A study of the “Russkiy Mir” project and its reception among the Russian diaspora in Moldova
This project investigates how soft power works as a tool of cultural influence in complex diasporic contexts and new media environments. Focusing on the online digital networks of one of Russia’s key instruments of soft power—the Russkiy Mir (Russian World) foundation, this project explores the interplay between national identities of Russian diasporic groups (specifically in Moldova/Transnistria) and the cultural meanings that the foundation produces for them. The project relies on the methodological innovativeness of network ethnography and builds on studies of diasporic media and theoretical debates concerning the nature of soft power. In addition to the theoretical contribution, the project is socially relevant because it investigates soft power against the backdrop of an unstable geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe and the unresolved cultural identities of about 25 million Russians left outside Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Funding: Academy of Finland, 01.09.2015-31.08.2018
Researcher: Dmitry Yagodin