Introduction: Cultural Biopolitics in Russia

Abstract

This paper is the introduction to a cluster of articles on Cultural Biopolitics in Russia. After providing an overview of biopolitical theory and its recent applications to the study of Russian history and politics, the author introduces the notion of “cultural biopolitics” as a theoretical bridge between biopolitical theory and cultural studies. Culture is conceived as a realm of “soft” power in which biopolitical rationalities are reinforced or challanged. Given its many historical entanglements with power, Russian culture in particular provides a rich field of inquiry for scholars of modern biopolitics. The introduction concludes with short summaries of each of the articles in the cluster, which are divided into two categories: “Biopolitics of Writing” and “Biopolitical Performance”.