Anton Gumenskiy (PhD Student)

Anton Gumenskiy

Supervisors: Dr Emma Uprichard and Dr Matt Spencer.

Research Interests:

Time and Temporality Studies; Migration, Life Transitions, and Ontological (In)security; Excommunication and Dark Temporalities; Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Lived Experience; Media and Mediation Theory; Narrative and Interpretation; Interview, Autoethnography, and Qualitative Methodologies.

Research Topic:

I am a researcher in social anthropology and time and temporality studies, currently pursuing a doctoral project at the University of Warwick. My work centres on how people engage with time — how they make sense of their past, live through the ambiguities of the present, and envision what lies ahead. I am particularly drawn to the subtle ways in which individuals make choices, reflect on their lives, and shape their understanding of themselves through their relationships with time.

At present, my research explores the temporal experiences of Russian migrants in the UK. I am interested in how they navigate multiple temporalities, cope with life-changing transitions, and deal with their conflicting feelings of curiosity, excitement, uncertainty, excommunication, and hope. Through walk-along interviews and narrative analysis, I seek to illuminate how people articulate and embody these experiences, and how they find ways to dwell meaningfully in misty temporal landscapes. Looking ahead, I hope this work will contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex, often paradoxical and fragile ways we inhabit time.

PhD Working title:

(Dis-)Connected by Time: Temporal Experiences of Russian Migrants in the UK

Background:

Beyond my current project, I have a background in media and cultural studies, with earlier research on political communication and diplomacy, digital disconnection, and silence. I have taught across several universities in Moscow, Russia and worked as a scientific editor for major Russian non-fiction publishers. I have also contributed to think tanks, participated in international conferences, and frequently engaged in public talks as part of my broader social outreach. Throughout my teaching and research, I have remained particularly interested in how people construct meaning, interpret their experience, and position themselves within wider media, cultural, political,and temporal contexts, and how these narratives shed light on the fundamental dimensions of human existence.