Mapping the dimensions of Russian modernisation

The Russian nation is facing a number of important choices in the years ahead. The researchers at the Aleksanteri Institute are going to examine the structuration of the new Russian society and the challenges of modernisation.

Professor Markku Kivinen, what are the aims of your research?

Quite a lot of research is being conducted on Russia at the moment, but no one is looking at the country as an integral whole. Instead, what we see is economists studying economy, political scientists politics, cultural scholars culture. However, it’s impossible to understand the Russian economy without considering politics, which in turn is very much influenced by culture. For this reason, we have set up a multidisciplinary research team, which will be looking at the entire whole from the same research perspective. Our aim is to create a new paradigm, challenging current prevailing views. In this sense, Finland could emerge as a superpower in Russian studies.

We will be exploring Russia’s modernisation from multiple angles – at the macro, meso and micro level, as well as from a historical viewpoint. Specific concerns at the macro level include changes in the political, social and economic system, while the focus at the micro level will be, for instance, on consumers and entrepreneurs. In other words, our research agenda covers Russia as a whole, from major issues to small details, from past to future.

We will be applying a broad range of research tools. We have at our disposal extensive interview and statistical materials dating from the final years of the Soviet Union to the present day. These will help us to analyse the development of social structures, for instance. Anthropological observations, archive materials and case studies will in turn allow us to identify the challenges of modernisation at the micro level. Wherever possible, we will also try to enter behind the scenes by interviewing anonymous experts, so uncovering the interests of different parties.

How will your research change the world?

Our plan is to publish the book on Russia’s modernisation par excellence. It will give politicians and authorities both in Finland and abroad the background they need for informed decision-making in developing relations between Russia and the European Union.

At a more practical level, exports of Finnish innovations to Russia may help resolve some difficult challenges in the social and health care sector. In other words, our research will also benefit Finnish companies, NGOs and authorities that have contact  with Russia on a daily basis.

Ultimately, the most significant result is the ending of the Cold War. Both Russia and the United States still have strategic nuclear weapons ready to launch, and Russia has still not been integrated fully into Western structures. This is an enormous global challenge, where failure is not an option.

We have a great team and great team players. The different perspectives inside the group complement one another. We’re not interested in studying only the Russian elite, but also everyday life, institutions and grassroot activities. Our research team is built around the key choices that Russia has to make regarding modernisation: economic diversification, the development of democracy and the welfare state, foreign policy and cultural identity. However, the research teams all share a common point of departure and they are all committed to the same objective. Our aim is to become a world leading research centre in this field.

It would not be possible to study Russian modernisation without intensive national and international networking. Our CoE combines the drive of ambitious young scholars and the intellectual capital of more experienced researchers. CoE funding means that what we can achieve is no longer a matter of resources – now it only depends on ourselves and our abilities.

Photos: Pekka Kiirala, Pixmac.fi