Faculty Writing: On the Tensions Straining at Russian Society; and On Decadence
For Jacobin, BISR Faculty Rafael Khachaturian interviews St Petersburg-based journalist and founder of Openleft.ru Ilya Matveev about deep-running tensions in Russian society, providing crucial context for understanding Russia’s geopolitical goals: “Politics are decided by elections without democracy. A growing number of Russian billionaires have outlandish wealth but no political power. And Putin is a populist without the people.”
And, for Enchanted Living, BISR Faculty Rebecca Ariel Porte extrapolates “On Decadence,” a concept “with many faces” that finds expression in fields as diverse as art, aesthetics, politics, economics, social forms, morality, and the desires of the body. Why are narratives of decadence so prevalent and whose interests do they serve?
Image: Irina Nakhova, Probably Would