time. This conference will explore how these regimes manufactured the image of the better life, and why people still yearn for what the communist regime claimed to offer."