BALTIC WORLDSbalticworlds.com The reopening of the Bolshoi Theater Religiosity & secularization Discourses of identity & nation building The concept of market in media Modernization in Russia Baltic Worlds’ special section Illustration: Ragni Svensson Guest editor: Sanna Turoma contents 47 Guest co-editor: Katja Lehtisaari BALTIC Illustrations: Ragni Svensson WORLDSSpecial section 2–3/2014 theme contributors Sanna Turoma Senior research fellow at the Aleksanteri Insti- Studies on Russian culture and modernization tute, University of Helsinki. Among her recent publications are Brodsky Abroad: Empire, Tour- ism, Nostalgia (University of Wisconsin Press, his special section presents a and music, and this symbolic significance and politics of identity. He argues that the 2010) and Empire De/Centered: New Spatial Histories of Russia selection of essays that address was recalled in the reopening gala in 2011, equation of culture and natural resources and The Soviet Union (Ashgate, 2013), co-edited with Maxim the choices and challenges fac- when the Bolshoi was singled out as a has become a fundamental metaphor of Waldstein. She is also the co-editor of a Finnish-language his- ing Russian culture and those flagship institution of Russian performing the official patriotic discourse of identity tory of Russian literature (Helsinki University Press, 2011). Tinvolved in producing it in the post-Soviet arts, and president Medvedev emphasized in contemporary Russia. This conceptual- era, an era characterized by post-indus- that the role of the theater made it one of ization of the past frames nation building Irina Kotkina trial globalization, neoliberal policies, the nation-building “national brands”, and state construction, the “nostalgic Researcher at CBEES, Södertörn University. Western-style consumerism, and the rise “able to unite everyone” in the vast coun- modernization”, as Kalinin has referred She defended her PhD thesis at the Depart- of cultural pluralism and transnational try. to these processes elsewhere. He analyzes ment of History and Civilization of the Euro- identities. One of the spheres of Russian life that speeches by Russian political leaders, pri- pean University Institute in Florence and also The essays by Irina Kotkina, Elina has experienced radical change in the marily presidential addresses, but claims holds also a PhD in cultural studies from the Russian State Kahla, Ilya Kalinin, and Katja Lehtisaari post-socialist era is religion. Recently, that this metaphorics is characteristic of University for the Humanities. Her research interests include take on a variety of topics, including the Russian Muslim communities and the current Russian discursive space in gen- cultural history, cultural politics, opera studies, and the history branding of Russian cultural institutions, “Islamization” of Russia, and the rise of eral. of totalitarianism. the place of Russian Orthodox culture religiosity in general, have received much vis-à-vis secularization, the political use attention from commentators on Russian nd, finally, Katja Lehtisaari Elina Kahla of “culture” in the discourse of Russia’s culture and society. The topic this Baltic outlines the changes that have Conducts research in Russian cultural history, current leaders, and the change in Rus- Worlds special section on Russian mod- taken place in post-Soviet This special section was realized under the auspices of the cultural orthodoxy, and the Russian Orthodox sian print media over the past 20 years. ernization takes up is the reentry of Ortho- Russian-language print media. Academy of Finland Center of Excellence – Choices of Rus- Church in post-secular society. Her research The contributions highlight the cultural dox traditions and practices into Russian AShe approaches this transformation by sian Modernization at the Aleksanteri Institute, University of interests also include modernization studies complexities and paradoxes that charac- society. Elina Kahla’s contribution is an analyzing the usage of the word “market” Helsinki. and the cultural practices of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. terize Russia’s recent societal and political attempt to bring Russian articulations of (rynok) in the Russian press since 1990, She is a fellow at the Center of Excellence in Russian Studies transformations, which Vladimir Gel’man, Russian religiosity into a dialogue with and includes in her research materials an funded by the Academy of Finland (2012–2017), and the one of the project leaders of the Center one of the leading Western theories of impressive number of Russian metropoli- introduction director of the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg. of Excellence, has described as a form of secularization, the theory of civil religion tan and provincial