Left-Wing Public Spheres in Post-Soviet Contexts

Abstract

This chapter examines left-wing media practices and discourses in contemporary (January 2022) Russia. The study is based on a theoretical discussion of the context and the challenges that the left and independent media are facing in Russia. The study draws on relevant literature, on observations of the Russian politico-cultural field, as well as on interviews with intellectuals and activists involved in leftist media projects in Russia nowadays. The post-soviet Russian context is primarily unfolded through critical accounts associated with the notion of “post-politics”. The state of the Russian media is also discussed through the lens of the public sphere notion, drawing on relevant studies on Russian media that address challenges and acute problems that the Russian society is facing. The Russian context is thus viewed from a critical stance that takes into account the deteriorating effects of global capitalism in politics and culture across the world today, and the lasting impact of post-socialist, cultural and sociopolitical trajectories that grew in the Russian context. The article concludes that the Russian specificities are also indicative of broader challenges that the left is faced with across the world today.