Illustration by Natalia Batrakova


(POST)
SOCIALISM




Investigating the political condition of (post)socialism in the context of geopolitical East/West divide, transition to neoliberal capitalism, and the Soviet and post-Soviet forms of authoritarianism




This exploration is carried out through a geographical and political focus on Russia and its socialist and postsocialist histories. My key work in this area is an analysis of the rise of neoliberal authoritarianism as a mode of governance that emerged during the transitional phase from socialist to capitalist modernity. Other strands of my work include contemplation on militarized East–West geopolitics and the roles of both the Russian state and Russian oppositional political forces within this environment; the materialities of imperial histories and their political significance in the present; as well as the study of personal family history and, through that, the histories of class, ethnic minorities, and migration in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia.

My research practice has also been informed by my political and activist engagements, including work with queer organizations in Russia, an academic labour union in Finland, and Russian-speaking political movements in Finland.






Neoliberal authoritarianism as a mode of governance

This work explores the condition of neoliberal authoritarianism – understood as authoritarian practices that have permeated the Russian state through the incorporation of neoliberal modes of governance in the context of the postsocialist transition to capitalist modernity. The research has specifically investigated universities as an empirical institutional site where authoritarian and neoliberal logics entangle and merge.

This research was carried out as part of my PhD project at Tampere University and culminated in the publication of the monograph “Neoliberal Authoritarianism: An Ethnography of Russian Universities” with Palgrave Macmillan in 2025.

Monograph “Neoliberal Authoritarianism: An Ethnography of Russian Universities”, published by Palgrave Macmillan in the book series “Central and Eastern Perspectives on International Relations” (2025)




Doctoral dissertation “De/re/composing authoritarian-neoliberal assemblages: Ethnography of Russian universities and beyond”, Tampere University (2024). Book

Press-release (Tampere University)





Recording of the presentation “Academic labour in a postsocialist university”, at Tutkijaliitto Summer School 2021 “Subversive feminisms” (2021)


Статья “Университеты “вне политики”. Как неолиберальные реформы сделали академию несвободной?”, Дискурс











Political resistance in the militarized Russia/West geopolitical environment


In today’s militarized geopolitical environment, which revolves around the presumed divide between authoritarian Russia (/East) and the democratic West, these dynamics shape not only state power relations but increasingly those within opposition movements as well




Essay “Interconnectedness of Political Struggle: Iranian-Russian Political Resistance in Conversation” (2024), LeftEast (co-authored with Mina Shahmoradi)




Chapter “Porous boundaries of resistances: Translating authoritarian-neoliberal university” (2025), in A. Kangas, I. Gataulina, M. Poutanen, A. Rajala, & H.-E. Ventovirta (eds), Retheorizing Capitalism. Tampere University Press




Blog post “Reimagining political protest: Russian-speaking demonstrations against the closure of the Finnish eastern border”, Raster (Anti-Racist Research Network), 2024






Other works on political economies of global capitalism and postsocialism


Retheorizing Capitalism

I served as one of the editors of the volume “Retheorizing Capitalism” published by Tampere University Press in 2025. The book brings together theoretical, conceptual, and empirical contributions from diverse geographical contexts and spheres of economy

Postcapitalist translations

The edited volume also features several chapters to which I contributed. One of these, titled “Postcapitalist translations: An experiment with scissors, clippings, and glue“, co-authored with Anni Kangas, Mikko Poutanen, Anna Ilona Rajala, and Tiina Vaittinen, explores the potential for bridging critical scholarship on (post)socialism and postcapitalism, and considers (post)socialism as a possible space for postcapitalist political imagination

Courses

In 2024 and 2025, I designed and organized two courses: “Political Economies of the Global East” and “Political Ecologies of the Global East: State, Capital, Resources.” Both courses were structured as lecture series featuring scholars from Finland and abroad working on these topics. They have been taught at Tampere University and funded by the REES network/ExpREES programme






Materialities of imperial histories and its political work in the present

With the growing prominence of discussions on imperialism in relation to contemporary Russia, this article investigates the political work performed by material symbols of imperial glory in the St Petersburg cityscape. It does so by analysing universities located in what were once imperial palaces and mansions, and examining how these settings reproduce or undermine the status of the university. The notion of status is understood here as closely entangled with the political status of the Russian state, particularly through narratives of a rich and glorious history


Article “Political materialities of status-making and unmaking: Universities in the imperial cityscape of St Petersburg”, Baltic Worlds 2025(1), pp. 98—108










Researching personal family history

 This project explores my family history across late imperial Russia, the Soviet Union, and post-Soviet Russia. The entry point for this inquiry was my Tatar heritage: I carry a Tatar surname from my grandfather, Shamil’, yet my family retained no memories of this heritage, as he lost connection with his entirely Tatar family at a very young age, partly due to the anti-national policies of the Soviet Union. Through this autobiographical exploration of lost familial connections, the study developed into a broader reflection on the Soviet Union’s anti-national and anti-religious politics, as well as the mass migrations of people across its vast territories. These processes led not only to the loss of ties to ancestral lands but also, paradoxically, to the formation of embodied intercultural connections.

Этот проект исследует историю моей семьи в периоды поздней Российской империи, Советского Союза и постсоветской России. Отправной точкой для этого исследования стало моё татарское происхождение: я ношу татарскую фамилию моего деда Шамиля, однако в нашей семье не сохранилось практически никаких воспоминаний об этом наследии, поскольку он полностью утратил связь со своей татарской семьёй в очень раннем возрасте — отчасти из‑за антинациональной политики Советского Союза. Через это автобиографическое исследование утраченных семейных связей работа перешла к более широкому осмыслению антинациональной и антирелигиозной политики Советского Союза, а также массовой миграции людей по его обширной территории. Эти процессы привели не только к утрате связей с родовыми землями, но и, парадоксальным образом, к формированию межкультурных связей.
Исследование было проведено в сотрудничестве с бюро семейной истории «Вразброс»

Книга «Гатаулины-Самошины. История семьи»,  бюро «Вразброс», 2026




Эссе «Татарская фамилия. В поисках утраченных корней», Дискурс, 2025




Histories of (post)socialism:
Working with family archives








Activist and political work




My research exploration of authoritarianism, neoliberalization, and (post)socialism has been informed by my involvement in activist and political work. From 2015 to 2019, I was involved in various feminist and queer initiatives in St Petersburg, including the international festival “Queerfest”

From 2022 to 2024, I participated in the Russian-speaking Tampere-based initiative “Tampere Against War.” From 2023 to 2025, I served as a board member of the Tampere University chapter of the Finnish labour union for academic workers






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