Philosophical and Cultural Interpretations of Russian Modernisation

How far is it possible to attribute change in contemporary Russia as due to cultural factors? How does the process of change in cultural institutions reflect the general development of Russia? Are there certain philosophical ideas that explain the Russian interpretation of a modern state? The expert international contributors to this book attempt to answer these questions and to elaborate on processes of Russian modernisation regarding a wide range of factors such as; the use of modern technology, elements of civil society, a reliable legal system, high levels of education, equality among citizens, freedom of speech, religion and trade. The main focus is on the Putin era but historical backgrounds are discussed to add context. Chapters cover a wide spectrum of research fields from philosophy and political ideas to gender issues, language, the education system, and the position of music as a constituent of modern identity. Throughout the book the chapters are written so as to introduce experts from other fields to new perspectives on Russian modernisation, and de-modernisation, processes.

Katja Lehtisaari is a postdoctoral researcher at the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland. She holds a Doctor of Social Sciences degree from University of Tampere and she has published articles and co-authored or edited books on e.g. the development of journalism and the press market structures and media convergence, focusing mainly in Russia and Finland. She is currently involved also in research on the role of media in civic unity and unrest in Central Asia. Lehtisaari is the editor-in-chief of Idantutkimus, The Finnish Review of East European Studies.

Arto Mustajoki is Professor of Russian language and Dean of the faculty of Arts in the University of Helsinki, Finland. He has published books and articles in Russian, English and Finnish on functional syntax, corpus linguistics, linguistic theory, miscommunication, Russian mentality, research ethics and science policy. A recent co-edited book was entitled Understanding Russianness (Routledge 2012).