Gunnar Nygren, professor emeritus at Södertörn University, Stockholm, reviews Freedom of Expression in Russia's New Mediasphere edited by Marielle Wijermars and Katja Lehtisaari.
Russian Modernization: A New Paradigm är en antologi om Rysslands modernisering och presenterar resultat efter ett stort projekt som forskargruppen av 34 medverkande författare bedrivit vid Aleksanteriinstitutet under ledning av Markku Kivinen och Brendan Humphreys.
Russian Modernization: A New Paradigm presents the result of a large project about Russian modernization conducted by a research group of 34 participants at the Aleksanteri Institute under the leadership of Markku Kivinen and Brendan Humphreys.
Abstract: Post Post-Soviet, style and rebellion: Symbolism and subversive nationalism in Gosha Rubchinskiy's 'new Russia'This article explores the resonance enjoyed by streetwear designer Gosha Rubchinskiy among young Russians, and the extensive network that has emerged under his wings and refers to itself as 'the new Russia'. Analysis of Rubchinskiy's work, with Dick Hebdige's semiotic approach as the epistemological context, supplemented by insights from Simon Reynolds, Michel Foucault and Michel Maffesoli, reveals a continuous deconstruction of the Russian regime's hegemonic narrative of Russianness – so-called 'Putinism'. At the same time, Rubchinskiy constructs a countercultural form of Russian national belonging, one with room to accommodate those who feel alienated by mainstream Russian nationalism. From a social science perspective, a countercultural inclusive nation-building project is in itself a paradox – so how are we to understand Gosha Rubchinskiy's 'new Russia'?
Abstract: The Dynamics of Identity Negotiation in a Border Region: The Case of Georgian Azeri-Tukrs of Kvemo KartliIn The Dynamics of Identity Negotiation in a Border Region: The Case of Georgian Azeri-Tukrs of Kvemo Kartli Karli-Jo T. Storm studies collective identities among Georgian Azeri-Turks in relation to officially propagated narratives of national identity in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Storm's ambitious work offers us insights into the complexities of the social and spatial positions of minority populations in the post-Soviet nation building projects.
Abstract in English: Russia of PowerIngerid M. Opdahl reviews Russia of Power, a report by more than 40 Finnish researchers and experts on contemporary Russia from the perspective of security.
Jeg havde set frem til at læse om de kvindelige terrorrister, der hjemsøgte Rusland i slutningen af det nittende århundrede og i begyndelsen af det tyvende, men dem hører vi desværre ikke så meget om. Havde jeg været tilstrækkeligt opmærksom, da jeg læste bogens titel, kunne jeg have sagt det til mig selv på forhånd og være gået til værket med de rette forventninger og måske undgået noget af min skuffelse. Som titlen nemlig røber, og som man til overmål bliver overbevist om allerede i de indledende kapitler, er det nemlig ikke disse bemærkelsesværdige kvinder, der er bogens anliggende, men konstruktionerne af dem i form af selvbiografier og biografier, og det er jo som bekendt ikke det samme. Forfatteren, der er lektor i historie på Örebro Universitet, er dog ikke mere grebet af postmoderne konstruktionsteori, end hun kan gå med til, at der er en historisk virkelighed, der ligger under konstruktionerne, og som lader sig erkende. Det viser hun i det forholdsvis korte, men velskrevne afsnit om den historiske kontekst for terrorismen og altså for konstruktionerne. Og så til konstruktionerne.
Kapitlene i Greg Simons (red.), The Image of Islam in Russia drøfter ulike sider av forholdet mellom muslimer og staten i Russland siden 1990-årene og holder høy akademisk standard. Boken er et opptrykk av to-tre år gamle utgaver av tidsskriftet Religion, State and Society. The chapters in Greg Simons (ed.), The Image of Islam in Russia discuss various aspects of Muslim–state relations in Putin's Russia and are of high academic quality. This collected volume is a massive reprint of 2 to 3-year-old issues of the journal Religion, State and Society.
Rasmus Nilsson, University College London, reviews Constructions and Instrumentalization of the Past: A Comparative Study of Memory Management in the Region, edited by Ninna Mörner (CBEES, 2020).
Abstract: What has Remained of the USSR – Exploring the Erosion of the Post-Soviet SpaceFlemming Splidsboel Hansen (Danish Institute for International Studies) reviews What has Remained of the USSR – Exploring the Erosion of the Post-Soviet Space, edited by Arkady Moshes and András Racz.
The Politics of Poverty in Contemporary Russia, by Ann-Mari Sätre, is reviewed by Kirsti Stuvøy, Associate Professor, Faculty of Landscape and Society, International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
Organizing the Voice of Women: A Study of the Polish and Swedish Women's Movements' Adaptation to International Structures, by Eva Karlberg, is reviewed by Kirsti Stuvøy, Associate Professor, Faculty of Landscape and Society, International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
Denna bok lyfter frågan om hur vilka planer som finns i Ryssland för tiden efter Putin som president. Huvudargumentet är att de strategier för att bygga politisk legitimitet nästan helt har fokuserats på Putin som Rysslands räddare och beskyddare. Därmed har också möjliga efterträdare svårt att bygga upp en egen plattform. Den nya konstitutionen som möjliggör för Putin att sitta kvar fram till 2036 visar att man inte har någon lösning på detta dilemma. Kvar finns en åldrande president och ett politiskt system som i övrigt hyser lågt förtroende hos befolkningen. This book raises the question of Russia's plans for the time after Putin as Russia's president. The main argument is that the strategies for political legitimacy in Russia has focused almost entirely on Putin himself as the saviour and protector of the Russian nation. Consequently, any potential successor has a difficult task in building up his/her own platform. The new constitution, which makes it possible for Putin to continue as president until 2036 demonstrates that this dilemma has yet no solution. What remains is an aging president and a political system with a very low level of popular trust.
Armenia's Velvet Revolution - Why So Overdue? In early April 2018 Armenia completed the transition from semi-presidential rule to a parliamentary republic. Under the slogan 'More power to the people', the ruling Republican Party had paved the way for the incumbent president, Serzh Sargsyan, to continue in power, now as prime minister as his second and final term of presidency was drawing to an end. However, the ensuing events ended with popular protests, the 'Velvet Revolution', which forced Sargsyan and the Republicans out of office. The new administration, led by the former opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan, has ousted several influential leaders and initiated an ambitious anti-corruption programme. Nonetheless, one significant issue remains: early elections that are supposed not only to reflect the prevailing political landscape in Armenia but also reform the country's election laws. What triggered the spring 2018 uprising, when corruption and social discontent have been both well-known and prevalent in Armenia over the past two decades? This article offers insights into the background to the popular uprising, and the relation between Armenia and its large and influential diaspora, citing two main factors for the delay since independence in 1991 – the historical legacy of the perils of internal disunity, together with the effects of the unresolved Karabakh conflict. It concludes with some reflections on the way forward.
The Accommodation of Regional and Ethno-cultural Diversity in Ukraine är sprungen ur ett högaktuellt norskt-ukrainskt forskningsprojekt som innehåller mycket matnyttigt material för den som forskar om de senaste årens ukrainska språk- och regionpolitik.
The Accommodation of Regional and Ethno-cultural Diversity in Ukraine is the product of a timely Ukrainian–Norwegian research project. It presents materials and analyses very useful for researchers of Ukraine's language and regional policies of recent years.