Join PONARS for a talk by Maria Sidorkina on activist tactics in Putin-era Russia. Polarization between pro-state and anti-state activist and media actors has marked Russian political discourse since at least the Pussy Riot affair in 2012. To what extent does the “culture war” description have purchase among citizens working to sustain a vibrant public life beyond Moscow’s celebrity-centered political scene? Drawing on participant observation and interview data gathered during fieldwork with activists in Novosibirsk—Russia’s third-largest city—Professor Sidorkina accounts for how local activists interpret, use and push back against state and media-fueled polarization and its demobilizing effects. The innovative practices activists have developed during a decade of dealing with political polarization invite us to see Russia not just as a source of problems for democracy, but as a site for new experiments in civic life.

This talk comes as part of PONARS' New Voices on Russia speaker series. Registration is requested; information can be found on the event page.

Speaker:

Maria Sidorkina, assistant professor of Slavic and Eurasian studies and anthropology, University of Texas at Austin