• A
  • A
  • A
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
Regular version of the site

Book Published About the Mythologisation of Western Values during Perestroika

A book entitled The Mythologies of Capitalism and the End of the Soviet Project by Associate Professor at the HSE Faculty of Media Communications Olga Baysha has been published by Lexington Books (United States).

What do the Arab Spring of 2011, Ukraine's Orange Revolution of 2004, Georgia's Rose Revolution of 2003, and the Soviet Union's perestroika of the late 1980s all have in common? The book's author argues that, despite the differences in political and social circumstances, each of these revolutionary events was an attempt to appropriate modernity, as it is known in the West, with its discourses of democratization, building civil society, and economic liberalization. And, no less important, each of these revolutionary transformations led not only to the appropriations of modernity but also to popular disillusionment: the loss of hope for quick positive changes or even realization that those very changes were unnecessary.

Olga Baysha suggests that the causes of popular post-revolutionary disappointment should be sought in pre-revolutionary discourses on democracy, liberalism, and other concepts of Western modernity. Produced outside local contexts, these discourses are introduced into these particular localities through global communications, and are then localized through the interpretations of politicians, activists, and experts. It is through this global-to-local adaptation process that we see the mythologization of concepts associated with Western modernity: these concepts take on a new meaning.

From 1991-2000 Olga Baysha worked as a journalist and presenter with a TV network in Kharkov, Ukraine. She then completed an MA course in journalism and communications at Colorado State University, United States. In 2012 she defended her PhD thesis at the University of Colorado at Boulder on 'The Mythologies of Modernity with a Schizophrenic Network Dynamic.'

She then took the position of Professor at Mullenberg College, United States, where she taught courses in 'Contemporary media analysis', 'Communication in a globalized world', 'Online journalism and democracy', and 'Rhetorical analysis: Ideological criticism.'
Olga Baysha joined HSE in 2013.

See also:

HSE Staff Receive Acknowledgement Medals

Some HSE staff members have received ‘Acknowledgement’ medals for their professional achievements and hard work.

HSE Staff Members Receive Acknowledgement Medals

Following a directive of the Rector, key HSE staff members have been awarded ‘Acknowledgement’ medals for their high professional achievements and devotion to work.

HSE’s School of Media Offers English-taught Courses

Last semester, journalism students and international exchange students were able to select two subjects taught in English: American Political Rhetoric and Journalism and International Environment. We decided to learn more about these courses from students and teachers.

Mikhail Blinkin Appointed Acting Dean at Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism

Mikhail Blinkin is one of Russia’s leading experts in urbanism, city planning, and urban transport. He has headed the HSE Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy Studies since 2011 and has been HSE Tenured Professor since 2013. In 2017, Mikhail Blinkin was the recipient of an HSE Honour Award 1st Class, as well as the Golden HSE award for Best Expert.

‘HSE Offers Solutions Aimed at the Future…’

On November 27, the HSE Academic Council held an awards ceremony dedicated to the university’s 25th anniversary. The meeting saw the participation of representatives of the Russian President, members of government, and members of the Russian Federal Assembly. Governmental awards were given to a number of HSE employees for their tremendous accomplishments.

HSE Staff Receive Commendations from President Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the commendation of prominent public and political figures. Andrey Zhulin, Vice Rector at HSE Perm, Galina Volodina, Director of HSE Perm, and Valeria Kasamara, HSE’s Senior Director for Government Relations, are among the figures mentioned in the decree.

‘I Know That More Than One Olympic Games Await Me’

Several HSE graduates worked at the Olympic Games, which recently came to a close in Rio. Elena Stenkina, Daria Smirnova, and Evgenia Dolina told the HSE news service how they came into the sports industry thanks to HSE, even though several years ago they couldn’t even imagine having anything to do with sports.

RBK, Esquire and The Village journalists teach Perm HSE students how to captivate their readers

HSE Perm students attended a spring school on communications in Moscow, organised by the School of Integrated Communications and School of Media.

'Journalism Is a Very Simple Profession'

In November, Ilya Azar, a journalist and graduate of the Higher School of Economics, won the HSE Alumni Awards in the category ‘Fourth Estate’. In this edition of Success Builder, Ilya speaks about how to get a job in the media, what journalistic ethics are, and how to survive in the hot spots without body armour.

The Happiness Researcher

5th September is the 80th birthday of the outstanding sociologist and political scientist Ronald Inglehart, Academic Supervisor of the HSE’s International Laboratory for Comparative Social Research (LCSR).