What Kind of State Russia Is?

Alexander Etkind, professor at the European University Institute in Florenc, gives a talk on Russia.

What Kind of State Russia Is? A Critical Theory of Failed Practices

It has been disputed in recent years – inside Russia as well as outside – whether Russia is doing well or badly. The government’s, especially the president’s, popularity has been explained with the rise of Russia after a period of humiliation. From this point of view Russia has now regained its former strength, is now a superpower and must be reckoned with by the international community. Critics on the other hand point out that rampant corruption, limited groth of industries, a horrible condition of infrastructure in many places and other things make this claim dubious to say the least. In his talk Alexander Etkind looks at contemporary Russia from the vantage point of cultural studies and cultural history seeking to understand what has gone wrong.

Alexander Etkind is professor at the European University Institute in Florence. He has published many books and papers on Russian and European cultural history. His most recent book is Roads not Taken. An Intellectual Biography of William C. Bullitt. In 2017 he also co-edited the collection Cultural Forms of Protest in Russia. Recent papers include “How Russia Colonized Itself. Internal Colonization in Classical Russian Historiography” og “Post-Soviet Russia: The Land of the Oil Curse, Pussy Riot, and Magical Historicism”