iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Recently Published (🔆Open Access🔆): From Restricted to Digital Fieldwork: A Renewed Methodological Framework for Russian Studies After the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine by Kevin Limonier & Maxime Audinet doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

The “exogenous shock” provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has profoundly transformed the subfield of Russian studies, raising significant methodological and epistemological issues. Like many before them, scholars in Russian studies, mainly from Western institutions, are faced with the need to renew their research methods and sources in light of the challenging access to the research field in Russia. Rooted in discussions on the “computational turn” and digitization of area studies, this article proposes to overcome these new challenges by exploring Russia through its digital fieldwork. Over the past decade, open-source investigations have become decisive in the documentation of objects as diverse as organized crime, elite corruption, or contemporary conflicts. Generally referred to as OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), these investigative practices are made possible by the omnipresence of sensors that digitize a growing proportion of human activities and generate digital footprints. Although these sources are widely used by intelligence services, journalists, and activists, the reflections carried out to integrate them into the “toolbox” of the social scientist in Russian studies are still embryonic and deserve to be enriched. As part of this special issue, this article contributes to this effort, by reviewing the existing literature in “digital Russian studies,” highlighting key epistemological and ethical issues associated with digital investigation in authoritarian context, and proposing a draft methodological framework for potential research avenues. The result is the possibility of a fieldwork “augmented” by digital technology, the use of which proves particularly fruitful to study wartime Russian politics.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

🚨 New publication alert (open access) 🚨 I've been working on everyday nationalism for a good portion of my career, so it was a genuine privilege to contribute to this exchange along with @davidstroup.bsky.social, Jon Fox & Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Kanchan Chandra, and @tptrost.bsky.social.

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The editorial team at CPCS congratulates the winners of the inaugural Global Collaborative Research Award: Dorota Pietrzyk-Reeves and Paula M. Pickering, "Perceptions and Drivers of Civic Activism: The Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland." doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

doi.org

Perceptions and Drivers of Civic ActivismThe Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is considered a laboratory for both democratization and democratic backsliding, but little is known still about how ordinary citizens perceive and make decisions about...

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

An excellent collection of articles in this special issue!

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Recently published: Language Activism in Kazakhstan: Decolonial Sentiments and (Post-) Soviet Reality by Kamila Smagulova & Joanna Bagadzinska Free access for one week: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

This article explores the phenomenon of language activism in Kazakhstan, examining its roots and contemporary manifestations within a decolonial framework. Despite Soviet colonialism not being traditionally classified as typical colonialism, it resulted in significant sociolinguistic inequalities, particularly between the Russian and Kazakh languages. The research highlights how modern Kazakh language activists challenge this imbalance by promoting the use and prestige of Kazakh, addressing issues of linguistic justice and national identity reconstruction. The study emphasizes the impact of nation-building policies and the role of grassroots activism in navigating the complexities of bilingualism and ethnic identity. It argues that the current wave of activism not only reflects decolonial sentiments but also contributes to a broader discourse on linguistic justice in a multiethnic society. The analysis is grounded in the sociopolitical context of (post-)Soviet Kazakhstan, with particular attention to recent geopolitical shifts and their influence on language dynamics.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

This is a great collection of articles on the ways Russia's war impacts youth in Ukraine, Russia, and Central Asia. Congrats to @irgarner.bsky.social and @allysonedwards1.bsky.social on this excellent work as guest editors!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

I'm excited to be joining Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki as a Visiting Fellow in 2026-2027! While in residence, I'll be working on my project "War, Media, and Russian Political Migrants." www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

helsinki.fi

Welcoming new Visiting Fellows for 2026-2027 | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki

The Aleksanteri Institute is delighted to welcome the following five scholars as Visiting Fellows for the 2026-2027 academic year:

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Congrats to Natalia, Artem, and Valentyna for for your important contribution! I’m so proud that CPCS has evolved into a destination for this kind of scholarship.

