Learn more about Putinism at Feb. 21 dinner program
"Putin and Putinism in Perspective" will be explored at the 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21, of Navy League Aurora Council 247 at Grandma's Table Restaurant, 1700 Douglas Road in Montgomery. The public is invited.
Mark Soderstrom, assistant professor and chair of the history department at Aurora University, will be guest speaker.
A reception at 5:15 p.m. will be followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The menu includes fish, chicken or beef entrees for $20 each and a dinner salad for $12.
Soderstrom joined Aurora University in 2011 after earning his doctoral degree at Ohio State University. A historian of the Russian empire, he has taught a wide variety of courses on Russia and East Asian history. He is writing a book on the lives, careers and personal friendship between Peter Slovtsov (1767-1843) and Ivan Kalashnikov (1797-1863), Siberia's first native-born historian and novelist, respectively.
Soderstrom spent years living and working in Russia, including in major archives of Moscow and Petersburg and in provincial cities in Russia and Siberia. He traveled widely across Russia, Asia, and Europe and studied at Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, Irkutsk State Linguistic University and Edinburgh University.
The Navy League, a civilian organization, was founded by President Teddy Roosevelt to provide civilian support to the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and Sea Cadets.
Call (630) 554-9386 for more information.