Social Distinctions in Contemporary Russia (Studies in Contemporary Russia)

This book analyses social change in Russia, in particular the development of a middle class, one of the most important social and political projects of Putin’s administration.

Using unique survey data collected in 1998, 2007 and 2015, the authors make extensive and theoretically justified analyses of the changing social distinctions in Russia over the past 20 years. Offering a sophisticated analysis of classes and class they acknowledge that in class analysis there are different phases, requiring different concepts. The first phase is the analysis of class positions; the second is the study of the work and reproduction situations of class groups and the final step is the analysis of class interests. While acknowledging that there are a number Russian-specific factors that seriously complicate traditional class analysis, the authors maintain that the basic tenets of class analysis still hold true.

The book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, political science, transition studies, social policy and Russian studies and anyone who wants to understand the internal divisions and organization of the middle class in Russia.

Jouko Nikula is Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Arts, Aleksanteri Institute, the Finnish Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Helsinki.

Mikhail Chernysh is First Deputy Director of the Federal Centre of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.