Online resources about Russian culture include an array of sites regarding Russian culture and its temporary development. Many exist in English and contain a variety of opinions, both political and otherwise, and focus on Russian culture both in Russia and abroad. They offer an alternative to media agencies by existing solely online, allowing for a wider audience. The topics covered vary, although they all do have a focus on Russian culture and news related to it. As the sponsorship of each resource has its own agenda, it is important to take into account possible biases. While many operate under state sponsorship, others receive funding from other areas. Additionally, there are independent projects and scholarly journals, which, while possibly political, are not as influenced in their interpretation of culture and cultural news through their supporters, but rather through their contributors. They also give insight to subjects that other online resources might overlook.
Government Sponsored
A list of resources sponsored by the Russian government and related foundations.
- Website for the homonymous foundation and journal this site is devoted to Russian language and culture in a very comprehensive sense. It focuses on cultural news about Russia, but it also covers broader issues and contains commentaries and analyses by the editorial staff and external authors.
- Probably the most colorful, sophisticated, and visually captivating website on Russian 'high' culture, this site is run by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Updated on a daily basis, it is a mine of information on events related to Russian cultural heritage and offers virtual tours of several museums.
- This site is run by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation is a web hub that provides access to a surprisingly rich archive of resources on the most diverse aspects of Russian culture and provides up-to-date news and information on cultural events. However, only part of the website is available in English.
Other Sponsored Links
The following is list of resources sponsored by groups and foundations outside of Russia, or non profits.
- This Italian website (also available in English) is devoted to analytical coverage of the Balkans and the Caucasus regions, as well as Russia, and features articles, video reports and dossiers on culture, economics, and politics.
Independent Publications
This list of resources published by independent news outlets also includes those that have print versions as well.
- This information website for the "Drugaya Rossiya" coalition features news and op-ed articles on current issues (including cultural issues, although this section is not particularly comprehensive) from an opposition point of view.
- Although this website is aimed at business people, it has expanded and now consists of a comprehensive mine of up-to-date news on politics, economics and culture, as well as an archive of materials on Russia covering many topics including critical commentaries by collaborators.
- The website for the related magazine, it provides glossy and colorful articles on Russian culture), society, history and geography, and features some thematic blogs and an up-to-date daily chronology of events in Russian history. However, the contents of the magazine are only completely accessible to paid subscribers.
- RIA Novosti is a site dedicated to political and cultural Russian news, which contains a link to world news with articles covering a wide range of political events occurring in other countries, the majority somehow related to Russia or other former Soviet countries.
- This site provides analytical insights into the Russian world by field experts, covering a wide range of issues from politics to music, with a special section devoted to book and film reviews. In August of 2012, it was merged with the RIA Novosti English language information service.
- Readrussia.com is the internet version of the print magazine RUSSIA!, run and published in the United States. The site covers a variety of topics, ranging from business and politics to culture, and does not shy away from criticizing the regime.
- Way to Russia is primarily a travel blog, which coincides with the print newsletter of the same title, but also offers stories regarding Russian political, cultural, and historical issues.
Alternative News
A list of news sources with a variety of unofficial, oftentimes entertaining news, which covers many topics from cultural to political.
- This is a rather fun site dedicated to quirky news stories out of Russia, which has an archive that can be looked through as far back as 2006 with articles related to politics and government, as well as food, music, art, sports, and technology.
- This site features regular updates on unique and clever events (or inadvertent events) happening in Russia.
The following links are not full-fledged media outlets, nor are they academic in nature; however, they are still very useful in forming a better cultural understanding of Russia. These sites provide interesting and rather entertaining articles by authors from a variety of backgrounds, providing an inside look into the Russia of today. One may find articles focused on politics as well as arts and culture. Just be aware that the sites included in this section are likely to contain a political bias, usually leaning more toward the left.
- Primarily the project of Mark Ames, an American expatriate living in Moscow. The Exile was shut down in 2008, however, the site still exists as a sort of archive of lively journalism covering a wide swath of Russia related topics.
- Blog (in Italian language) run by Astrit Dakli, former journalist of Il manifesto; it provides news and accurate and well-informed commentaries on a variety of topics related to Russia and the former Soviet countries from a leftist point of view.
