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Cultural sociologist Anna Schwenck of Siegen University, Germany presents her recently published book on Tuesday, November 26 at 06:30pm in Kingston Hall 208. Flexible Authoritarianism (Oxford University Press) won the prestigious Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book in the Sociology of Culture by the American Sociological Association 2024.

“Russia, a Country of Possibilities?” sheds light on the continuous appeal of the from-rags-to-riches myth informing the American Dream and its usages by emerging economies such as Russia’s. This deployment is openly tied to authoritarian practices and values in today’s world. Dr. Schwenck demonstrates how a transnational public culture of self-optimization, entrepreneurialism, and positivity shapes legitimation strategies and political subjectivities. Her theorization of this phenomenon is firmly anchored in fieldwork conducted in Central and Eastern Siberia.

The public talk is sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and hosted in Professor Jennifer Hosek’s seminar “Film in the New Europe.”