Keston Center

for Religion, Politics, and Society

Our Mission

To promote research and encourage the study of religion in communist, post-communist, and other totalitarian societies.

As part of the Baylor University Libraries' Special Collections, the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society works with
the Keston Institute in Oxford, United Kingdom, in carrying out its mission and is committed to
the preservation and utilization of the library and archive.

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HUSH! Religion and the Secular MediaThe Keston Center for Religion, Society, and Politics welcomed Alyona Kojevnikov to present "HUSH! Religion and the Secular Media." Ms. Kojevnikov served as Radio Liberty Bureau Chief in Moscow, a regular broadcaster for the BBC Russian Service, translated for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and worked for many years as the Information Officer for Keston College in London. A distinguished panel featuring Baylor Professors Robert Darden and Lynn Tatum along with Roland H. Smith, Former British Ambassador to Ukraine, offered a response to Ms. Kojevnikov's remarks. The lecture was sponsored by International Studies, Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media, Keston Institute UK, the McBride Center for International Business, and the Department of Religion.
Holy Fools: Faith and Freedom in Soviet RussiaThe Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society hosted the Fall 2017 Keston Public Lecture and a panel discussion on October 25, in the Armstrong Browning Library. Dr. Dominic Erdozain, Research Fellow at King's College in London and Visiting Scholar at Emory University, presented as part of the "Revisiting Red October: Commemorating the Centennial of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia" series. The panel featured Dr. Wallace Daniel, Dr. Julie deGraffenried, and Dr. Philip Jenkins. Refreshments and a book signing followed. Additional sponsors included the Department of History, International Studies, the McBride Center for International Business, and Modern Languages and Cultures.
Today's Russia: Religion, Politics and SocietyOn Friday, February 24, the Keston Center was honored to present Roman Lunkin, Woodrow Wilson Fellow, to speak to the Baylor community. His presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring Xenia Dennen, Chet Edwards, and Sergiy Kudelia, moderated by Wallace Daniel.
How Kolaches Came to Texas: A Social and Cultural History of Czech MigrationOn Tuesday, August 30, on the first floor of Carroll Library, the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society, hosted a public lecture and reception featuring Alice Lunakova, Texas Collection and Keston Center researcher.
Combating God and Grandma: Soviet Anti-religious policies and the battle for childhood.On Thursday, April 16, the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society, the Department of History, and the McBride Center for International Business hosted a public lecture featuring Dr. Julie deGraffenried, Associate Professor of History at Baylor University. Dr. deGraffenried's presentation examined the anti-religious campaigns of Soviet authorities through the eyes of a child and considered the conflicts between state and family and tradition and modernity, focusing on the children affected by these policies.
Defenders of the Faith: Then and Now.On Thursday, February 26, 2015, the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society hosted a lecture and panel discussion featuring Keston Institute Council of Management Chair Xenia Dennen, Dr. Wallace Daniel from Mercer University, Dr. James Warhola from the University of Maine, and Baylor's own Dr. Stephen Gardner and Dr. Julie deGraffenried who moderated the panel.
Gender and Faith in Former Communist Countries: Yesterday and TodayHosted on Thursday, November 13, 2014, a public lecture featured Keston Scholar Mariana-Alina Urs, an expert at the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and Memories of the Romanian Exile, a government Institution in Bucharest, Romania.

The Keston Center Collection

Michael Bourdeaux Research Center Keston Digital Archive Preliminary Finding Aids BARD BearCAT

Research Opportunities

The Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society at Baylor University invites students and scholars from all over the world to conduct research in the Keston Archive and Library. Faculty and graduate teaching assistants who have used the Center's library and archives in their teaching in the past but wish to explore additional possibilities are also encouraged to apply.

Keston Scholars

Receive a scholarship to cover expenses, in part or in full, including travel costs, in order to conduct research in the Keston Archive and Library.

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Visiting Researchers and Scholars

Spend anywhere from several hours to a maximum of four weeks in the Keston Center where they have access to the Keston Archive and Library, including the samizdat collection, research files, and photo archive.

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Library Teaching Fellows

Baylor faculty and graduate students can apply for a summer fellowship to enhance their pedagogy with Keston resources.

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Virtual Scholars

Have unlimited access to the Keston Digital Archive.

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Summer Interns

Baylor students with an undergraduate degree or working on a master's degree in museum studies, history, religion, Russian, Slavic and East European Studies, or a related field are invited to apply for a summer internship.

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