Russian Studies Workshop

RSW Public Lecture: "Defining the Russian Opposition: Alexey Navalny’s Presidential Campaign of 2017/18"  

Alexey Navalny is the most prominent opposition figure in Russia today. By combining street actions with digital technologies, he challenged regime advantages and attracted significant support, especially among young people. During his 2017/18 presidential campaign, Navalny’s team built a country-wide organization to strengthen local civil society and support further opposition action. I will present original survey and interview data that paint a comprehensive picture of his supporters. These data provide a new way to address the implications of Navalny’s actions for the future.

Jan Matti Dollbaum is currently finalizing his PhD thesis at the Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, Germany. His dissertation compares trajectories of protest institutionalization in four Russian regions. Jan’s work has appeared in Communist and Post-Communist Studies and Social Movement Studies, among others.