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Excerpt from “Haunted Empire: Gothic and the Russian Imperial Uncanny”
Chaadaev interprets Russia’s imperial expansion as a compensation, or even a "cover-up," for a lack of autonomous identity.
Slavery, Adat, and Blood Revenge in the North Caucasus
Slavery was a deeply ingrained social institution in the North Caucasus.
“Noblemen”: Belarusians fighting for Ukraine
After February 2022, Belarusians played a decisive role in countering the Russian advance on Kyiv. The logic behind their mobilization was simple: “Without a free Ukraine, there won’t be a free Belarus.”
Overcoming Deep Polarization: Motherhood, Care and Islamic Activism
By filling the gaps left by societal structures, women work to assist and empower the most vulnerable members of society.
Ambassadors of Social Progress or Obstacles to Integration?, Part II
Socialism “focused on political responses to disability, but with a specific ideological twist.”
Ambassadors of Social Progress or Obstacles to Integration?, Part I
It is precisely at the intersection of disability advocacy and its politicization in the face of the Cold War that we should trace the development of the international blind movement in the 1970s-1980s.
Are Sanctions on Russia Effective? How (Not) to Inform the Debate, Part II
The unprecedented nature of the current sanctions, both in terms of their scale and in terms of the economic size of the target state, makes it more challenging to extrapolate from prior experience.
Are Sanctions on Russia Effective? How (Not) to Inform the Debate, Part I
The Russian economy has bounced back from the initial hit of sanctions, thanks in large part to skillful financial policy and planning by the Russian central bank and finance ministry, as well as loopholes in the sanctions regime.
Cossack Education Becoming Further Institutionalized Across Russia’s Regions
Russia is going to great lengths to maintain its war effort in Ukraine without another wave of mobilization. Military-adjacent structures like the Registered Cossacks are becoming increasingly important as a source of recruits for the Russian army.
Dnipro. Writing and Reading the City’s Biography in a Time of War
My book, “Dnipro. An Entangled History of a European City,” was published a year ago, in the middle of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. I neither expected nor wanted such a political context for my book.
All Blushes of Autumn: Russia’s Evolving “Red Lines” in the War on Ukraine, Part II
Has the West has already crossed Russia’s red lines? This possibility is unlikely: If Russia’s red lines had been crossed, then Russia would have escalated the conflict.
All Blushes of Autumn: Russia’s Evolving “Red Lines” in the War on Ukraine, Part I
By 2023, the West had discovered that neither increasing the supply of weapons to Ukraine nor Moscow’s loss of annexed territories had prompted any serious response from Russia—as if its "red lines" were shifting or were not actually there at all.
Call for Submissions: 2024 Graduate Student Essay Competition
The Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia and The Jordan Center Blog are pleased to announce the fourth annual Graduate Student Essay Competition. Enter for a chance to get published on the blog and win cash prizes.
Change and Continuity in Moscow’s Views of Islamism after the Cold War
The influence of Soviet-era views of Islam and Islamism among post-Soviet elites was striking.
The 1990 Revolution on Granite as Ukraine’s New Beginning
The Revolution on Granite was significant for 2 reasons. First, it was a starting point for aspirations of Ukrainian independence. Second, it became a prototype for subsequent Ukrainian revolutions and a precursor to future events set on the Maidan.
Why Talk About Regional Leadership in a Time of War?
Will a major power always hurt smaller nations simply because it can and wants to, ignoring all rules and obligations? Or will the major power build a more complex relationship with smaller nations that are ultimately beneficial to both sides?
Demographic Messaging in Russian Television Films After 2008: “I Am Happy” (2010) and “The Millionaire” (2012)
On 15 August 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order reinstating the Mother-Heroine medal. The original award, conferred in USSR between 1944 and 1991, rewarded mothers of ten or more living children with a medal and various privileges
Prigozhin’s Fate in Putin’s Russia: The Political Roles of Aircraft, Part II
During Putin’s 24 years in power, he has often resorted to assassinations and extralegal violence to reinforce his control of Russian politics, and it is therefore not surprising that most...
Prigozhin’s Fate in Putin’s Russia: The Political Roles of Aircraft, Part I
In Russia, politicians who run afoul of President Vladimir Putin are at risk of being killed by poison, defenestration, or gunshot, or of being sentenced to harsh prison terms on...
Changes in the Kremlin’s Political Discourse from 2000 to 2019
Perspectives on Russia’s role in global affairs have differed. It has been portrayed as, respectively, an advocate of the status quo upholding the rule of law; a neo-revisionist actor aiming...