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F1511 Comparing Cultures. Russia between East and West: Geo-Political Models and their Cultural Context

Mazur Natalia, Doronchenkov Ilya

Russian political discourse accompanying the annexation of Crimea and conflict with Ukraine has clearly demonstrated how intimately Russian politics are connected to geo-political models of the past. The reaction of the western countries was equally rich in stereotypes. Geo-political models generated in ‘high’ cultures descend into mass culture and largely outlive the elites and parties that created them.  Familiarity with these models helps not only to understand the logic of contemporary political discourse, but sometimes even to predict political moves. During the course we will trace the main geo-political models within their cultural contexts defining the troubled relationship between Europe and Russia.