newspapers. She shows 46 Studies on Russian culture and modernization, Sanna authoritarian modernization. developed by the American sociologist how the keyword takes on new meanings, Turoma. Ilya Kalinin The selection starts with Irina Kotkina’s Robert N. Bellah. Kahla argues for a Rus- reflecting and relates to the different social Associate professor in the Department of peer-reviewed essays essay in which she looks at the restoration sian model of civil religion in which such and political roles of the press outlets in an Liberal Arts and Sciences, St. Petersburg 48 Modernizing Russian culture: The reopening of the Bolshoi and reopening of the Bolshoi Theater’s traditional Orthodox values and concepts evolving, modernizing environment. State University. He is the editor-in-chief of Theater in 2011, Irina Kotkina. historic stage in Moscow in 2011. She links as symphony, the practicing of theosis, In addition to providing us with her the journal Neprikosnovennyj zapas: Debaty o 56 Civil religion in Russia: A choice for Russian modernization? the reconstruction project with Dmitry and collective, circular control would be essay, Katja Lehtisaari is also the guest co- politike i kul’ture [Emergency ration: debates on politics and Elina Kahla. Medvedev’s modernization initiative, acknowledged in the renegotiation of the editor of this section on Russian culture culture] published by the New Literary Observer in Moscow. 65 Carbon and cultural heritage: The politics of history and which was directed at economic and multiconfessional and secular status of and modernization. I would like to thank He has recently published on nostalgic modernization, the the economy of rent, Ilya Kalinin. technological spheres of Russian soci- the state. her and the other three contributors for history of Russian literary criticism, and the Formalist school 75 The Russian press, the market, and modernization, ety, but also called for cultural reforms. providing me, and the Baltic Worlds read- of literary theory. Katja Lethsaari. Focusing on the role of the Soviet legacy, lya Kalinin takes up the speeches of ers, with these fascinating case studies Kotkina’s detailed analysis of the restora- Russian leaders in order to explore that shed light on the recent transforma- Katja Lehtisaari tion work, as well as the official discourse what he sees as one of the founda- tions and developments of Russian society Post-doctoral researcher at the Aleksanteri surrounding it, is aimed at uncovering tional metaphors of current Russian from the perspective of cultural analysis — Institute, University of Helsinki. Her research the ideological ambiguities of Russia’s Ipolitics: an understanding of cultural heri- a perspective often absent in day-to-day ESSAYS have been subject to a double-blind peer review by at least two inde- interests include Russian and Finnish media. most recent top-down modernization, a tage in terms of a natural resource. Kalinin politics but necessary for anyone trying pendent specialists. A peer-reviewed article published in BW will generate one Recently she has worked on the development modernization based on values claimed seeks to expose the essentializing and to grasp the complexity of Russia’s past, publication point, for the authors and their institutions using the Norwegian of the press market in Russia and the convergence develop- to be “conservative”. In the Soviet period, naturalizing foundations of a conceptual present, and future. ≈ bibliometric register (DHB). All scholarly essays in BW can be found in EBSCO ing in the Finnish newspaper market. Lehtisaari is also the the Bolshoi Theater served as a showcase pattern that, in his view, exercises great Sanna Turoma, guest editor as well as DOAJ. More information about the peer review system is available at editor-in-chief of Idäntutkimus, The Finnish Review of East for Soviet achievements in classical ballet influence on Russian politics of history the website and in the Style Guide for Contributors and Reviewers’ Guidelines. European Studies. ussia 48 peer-reviewed essay R 49 nglish : E : hoto P Modernizing Russian culture The reopening of the Bolshoi Theater by Irina Kotkina The reopening of the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater was launched with great pomp in 2011 after almost six years of reconstruction. Conservative modernization and the press publications (with the use of the Integrum databases), and legacies and by manipulating imagery and emotions related to be “historically authentic”), revealing the dualism of the govern- the Internet, including contemporary and archived versions of these past legacies. The theater’s Stalinist past — that is, the peri- mental attitude towards the theater. Bolshoi Theater the Bolshoi Theater’s website (www.bolshoi.ru), Yandex, Rutube,