Dissidents among Dissidents

Praise

“Ilya Budraitskis is a gifted writer—non-conformist, insightful, sharp and polemical. Essays collected in this volume succeed to challenge both liberal and illiberal clichés about Putin’s Russia.”
—Ivan Krastev, author of Is It Tomorrow Yet?

“Ilya Budraitskis brings immense historical knowledge, moral clarity, and political insight into these crucial essays on twenty-first century Russia. From his critical analyses of Russian culture wars and the ‘geopoliticization of Russia’ to his path-breaking history of socialist dissidence and contemporary Left discontent, Budraitskis proves an adroit guide through the post-Soviet landscape. He directs us not simply to persistent authoritarianism and reaction but also to the unrealized political alternatives that remain to be activated by Left anti-capitalists today.”
—Jodi Dean, author of Comrade

“Refusing the neo–Cold War nonsense that depicts Putin’s Russia as an anti-imperialist bulwark or a reincarnation of Stalin’s empire, Ilya Budraitskis has more important things to think about than this confected Clash of Civilisations. Whether uncovering the forgotten socialists among the Soviet-era dissident movement or tracing the emergence of a true post-Soviet left into the present day, his work is sophisticated, invigorating and ethically rigorous.”
—Owen Hatherley