Russia's Skinheads: Exploring and Rethinking Subcultural Lives provides a thorough examination of the phenomenon of skinheads, explaining its nature and its significance, and assessing how far Russian skinhead subculture is the 'lumpen' end of the extreme nationalist ideological spectrum. There are large numbers of skinheads in Russia, responsible for a significant number of xenophobic attacks, including 97 deaths in 2008 alone, making this book relevant to Russian specialists as well as to sociologists of youth subculture. It provides a practical example of how to investigate youth subculture in depth over an extended period - in this case through empirical research following a specific group over six years - and goes on to argue that Russian skinhead subculture is not a direct import from the West, and that youth cultural practices should not be reduced to expressions of consumer choice. It presents an understanding of the Russian skinhead as a product of individuals' whole, and evolving, lives, and thereby compels sociologists to rethink how they conceive the nature of subcultures.

This book, based on extensive original research in the field, analyses the political, social and cultural implications of the rise of Islam in post-Soviet Russia. Examining in particular the situation in Tatarstan and Dagestan, where there are large Muslim populations, the authors chart the long history of Muslim and orthodox Christian co-existence in Russia, discuss recent moves towards greater autonomy and the assertion of ethnic-religious identities which underlie such moves, and consider the actual practice of Islam at the local level, showing the differences between "official" and "unofficial" Islam, how ceremonies and rituals are actually observed (or not), how Islam is transmitted from one generation to the next, the role of Islamic thought, including that of radical sects, and Islamic views of men and women's different roles. Overall, the book demonstrates how far Islam in Russia has been extensively influenced by the Soviet and Russian multi-ethnic context.

This book, based on extensive original research in the field, analyses the political, social and cultural implications of the rise of Islam in post-Soviet Russia. Examining in particular the situation in Tatarstan and Dagestan, where there are large Muslim populations, the authors chart the long history of Muslim and orthodox Christian co-existence in Russia, discuss recent moves towards greater autonomy and the assertion of ethnic-religious identities which underlie such moves, and consider the actual practice of Islam at the local level, showing the differences between "official" and "unofficial" Islam, how ceremonies and rituals are actually observed (or not), how Islam is transmitted from one generation to the next, the role of Islamic thought, including that of radical sects, and Islamic views of men and women's different roles. Overall, the book demonstrates how far Islam in Russia has been extensively influenced by the Soviet and Russian multi-ethnic context.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203217691

The displacement of 25 million ethnic Russians from the newly independent states is a major social and political consequence of the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Pilkington engages with the perspectives of officialdom, of those returning to their ethnic homeland, and of the receiving populations. She examines the policy and the practice of the Russian migration regime before looking at the social and cultural adaptation for refugees and forced migrants. Her work illuminates wider contemporary debates about identity and migration.

This book explores the lives and expectations of young women in the new Russia, looking at the enormous changes that the new social and economic environment have brought.
The authors draw on the growing literature on gender and generation in the West which has arisen as a result of the recognition that the experience of youth is classed, raced and gendered and that the experience of gender is mediated by class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and age. They consider the role of the media, state and social institutions in shaping opportunities and experiences in the post-Soviet environment, focusing on the strategies employed by individual women to reforge social identities in a society in which they have been dislocated more acutely than in any other postmodern' society.

Hilary Pilkington explores how Russian youth culture has changed since the introduction of "perestroika" and the collapse of communism. Her groundbreaking work applies the methods of cultural studies to the analysis of Russian youth. She deconstructs the social discourses within which Russian youth has been constructed and provides an alternative reading of youth cultural activity based on an ethnographic study of Moscow youth culture at the end of the 1980s. Pilkington also charts the development of western youth cultural studies in the twentieth century and suggests some ways forward in light of the Russian experience.
The first ethnographic study of Russian youth culture by a western academic, the book traces the cultural themes of youth culture in the Anglo-American tradition and within the former Soviet Union. It examines the impact of "perestroika" on the Russian media and its ramifications for the discussion of youth. The book includes studies of young people and youth cultural groups in Moscow drawn from extensive field work and interviews in the city.

The years 1989 and 1990 will probably be best remembered for the speed and breadth of political and economic change which swept through what used to be referred to as the Communist Bloc. With the disintegration of this bloc, there has been no shortage of western advice on how to "democratize" economy and polity in these societies. However, little thought has been given to what this change means for the millions of women who have toiled for decades alongside men in the factories and fields as well as performing their "womanly mission" in the home. This collection from women in Eastern and Western Europe, and covering both Europe and China, poses many questions about the impact of change. It contributes to the debate that seeks to combat inertia and ethnocentrism within western feminism and also to the separate and the critical "women's voice" which is re-emerging in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China.

