Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures

This study analyzes the colorful phenomenon of the shanson in the context of contemporary Russian culture and politics. It targets the shanson's complex symbiotic relationship with Putin's regime and its paradoxical place within the national consciousness. This musical genre has undergone a veritable sea change over time, evolving from a subcultural form mocking official powers to a normalized, commodified cultural product that now bears the Kremlin's stamp of approval. Faced with the new post-Soviet economic reality, the underworld song underwent mutations that transformed it from a subcultural expression to a commercially successful vein of contemporary music currently acknowledged, and even deployed, by the Russian authorities. While such shifts often mark subcultures' lifecycles worldwide, what is particularly striking in this case is the shanson's continued bond with the underworld. It is this study's claim that such a paradox arises from the specific nature of the Putin regime and from Russian society's particular mode of existence, in which both the population and the state have internalized the norms of the criminal world. The current analysis briefly covers the development of underworld music, from folk songs about criminals and rebels in the early period in Russian culture (seventeenth century) to the merchandising of the shanson in the 1990s, and then delves into manifestations of an incongruous quid pro quo synergy between the shanson and the president's politics, especially examining the genre's incorporation into the official discourse of the Putin era. My research demonstrates that in Russia, where the difference between the authorities and criminals is not always easily distinguishable, the shanson has been enjoying privileges bestowed on it by the current regime. In other words, in today's crime-ridden Russia, the shanson has found an officially approved home.

Committee: Helena Goscilo (Advisor); Ludmila Isurin (Committee Member); Jennifer Suchland (Committee Member); Robert A. Rothstein (Committee Member) Subjects: Slavic Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Slavic and East European Studies

In 2008, three political clubs were officially formed within the United Russia party structure: the Social-Conservative Club, the Liberal-Conservative Club, and the State-Patriotic Club. Membership of these clubs includes many powerful Duma representatives. Officially, their function is to help develop strategies for implementing the government's Strategy 2020. However, a closer examination of these clubs suggests that they also may function as an ideology incubator for the larger party and as a safety valve for internal party dissent. To answer the question of what the true function of these clubs is, an attempt will be made to give: a brief overview of Unity's and Fatherland-All Russia's formation; a description of how United Russia formed; a summary of the ideological currents within United Russia from 2001-2009; a discussion of the three clubs; and a comparative analysis of these clubs to the Christian Democratic party of Italy and the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. Based on this evidence, it will be argued that primary purpose of these clubs is to contain intra-party conflict.

Committee: Goldie Shabad (Advisor); Trevor Brown (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Slavic and East European Studies

This paper serves to study the new ‘party of power,' United Russia, that has emerged in the Russian Federation with Vladimir Vladimorovich Putin as the head of this party. It will look at what exactly a party of power is, and how Putin was able to solidify power in the country in the office of the president and transfer this power to United Russia. This paper looks at factors, such as the fact that Russia has a hybrid regime in place, which made it possible for the party of power to emerge, thus providing a small roadmap on how to create a party of power. Finally, this paper shows areas where Putin and his party of power could lose strength and what might possibly happen in regards to the political situation in the country if this were to happen.

Committee: Trevor Brown (Advisor); David Hoffmann (Committee Member) Subjects: Russian History