Gulnaz Sharafutdinova is Reader in Russian Politics at King's College London. She is the author of Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism Inside Russia (Notre Dame University Press) and co-editor of Soviet Society in the Era of Late Socialism, 1964-1985 (Lexington Press).

• Preface PART I 1. The Return of the 'Soviet' or the 'National' in Putin's Russia?2. The White Knight and the Red Queen: Blinded by Love PART II Of History and Identity: Recent and Very Recent 3. Shared Mental Models of the Late Soviet Period 4. The New Russian Identity and the Burden of the Soviet Past PART III Of Leaders and Opinion-Makers: Top-Down Political Construction5. Constructing The Collective Trauma of the 19906. MMM for VVP: Building the Modern Media Machine 7. Le Cirque Politique a la Russe: Political Talk Shows and Public Opinion Leaders in Russia Conclusion8. Searching for a New Mirror: On Human and Collective Dignity in Russia Epilogue

The Red Mirror covers the vital aspects of identity politics in post-Soviet Russia with skill and nuance, covering a remarkable breadth of secondary literature that links up decades of scholarship.

Gulnaz Sharafutdinova is Reader in Russian Politics at King's College London. She is the author of Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism Inside Russia (Notre Dame University Press) and co-editor of Soviet Society in the Era of Late Socialism, 1964-1985 (Lexington Press).

• Preface PART I 1. The Return of the 'Soviet' or the 'National' in Putin's Russia?2. The White Knight and the Red Queen: Blinded by Love PART II Of History and Identity: Recent and Very Recent 3. Shared Mental Models of the Late Soviet Period 4. The New Russian Identity and the Burden of the Soviet Past PART III Of Leaders and Opinion-Makers: Top-Down Political Construction5. Constructing The Collective Trauma of the 19906. MMM for VVP: Building the Modern Media Machine 7. Le Cirque Politique a la Russe: Political Talk Shows and Public Opinion Leaders in Russia Conclusion8. Searching for a New Mirror: On Human and Collective Dignity in Russia Epilogue

The Red Mirror covers the vital aspects of identity politics in post-Soviet Russia with skill and nuance, covering a remarkable breadth of secondary literature that links up decades of scholarship.

Gulnaz Sharafutdinova is Reader in Russian Politics at King's College London. She is the author of Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism Inside Russia (Notre Dame University Press) and co-editor of Soviet Society in the Era of Late Socialism, 1964-1985 (Lexington Press).

• Preface PART I 1. The Return of the 'Soviet' or the 'National' in Putin's Russia?2. The White Knight and the Red Queen: Blinded by Love PART II Of History and Identity: Recent and Very Recent 3. Shared Mental Models of the Late Soviet Period 4. The New Russian Identity and the Burden of the Soviet Past PART III Of Leaders and Opinion-Makers: Top-Down Political Construction5. Constructing The Collective Trauma of the 19906. MMM for VVP: Building the Modern Media Machine 7. Le Cirque Politique a la Russe: Political Talk Shows and Public Opinion Leaders in Russia Conclusion8. Searching for a New Mirror: On Human and Collective Dignity in Russia Epilogue

The Red Mirror covers the vital aspects of identity politics in post-Soviet Russia with skill and nuance, covering a remarkable breadth of secondary literature that links up decades of scholarship.