together Ron's students, his colleagues, and his friends who, in many cases, tended to be in all three categories. Suffused with love for the man who inspired the event, the conference focused on the serious topics of "nationalism, revolution, and genocide," provoking discussions that were lively and occasionally heated. But they did not necessarily cohere. In assuming editorial responsibilities, we recognized that the majority of the papers addressed-in one way or another-how supervening state

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... authorities related to the diff er ent peoples inhabiting the Eurasian borderlands and how they related to each other or, in other words, what belonging meant in this part of the world in the modern era, and why and how it was inculcated in some circumstances and denied in others. To round out the collection, we recruited contributions from an additional five scholars whose work complemented this theme and asked Ron to write the conclusion. We suggested from one draft to the next that the authors familiarize themselves with one another's contributions and the result, we are convinced, is a thought-provoking volume relevant to scholars of Eurasia and other regions. We are indebted to the following people who either contributed papers to or served as discussants at "Ronfest":