The Russian Review Quarterly journal edited by the University of Kansas, publishes articles and book reviews dealing with Russian history, politics, society and culture including literature, film and fine arts. http://www.russianreview.org/
Ab Imperio: Studies of New Imperial History and Nationalism in the Post-Soviet Space Edited by an independent group of five co-editors centred mainly on the University of Kazan, it focuses on issues related to nationalism and post-colonialism within the former Russian Empire and the USSR. http://abimperio.net/cgi-bin/aishow.pl?state=index_eng&idlang=1
Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History Publishing by the Indiana University in Bloomington, USA, it is devoted to a critical analysis of Russian history and culture and aims at internationalizing academic research in Russian studies. < http://www.slavica.com/journals/kritika/kritika.html>
kultura. Russian Cultural Review Bilingual (German and English) journal published between October 2005 and December 2009 by the Research Centre of East European Studies at the University of Bremen. Each of the 28 issues is devoted to selected topics on Russian cultural life. < http://www.kultura-rus.uni-bremen.de/>
The Slavonic and East European Review Journal published by the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University College London, it covers literature, language, social sciences, history and cinema. < http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Journals/seer.html>
Slavonica Published by the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures of the University of Manchester, it appears twice a year and focuses on the literature/arts, languages, history and culture in Russia and Central & Eastern Europe. < http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/russian/slavonica/>
Slavic Review interdisciplinary quarterly is the journal of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and is published by the University of Illinois. It focuses on current and past developments in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. < http://www.slavicreview.illinois.edu/>
East European Politics Formerly known as the Journal of Communist Studies (& Transition Politics), it is devoted to the cultural and political transition of Central Asian, Russia and Eastern European Countries. < http://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?journalCode=fjcs21>
Europe-Asia Studies Formerly published under the name "Soviet Studies" this journal has a focus on ideological and socio-cultural research questions and controversies prevalent in contemporary Asian, Central Asian, Russian and Eastern European Studies. It appears ten times a year a published by the Taylor & Francis Group. < http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ceas20/current>
Australian Slavonic & East European Studies Yearly journal published by the School of Language & Comparative Cultural Studies of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. It publishes interdisciplinary articles with the focus on Slavonic and East European studies, but special attention is paid to language, literature, history and political sciences. < http://www.slccs.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=31455>
Studies in East European Thought Philosophical journal published by Springer Netherlands on different concepts of the social, cultural and political situation following the demise of Marxist–Leninism in Eastern Europe. Special attention, among others, is paid to questions in metaphysics and epistemology and the standing of 'culture theory'. < http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/political+science/journal/11212>
Transitions on line journal devoted to the development of independent media and journalism in former Socialist countries (including Russia), connected to the Open Society Institute. < http://www.tol.org/client/>
Experiment annual American journal devoted to Russian culture in the early XX century. http://www.brill.com/publications/journals/experiment>
Canadian Slavonic Papers – Revue Canadienne des Slavistes bilingual journal of the Canadian Association of Slavists, devoted to a wide range of issues concerning Central and Eastern Europe. < http://www.ualberta.ca/~csp/>
The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review Dutch journal on Soviet and Post-Soviet issues related to sociology, history and political science.< http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/spsr;jsessionid=dl2p23enjc758.alexandra>
The International Journal of Russian Studies International journal on Russia and its languages, peoples and cultures. < http://www.ijors.net/>
In Italian language:eSamizdat – Rivista di culture dei paesi slavi Italian journal devoted to the culture of Russia and the other Slavic countries.< http://www.esamizdat.it/>
Slavia Online version of the Italian quarterly review run by the association of the same name, devoted to cultural, political, social and economic issues related to Russia and the other Slavic countries. < http://www.slavia.it/>
In French language: Regard sur l'Est Online version of the homonymous French journal, it provides short, daily updated news and analyses on a multifarious range of topics related to the societies of former Socialist countries. < http://www.regard-est.com/home/>
Cahiers du monde russe Quarterly online version of the journal of the same name on Russia published by the Ecole of Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
< http://monderusse.revues.org/>
Revue des études slaves French quarterly journal published by the Centre d'études slaves and the Centre d'études slaves, entirely devoted to cultural issues related to the Slavic countries. < http://www.etudes-slaves.paris-sorbonne.fr/spip.php?rubrique48>
Slavica Bruxellensia Semi-annual Belgian journal on the comparative study of Slavic cultures. < http://slavica.revues.org/>
Online resources about Russian culture include an array of sites regarding Russian culture and its temporary development. Many exist in English and contain a variety of opinions, both political and otherwise, and focus on Russian culture both in Russia and abroad. They offer an alternative to media agencies by existing solely online, allowing for a wider audience. The topics covered vary, although they all do have a focus on Russian culture and news related to it. As the sponsorship of each resource has its own agenda, it is important to take into account possible biases. While many operate under state sponsorship, others receive funding from other areas. Additionally, there are independent projects and scholarly journals, which, while possibly political, are not as influenced in their interpretation of culture and cultural news through their supporters, but rather through their contributors. They also give insight to subjects that other online resources might overlook.
