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Kamil Galeev Profile picture
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Jul 9 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Researchers studying regionalism and diversity in Russia produced tons of great books on Caucasus but very few on Volga region. This is by far the best book on Tatarstan that I know. She:

1. Has actually learnt the language
2. Lived into the culture rather than merely studied it
What makes Faller's book special is that she tried to grasp the conceptual framework of a culture she studied rather than apply her own. That's very rare. That requires lots of intellectual humility and the great language fluency. Unfortunately, too many researchers have neither
Helen Faller focuses on cultural politics. Unlike many others though, she has actually learnt the culture she's writing on. She raises tons of minor questions most researchers would never ask. Like, what constitutes a well-organised domestic space in Russian and in Tatar culture?
You can find Helen Faller's book in open access here. It's free. If you have to choose only one chapter to read, I would recommend Chapter 5. Repossessing Kazan. The end. This is not a thread
Nation, Language, Islam : Tatarstan's Sovereignty Movement A detailed academic treatise of the history of nationality in Tatarstan. The book demonstrates how state collapse and national revival influenced the divergence of worldviews among ex-Soviet people … https://books.openedition.org/ceup/1752?lang=en
PS Book is open access to anyone, whetehr you are a part of an institution or not. See Chapter 5
Chapter 5. Repossessing Kazan “Since the Millennium the spirit of Kazan has changed. It’s no longer a provincial city.”Young Tatar journalist, 3 July 2006 Recalling Yakovlev’s proposal in 1928 to allocate greater administrative re… https://books.openedition.org/ceup/1775

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More from @kamilkazani

Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 11
I think this interpretation may lack cultural context. In Russia an official getting a monetary token of gratitude for allowing the project to proceed is normal. It's called "откат" (something that rolls back). It's not a "bribe", more like tribute. Not demanding откат is unusual
That's why "Serdyukov was ousted for corruption" argument is dumb. It's not "corruption", it's just normal rules of the game. When a high official falls "corruption scandal" is just a pretext. You must charge them with something so you pretend they did a "crime" by taking откат
When Ulyukaev was jailed that was seen as a result of his personal conflict with Igor Sechin. When Serdyukov was fired, this was seen as погорел на бабах. I don't think that either of this interpretations is exhaustive. But those with half a brain know it's not about "corruption"
Read 5 tweets
Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 11
Gave a comment to @NeilMacFarquhar

One point: Draft plays a major role in Russian stealth mobilisation. First you need to get them into army, even as conscripts. Then you force/persuade them to sign a contract and now it's legal to send them to Ukraine

nytimes.com/2022/07/10/wor…
And my earlier comment. Serdyukov tried to modernise the land army, equipping and training it according to the NATO standards (= context for the Rheinmetall story). But he made enemies, was ousted from power and his successor dismantled much of his legacy

nytimes.com/2022/05/16/wor…
The Rheinmetall-built Mulino training center modelled after a Bundeswehr center in Altmark may be the biggest achievement of Serdyukov. No wonder that manoeuvres West-2021 which prepared the Russian land army for Z-invasion opened and closed in Mulino

Read 4 tweets
Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 10
Historically this has been (largely) correct. With major and important exceptions science used to be a business of the idle rich and weirdos till around WWII*. In the last decades though it taylorised so much that I'm not sure if we can view it as the same institution as before
* Of course I'm generalising. Some disciplines (chemistry) could have more potential for practical applications and thus earning potential than others (physics). But the science itself transformed into a somewhat normal industry with somewhat normal career potential only recently
I'd even argue that the post-WWII world when academia was indeed a normal career track, was a historical aberration mistakenly taken for a new norm. Under normal conditions you either have some other means of income or you starve. Now we're simply returning to the historical norm
Read 5 tweets
Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 8
The war in Ukraine and the regional divergence in Russia

1. It will be a long war

2. Hostilities can be localised or interrupted with ceasefires. Doesn't matter. The fighting will resume again. And again

3. Contrary to the popular opinion, it will be Russia that breaks first🧵
4. Russian regime is hard and fragile

5. Regime consists of courtiers and barons: central and regional elites

6. Courtiers have the upper hand when the regime is strong, barons - when it's weak

7. Many courtiers have personal interest in the military victory, but barons don't
8. You can't judge official's view by his public stance. That's dumb. Only private stance matters

9. Lots of courtiers over 35 genuinely support the war

10. Almost no regional barons genuinely support the war. But there's a major exception in the South
Read 16 tweets
Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 7
Rumours about Trump being a Russian agent may be exaggerated. It is a fact though that the Russian propaganda perceived him as a potential ally. Consider this patriotic song. On 0:25 you can hear laments about the "President beyond the ocean [Trump] being stripped of his power"
That's song "Uncle Vova [Putin], we're with you" released in November 2017, just ten months after Trump's inauguration. Therefore, laments about Trump being "stripped of his power" refer to the constitutional checks on his power rather than anything else

meduza.io/shapito/2017/1…
Within the official Russian discourse, President is perceived as a quasi monarchical figure and as the only source of legitimacy. He is casually referred to as "Sovereign". All the civil servants are Sovereign's men. All the federal or municipal budgets - the Sovereign's money
Read 11 tweets
Kamil Galeev Profile picture
Jul 6
FYI: Mulino is where German Rheinmetall company was building (in their own words):

"Measuring over 500 square kilometres, the state-of-the-art Russian army training centre in Mulino designed to train a reinforced mechanized infantry or armoured brigade"

rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall…
Mulino was modelled after the training center of Bundesehr in Altmarkt. In order to proceed with the construction, the Rheinmentall entered in the strategic partnership with Russian stated owned defence company Oboronservis
That was the high point of Serdyukov's reform. Serdyukov tried to modernise the Russian army importing ready solutions from the West: from the armaments to the tactics. And the Rheinmetall was more than ready to help to train the Russian troops
Read 12 tweets

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