Russian Scholars Consider Effects of Societal and Political Change Over Past Two Decades
“The Russian elite ignore the wishes of the majority at their peril.”
That warning was issued by Professor Piotr Dutkiewicz, the winner of the 2014 FPA Research Excellence Award and a professor in both Political Science and The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University.
As the host of the 2015 FPA Research Excellence Award Symposium, Dutkiewicz invited noted scholars on Russia to address the symposium’s theme, “The Evolution of Russian Society Since 1991: Actors, Attitudes and Practices”.
“This is the story of the millions of Russians who, despite all odds and turbulence, maintain the dignity of the country,” Dutkiewicz said in his keynote address. “They are not merely the objects of high-level decision-making, but a dynamic, adaptive citizenry.”
Other speakers at the symposium included Boris Mezhuev of Moscow State University, Vladimir Popov of the United Nations, and Andrea Chandler, a professor of political science at Carleton.
“We found the disappointment of the people has been a constant over the past 20 years, particularly in response to corruption and social disparity,” said Dutkiewicz. “The government hasn’t been able or willing to address it.”
Dutkiewicz’s award came with a $10,000 research prize from the Faculty of Public Affairs, which he used to bring together Russian scholars in a wide range of disciplines who studied the effect of Russian change on everyday lives.
Their work will be published in a book, also entitled The Evolution of Russian Society Since 1991: Actors, Attitudes and Practices, which will be published first in Russian by Moscow State University in December and in English by Routledge Press in January.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 in FPA Research Series, News
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