Government Sponsored
A list of resources sponsored by the Russian government and related foundations.
- Website for the homonymous foundation and journal this site is devoted to Russian language and culture in a very comprehensive sense. It focuses on cultural news about Russia, but it also covers broader issues and contains commentaries and analyses by the editorial staff and external authors.
- Probably the most colorful, sophisticated, and visually captivating website on Russian 'high' culture, this site is run by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Updated on a daily basis, it is a mine of information on events related to Russian cultural heritage and offers virtual tours of several museums.
- This site is run by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation is a web hub that provides access to a surprisingly rich archive of resources on the most diverse aspects of Russian culture and provides up-to-date news and information on cultural events. However, only part of the website is available in English.
Other Sponsored Links
The following is list of resources sponsored by groups and foundations outside of Russia, or non profits.
- This Italian website (also available in English) is devoted to analytical coverage of the Balkans and the Caucasus regions, as well as Russia, and features articles, video reports and dossiers on culture, economics, and politics.
Independent Publications
This list of resources published by independent news outlets also includes those that have print versions as well.
- This information website for the "Drugaya Rossiya" coalition features news and op-ed articles on current issues (including cultural issues, although this section is not particularly comprehensive) from an opposition point of view.
- Although this website is aimed at business people, it has expanded and now consists of a comprehensive mine of up-to-date news on politics, economics and culture, as well as an archive of materials on Russia covering many topics including critical commentaries by collaborators.
- The website for the related magazine, it provides glossy and colorful articles on Russian culture), society, history and geography, and features some thematic blogs and an up-to-date daily chronology of events in Russian history. However, the contents of the magazine are only completely accessible to paid subscribers.
- RIA Novosti is a site dedicated to political and cultural Russian news, which contains a link to world news with articles covering a wide range of political events occurring in other countries, the majority somehow related to Russia or other former Soviet countries.
- This site provides analytical insights into the Russian world by field experts, covering a wide range of issues from politics to music, with a special section devoted to book and film reviews. In August of 2012, it was merged with the RIA Novosti English language information service.
- Readrussia.com is the internet version of the print magazine RUSSIA!, run and published in the United States. The site covers a variety of topics, ranging from business and politics to culture, and does not shy away from criticizing the regime.
- Way to Russia is primarily a travel blog, which coincides with the print newsletter of the same title, but also offers stories regarding Russian political, cultural, and historical issues.
Alternative News
A list of news sources with a variety of unofficial, oftentimes entertaining news, which covers many topics from cultural to political.
- This is a rather fun site dedicated to quirky news stories out of Russia, which has an archive that can be looked through as far back as 2006 with articles related to politics and government, as well as food, music, art, sports, and technology.
- This site features regular updates on unique and clever events (or inadvertent events) happening in Russia.
The following links are not full-fledged media outlets, nor are they academic in nature; however, they are still very useful in forming a better cultural understanding of Russia. These sites provide interesting and rather entertaining articles by authors from a variety of backgrounds, providing an inside look into the Russia of today. One may find articles focused on politics as well as arts and culture. Just be aware that the sites included in this section are likely to contain a political bias, usually leaning more toward the left.
- Primarily the project of Mark Ames, an American expatriate living in Moscow. The Exile was shut down in 2008, however, the site still exists as a sort of archive of lively journalism covering a wide swath of Russia related topics.
- Blog (in Italian language) run by Astrit Dakli, former journalist of Il manifesto; it provides news and accurate and well-informed commentaries on a variety of topics related to Russia and the former Soviet countries from a leftist point of view.
