Skillen Freedom of Speech in Russia

Politics and Media from Gorbachev to Putin
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-1-317-65989-1
Verlag: CRC Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 372 Seiten

Reihe: BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies

This book traces the life of free speech in Russia from the final years of the Soviet Union to the present. It shows how long-cherished hopes for an open society in which people would speak freely and tell truth to power fared under Gorbachev’s glasnost, how free speech was a real, if fractured, achievement of Yeltsin's years in power, and how easily it was for Putin to reverse these newly-won freedoms, imposing a ‘patrimonial’ media that sits comfortably with old autocratic and feudal traditions, sustained by nationalism and imperialism. The book explores why this turn seemed so inexorable and now seems so entrenched. It examines the historical legacy and Russia's culturally ambivalent perception and evaluation of freedom, which Dostoyevsky called that ‘terrible gift’. It evaluates the allure of Western consumerism and Soviet-era illusions that stunted the initial promise of freedom and democracy. The behaviour of journalists and their apparent complicity in the distortion of their profession come under scrutiny. This ambitious study covering 30 years of radical change looks at responses ‘from above’ and ‘from below’, and asks if the players truly understood what was involved in the practice of free speech.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Skillen, Daphne

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part 1 Introduction 1. What Size Free Speech? 2. Liberties and Rights 3. What Price Free Speech? 4. The Normalisation of Lying Part 2 5. The Gorbachev Era: Glasnost 6. The August Coup: Fighting for Freedom 7. The Yeltsin Era: Give Free Speech a Chance 8. The Putin Regime: "Managed-Speak" Conclusion

Über Autor(innen)

Daphne Skillen has degrees from London, Sydney and Colorado universities. Her doctorate is from University College London. She has lived and worked in Moscow for many years as a journalist and as a consultant for international development agencies and donors. She has also worked in the former Soviet Union and Southeast Asia.