In 2018, David Laitin and Pål Kolstø engaged in a discussion at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Nationalities held at Columbia University, New York. The panel was a 20-year retrospective on Identity in Formation: the Russian-speaking populations in the Near Abroad (Laitin 1998).
This article examines the unexpected revival of Rodina (Motherland), a nationalist party that had been suppressed in 2006 for its embrace of “orangist,” anti-Putin politics. Five years later, Rodina was relaunched in response to the crisis of the Medvedev–Putin “tandemocracy.” This article shows that Rodina played a central role in the Kremlin’s “managed nationalism,” which sought to direct the energies of Russian nationalists into loyalist channels. In particular, it illuminates three ways that Rodina facilitated collaboration between nationalists and the regime. First, it helped to integrate nationalists into the All-Russia Popular Front, the umbrella structure that was created as a vehicle for Putin’s return to the presidency. Second, it served as a counterrevolutionary force by drawing nationalists from the “white ribbon” protest movement into two Kremlin-supported initiatives: the “conservative turn” and a media campaign against non-Slavic immigration. And third, it acted as a proxy for the Russian state during the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in southeast Ukraine, recruiting nationalists to serve as separatists and cultivating the support of European radical nationalists. In these three ways, Rodina contributed both to Russia’s autocratization and to the growing influence of nationalist ideas in public discourse.
May 9, 2023
ASN interviews Dr. Koter about a role of ethnicity in shaping African politics and the robustness of national identity in African countries, an area of research often overshadowed by ethnic identity.
April 3, 2023
Can we (and should we) compare China to other countries when analyzing nationalism? David Stroup discusses his latest article “Chinese Nationalism: Insights and Opportunities for Comparative Studies” (Nationalities Papers, vol.51 #1)
February 26, 2023
Interview with Vladimir Đorđević, Mikhail Suslov, Marek Čejka, Ondřej Mocek and Martin Hrabálek about their latest article in Nationalities Papers.
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By focusing on nationalism and identity, ASN aims to understand complex processes of societal transformation taking place from Europe to Eurasia and beyond.
It’s the final day of #ASN2025 — and what a finale!



2 more sessions of standout panels, 2 film screenings, an awards ceremony, and a closing reception to top it all off. Let’s go out strong!
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#asn2025 Book panels are a treat! Which ones will you check out today?
#ASN2025 Day Two
What will you watch? 1:40 PM
1201 — A Bit of a Stranger
Mariupol women on identity & patriotism
501A — The Kyiv Files (Skhidniy Front)
KGB archives, family secrets & Soviet surveillance
501B — Turkmenistan: The World’s Strangest Dictatorship
#ASN25 Day One



What a day—panels, people, and powerful ideas!
Don’t forget to share your photos, tag your panelists, and let the world know what you’re learning. Let’s keep the conversation going!
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Nationalities Papers