Discursive and material practices of space and modernization in Russia: an Introduction

Abstract

This special issue gathers scholars from diverse fields to investigate the idea and practice of space in the processes of Russian modernization. The analyses focus on post-Soviet Russia and reflect on its political, social and cultural transformations by discussing the following topics: digital geopolitics and the annexation of Crimea, mega-events and urban policies, the Sochi Winter Olympics, socio-spatial change in the post-Soviet metropolis, and scale framing of the Baltic Sea. The contributions highlight the importance of research on Russia and spatiality on the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine. Enquiring into the Russian understanding of Russian culture and society as a unique and isolated civilization, making the connection between global and Western phenomena and their manifestation in Russia, analyzing the economic and political gain of Russia’s greatest mega-event in recent history, framing the Baltic Sea simultaneously as an arena of environmental cooperation and geopolitical competition – all these studies and methodological choices provide new analytical perspectives on the critical analysis of current world politics. Meanwhile, the studies also show how an inquisitive review of the traditional epistemology of Russian spatiality can produce new approaches to the study of Russian modernization and, thus, can enhance our understanding of Russia's recent developments. Drawing on the conceptualizations of spatiality developed in recent academic debates, the contributions integrate investigations of Russian spatiality into the global context, and in so doing illustrate the importance of including Russia – its culture, society and politics – in the study of the contemporary world and its multiple modernities.