The Russian Review Quarterly journal edited by the University of Kansas, publishes articles and book reviews dealing with Russian history, politics, society and culture including literature, film and fine arts. http://www.russianreview.org/
Ab Imperio: Studies of New Imperial History and Nationalism in the Post-Soviet Space Edited by an independent group of five co-editors centred mainly on the University of Kazan, it focuses on issues related to nationalism and post-colonialism within the former Russian Empire and the USSR. http://abimperio.net/cgi-bin/aishow.pl?state=index_eng&idlang=1
Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History Publishing by the Indiana University in Bloomington, USA, it is devoted to a critical analysis of Russian history and culture and aims at internationalizing academic research in Russian studies. < http://www.slavica.com/journals/kritika/kritika.html>
kultura. Russian Cultural Review Bilingual (German and English) journal published between October 2005 and December 2009 by the Research Centre of East European Studies at the University of Bremen. Each of the 28 issues is devoted to selected topics on Russian cultural life. < http://www.kultura-rus.uni-bremen.de/>
The Slavonic and East European Review Journal published by the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University College London, it covers literature, language, social sciences, history and cinema. < http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Journals/seer.html>
Slavonica Published by the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures of the University of Manchester, it appears twice a year and focuses on the literature/arts, languages, history and culture in Russia and Central & Eastern Europe. < http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/russian/slavonica/>
Slavic Review interdisciplinary quarterly is the journal of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and is published by the University of Illinois. It focuses on current and past developments in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. < http://www.slavicreview.illinois.edu/>
East European Politics Formerly known as the Journal of Communist Studies (& Transition Politics), it is devoted to the cultural and political transition of Central Asian, Russia and Eastern European Countries. < http://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?journalCode=fjcs21>
Europe-Asia Studies Formerly published under the name "Soviet Studies" this journal has a focus on ideological and socio-cultural research questions and controversies prevalent in contemporary Asian, Central Asian, Russian and Eastern European Studies. It appears ten times a year a published by the Taylor & Francis Group. < http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ceas20/current>
Australian Slavonic & East European Studies Yearly journal published by the School of Language & Comparative Cultural Studies of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. It publishes interdisciplinary articles with the focus on Slavonic and East European studies, but special attention is paid to language, literature, history and political sciences. < http://www.slccs.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=31455>
Studies in East European Thought Philosophical journal published by Springer Netherlands on different concepts of the social, cultural and political situation following the demise of Marxist–Leninism in Eastern Europe. Special attention, among others, is paid to questions in metaphysics and epistemology and the standing of 'culture theory'. < http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/political+science/journal/11212>
Transitions on line journal devoted to the development of independent media and journalism in former Socialist countries (including Russia), connected to the Open Society Institute. < http://www.tol.org/client/>
Experiment annual American journal devoted to Russian culture in the early XX century. http://www.brill.com/publications/journals/experiment>
Canadian Slavonic Papers – Revue Canadienne des Slavistes bilingual journal of the Canadian Association of Slavists, devoted to a wide range of issues concerning Central and Eastern Europe. < http://www.ualberta.ca/~csp/>
The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review Dutch journal on Soviet and Post-Soviet issues related to sociology, history and political science.< http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/spsr;jsessionid=dl2p23enjc758.alexandra>
The International Journal of Russian Studies International journal on Russia and its languages, peoples and cultures. < http://www.ijors.net/>
In Italian language:eSamizdat – Rivista di culture dei paesi slavi Italian journal devoted to the culture of Russia and the other Slavic countries.< http://www.esamizdat.it/>
Slavia Online version of the Italian quarterly review run by the association of the same name, devoted to cultural, political, social and economic issues related to Russia and the other Slavic countries. < http://www.slavia.it/>
In French language: Regard sur l'Est Online version of the homonymous French journal, it provides short, daily updated news and analyses on a multifarious range of topics related to the societies of former Socialist countries. < http://www.regard-est.com/home/>
Cahiers du monde russe Quarterly online version of the journal of the same name on Russia published by the Ecole of Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
< http://monderusse.revues.org/>
Revue des études slaves French quarterly journal published by the Centre d'études slaves and the Centre d'études slaves, entirely devoted to cultural issues related to the Slavic countries. < http://www.etudes-slaves.paris-sorbonne.fr/spip.php?rubrique48>
Slavica Bruxellensia Semi-annual Belgian journal on the comparative study of Slavic cultures. < http://slavica.revues.org/>