Putin’s Russia – Fact or Fiction

Catalog description

How has Vladimir Putin engaged with and impacted Russian culture? How did he come to power and how has he maintained his position? This course explores the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union in Russian culture and identity formation from 1990 to the present day. We will examine how cultural memory manipulation has become a corner stone of Putin’s Russia through film, the use of public space and commemorative practices. Core questions that will be addressed is the use of history to legitimate the present, Russia’s relationship with its neighbors and what can be considered as the defining features of contemporary Russian identity and culture. Discussion and readings will be in English, with Russian originals available for interested students