Keston Panel Unveils Hidden Soviet-Era Archive Stories
Baylor's Keston Center panel explored how researchers use its archives to uncover information about life under totalitarian regimes.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Historical
The Keston Center hosted its annual fall panel Monday afternoon in Armstrong Browning Library, titled 'Secrets, surprises, and stories: Unveiling the Unexpected in the Keston Archives and Beyond.' Presenters shared research drawn from the archive's collection on religious persecution in totalitarian societies.
Why it matters
The Keston Archives hold what is described as the world's most comprehensive collection of literature and art depicting religious persecution in totalitarian societies. Panels like this show how scholars and students can recover overlooked material from that collection for historical research.
The Keston Institute was founded in 1969 in England by Michael Bourdeaux, and Baylor gained control of the archives in 2007. Presenters described student research on tourism, psychiatric institutions, and a Catholic church in Soviet Latvia, though the panel did not provide further quantitative detail.
The players
Keston Center
The Keston Center at Baylor University maintains the Keston Archives and Library, which document religious persecution in totalitarian societies.
Dr. Julie deGraffenried
Dr. Julie deGraffenried chairs Baylor's history department and moderated the panel.
Dr. Liana Kirillova
Dr. Liana Kirillova is a Baylor historian who presented research on student use of the Keston archives.
Dr. Linda Moldovan
Dr. Linda Moldovan presented an investigation into a man repeatedly removed from photographs, drawing on Romanian documents she translated for the Keston Center.
Dr. Željko Oset
Dr. Željko Oset is a visiting Fulbright Scholar from Slovenia who shared two accounts of uncovering hidden information about Soviet-era secret police officers.
The details
Dr. Julie deGraffenried, history department chair, moderated the panel. Dr. Liana Kirillova described how her students used Keston materials to study life under Soviet occupation, while Dr. Linda Moldovan traced a man repeatedly edited out of photographs across different sources.
Timeline
1969: Keston Institute founded in England by Michael Bourdeaux.
2007: Baylor gained control of the Keston archives.
Monday afternoon: Annual fall panel held in Armstrong Browning Library.
Historical Context
The Keston Archives, founded as the Keston Institute in England in 1969 and held at Baylor since 2007, anchor research into religious persecution under communist regimes. Panels such as this one extend that collection's role from preservation to active classroom and faculty scholarship on Soviet-era life.
Readers interested in the Keston collection can learn more about its holdings through Baylor University. The panel itself was held in Armstrong Browning Library, so researchers in the Waco area have a local venue for similar archival discussions.
The takeaway
Archival collections often hold overlooked evidence that can reshape how historians understand the past. Readers curious about primary sources can seek out local university archives and attend public panels to see that research in practice.
Further reading
Explore more historical coverage on how archives shape our understanding of the past.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Baylor Lariat - The official student news source.