This edited volume presents findings from a major cross-European research project mapping the civic and political engagement of young Europeans in the context of both shared and diverse political heritages. Drawing on new survey, interview and ethnographic data, the authors discuss substantive issues relating to young people's attitudes and activism including: attitudes to the European Union and to history; understanding of political ideologies; how attitudes to democracy are shaped by political heritage; activism in radical right wing groups and religion-based organisations; and digital activism. These contributions make the book's case that transnational and multi-method projects can enrich our understanding of how young people envisage their place and role in Europe's political and civic space. The book challenges methodological assumptions that survey research shows the big picture but at the cost of local nuance or that qualitative research cannot speak beyond the individual case, and demonstrates the added explanatory value of triangulating different kinds of data. Understanding Youth Participation Across Europe will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including Sociology, Political Sociology, Youth Studies and Political and Civic Participation.

Punk culture is currently having a revival worldwide and is poised to extend and mutate even more as youth unemployment and youth alienation increase in many countries of the world. In Russia, its power to have an impact and to shock is well illustrated by the state response to activist collective and punk band Pussy Riot. This book, based on extensive original research, examines the nature of punk culture in contemporary Russia. Drawing on interviews and observation, it explores the vibrant punk music scenes and the social relations underpinning them in three contrasting Russian cities. It relates punk to wider contemporary culture and uses the Russian example to discuss more generally what constitutes 'punk' today.

This landmark volume of extensive empirical research conducted across Europe explains how, and why, young people become engaged in radical(ising) milieus but also resist radicalisation into violent extremism. Offering a critical perspective on the concept of radicalisation, this volume views it from the perspective of social actors who engage in radicalising milieus but for the most part have not crossed the threshold into violent extremism. It brings together contributions conducted as part of a cross-European (including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Russia, Turkey, the UK, and beyond) study of young people's engagement in ‘extreme right’ and ‘Islamist’ milieus. It argues that radicalisation is best understood as a relational concept reflecting a social process rooted in relational inequalities but also shaped by interactional and situational dynamics, which not only facilitate but also constrain radicalisation.

This landmark volume of extensive empirical research conducted across Europe explains how, and why, young people become engaged in radical(ising) milieus but also resist radicalisation into violent extremism. Offering a critical perspective on the concept of radicalisation, this volume views it from the perspective of social actors who engage in radicalising milieus but for the most part have not crossed the threshold into violent extremism. It brings together contributions conducted as part of a cross-European (including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Russia, Turkey, the UK, and beyond) study of young people's engagement in ‘extreme right’ and ‘Islamist’ milieus. It argues that radicalisation is best understood as a relational concept reflecting a social process rooted in relational inequalities but also shaped by interactional and situational dynamics, which not only facilitate but also constrain radicalisation.

Loud and proud is an ethnographic study of grassroots activists in the English Defence League (EDL). Setting the findings within contemporary debates on race and racism, Islamophobia, social movements and the far right, the author draws on interviews, informal conversations and extensive observation at EDL events to explore and explain the gap between the public image of the movement as a violent Islamophobic and racist organisation and individual activists' understanding of it as 'one big family'. Presenting them neither as duped by a charismatic leader nor working class anti-heroes, this book introduces EDL activists as individuals with real lives whose diverse trajectories in and out of activism are embedded in personal life stories. The book will be of value to those researching or studying in the disciplines of sociology, political science and anthropology as well as those with an interest in contemporary political issues and the populist and radical right. -- .

Loud and proud is an ethnographic study of grassroots activists in the English Defence League (EDL). Setting the findings within contemporary debates on race and racism, Islamophobia, social movements and the far right, the author draws on interviews, informal conversations and extensive observation at EDL events to explore and explain the gap between the public image of the movement as a violent Islamophobic and racist organisation and individual activists' understanding of it as 'one big family'. Presenting them neither as duped by a charismatic leader nor working class anti-heroes, this book introduces EDL activists as individuals with real lives whose diverse trajectories in and out of activism are embedded in personal life stories. The book will be of value to those researching or studying in the disciplines of sociology, political science and anthropology as well as those with an interest in contemporary political issues and the populist and radical right. -- .

This volume examines societal change in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Russia in a purposeful movement away from the generalized debated associated with 'transition' theory and a simultaneous engagement with the complexities of everyday life throughout the region at the local level. In addition to addressing the problematic nature of a discursive east-west divide, Trans-National Issues, Local Concerns and Meanings of Post-Socialism brings together a range of academics and practitioners working on specific locally-situated concerns including drug use, HIV/AIDS, health, identity, and welfare as well as issues related to minority ethnic groups. While drawing attention to the salience of a common socialist past, these empirically-rich chapters highlight the importance of moving beyond simplistic east-west analytical framework in order to acknowledge the multifaceted societal realties evident with the former socialist countries of CEE and Russia.

This volume examines societal change in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Russia in a purposeful movement away from the generalized debated associated with 'transition' theory and a simultaneous engagement with the complexities of everyday life throughout the region at the local level. In addition to addressing the problematic nature of a discursive east-west divide, Trans-National Issues, Local Concerns and Meanings of Post-Socialism brings together a range of academics and practitioners working on specific locally-situated concerns including drug use, HIV/AIDS, health, identity, and welfare as well as issues related to minority ethnic groups. While drawing attention to the salience of a common socialist past, these empirically-rich chapters highlight the importance of moving beyond simplistic east-west analytical framework in order to acknowledge the multifaceted societal realties evident with the former socialist countries of CEE and Russia.