The New Russian Nationalism ― Imperialism, Ethnicity and Authoritarianism 2000-2015

Russian nationalism, previously dominated by 'imperial' tendencies - pride in a large, strong and multi-ethnic state able to project its influence abroad - is increasingly focused on ethnic issues. In 2014, Russia's annexation of Crimea and the subsequent violent conflict in Eastern Ukraine utterly transformed the nationalist discourse in Russia. This book provides an up-to-date survey of Russian nationalism as a political, social and intellectual phenomenon by leading Western and Russian experts in the field of nationalism studies. It includes case studies on migrantophobia; the relationship between nationalism and religion; nationalism in the media; nationalism and national identity in economic policy; nationalism in the strategy of the Putin regime as well as a survey-based study of nationalism in public opinion.

Pal Kolsto is Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Oslo. He has authored two books and a number of articles and book chapters on Russian politics, Russian history and nationalism. Previously, he was Researcher at the Norwegian Defense Institute, 1987-90, and Interpreter at the Norwegian-Soviet border, 1982-83.

His main research areas are nationalism, nation-building, ethnic conflicts, nationality policy in Russia, the former Soviet Union and the Western Balkans. He has published roughly 40 articles in English-language refereed journals in addition to numerous publications in other languages. He is the recipient of six large research grants to study nation-building and ethnic relations in the post-Soviet world and the former Eastern Europe.

Helge Blakkisrud is the Head of the Research Group on Russia, Eurasia and the Arctic, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Her main research areas are federalism and centre-region relations in the Russian Federation, nationalism and nation-building in Russia and Eurasia, including in Eurasian de facto states. She is editor in chief of the Nordic Journal for East European and Eurasian Studies (Nordisk Ostfroum). Previously, Helge was Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, UC Berkeley (2009-10) and lecturer at the OSCE Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, since 2008.