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Recently published: From Celebrity Feminism to Feminist Anti-War Resistance by Saara Maria Ratilainen, Daniil Zhaivoronok & Galina Miazhevich Free access for one week: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

The research project “Mediated Feminism(s) in Contemporary Russia” (FEMCORUS 2021–25) informs this research note. Our empirical observations highlight the key trends in the dynamics of mediated feminism in Russia, prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and, subsequently, up until autumn 2024. This note considers a decade (2013–22) of the popularization of feminist discourses bolstered by social media sites, influencer culture, and celebrity media, which was then utilized for the anti-war activist mobilization of feminism in Russia. This research note brings new perspectives into the existing debate by identifying several, previously overlooked, aspects of Russian feminism(s). With the focus on the mediated discourses and expressions of feminism, and their role in feminist activist mobilization during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, our research carves out a novel interdisciplinary space for feminist research in the Russian context at the junction of transnational feminist studies, media studies, and social movement research.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Join us for the publisher's forum at 1:30 pm today (May 7)!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Wrapping up two weeks in Britain, today at the ASEN conference for a fantastic panel on AI and Nationalism Studies. I've been looking forward to this opportunity to revisit the hypotheses in my 2021 article AI and nationalism. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Artificial intelligence and the future of nationalism

Artificial intelligence (AI) is spreading through all walks of life, promising social and economic disruptions that prompt comparisons with the Industrial Revolution. While there is growing interest ....

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Grateful to Vera Tolz and the @m-deceit.bsky.social project for hosting my talk today on Russian media portrayals of international sanctions. Great to be back among the worker bees in Manchester!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Look, I know that William Gibson wrote Neuromancer before he even owned a computer, but I kinda feel like the inability to manage powerpoint slides should disqualify you from making authoritative statements on information warfare.

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

New in Advance Articles: We Are All Netnographers Now? Fieldwork in an Age of Participatory Warfare by Jethro Norman doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

This article explores the ethical and practical challenges of conducting long-term ethnographic fieldwork in conflict zones in an era of widespread smartphone and social media use. It argues that digital technology not only transforms methodological approaches but also reshapes the nature of war itself. Drawing on insights from fieldwork in various conflict zones, including Somalia, Ukraine, and South Sudan, it asks: How does rapidly acquired digital connectivity change the way we conceptualize, approach, and conduct fieldwork in conflict zones? When smartphones are both research tools and potential weapons of war (Ford and Hoskins 2022), how can we use them ethically? Reflecting on three online/offline complexities of the author’s fieldwork experiences in Somalia/Somaliland in 2021, the article suggests that participative warfare and digital research methodologies are intertwined, driven by the proliferation of connected devices. Practical, ethical, and security concerns arise from this intersection. First, researchers may become direct participants in war, whether physically present or not. Second, there is limited awareness of the security risks posed by technology, especially given the rise of mis- and disinformation in conflict settings. Finally, since the traditional notion of the “field” has collapsed, making us potentially reachable anywhere and at any time, we need to reconsider how we establish temporal boundaries to ensure safe and sustainable research practices. The article concludes that researchers must navigate a blended field of offline and online phenomena, underscoring the need to safeguard in-person fieldwork while allowing sufficient time to engage with the digital realm.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Making waves on the official website of the Republic of Belarus.

"As Paul Goode, a professor at Carleton University and yet another guardian of Western liberal ideology, noted in a comment to The Guardian"

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Look me up if you want to chat at BASEES about publishing your research in CPCS!

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Recently published: The Defending “Defenders”: Framing Public Actions in Contemporary Russian Political Opportunity Structures by Marina Bezenkova Free access for one week: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

This article focuses on the opportunities for allowing protests in contemporary Russia despite military censorship and a ban on any public action or criticism of the ongoing war against Ukraine. The research analyzes the tactics of the women’s activism that were used on Red Square in November 2023, demanding the return of their mobilized relatives. The study shows how women activists manage risks, declare demands, and avoid detention while interacting with police and officials of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF). Through the analysis of framing perspective, the study examines the demonstration and interactions in the community’s blog. Findings indicate that the actualization of several specific framings in the movement’s action—including appropriation of the KPRF’s rhetoric and self-representation as responsible and patriotic soldiers’ wives with minor support from the KPRF—presents a space for protest in Russia’s closed political system.

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Recently published: Transformations in Russian Activism: Navigating Identity and Solidarity in Russia’s Anti-War Movement by Vlada Baranova Free access for one week: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

This article examines the evolving identities and solidarity among Russia’s anti-war movement, particularly focusing on the convergence between feminist and decolonial activism. Using the Feminist Anti-War Resistance (FAR) and ethnic or decolonial activists as case studies, the research highlights how solidarity influences the activists’ understanding of their objectives, reshapes identities, and introduces new grassroots coalitions. In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, these interactions challenge traditional boundaries between movements and foster a growing solidarity. The study draws on diverse data sources, including interviews with FAR activists, interviews with ethnic/decolonial activists, and online ethnography, to explore how discursive shifts, particularly regarding ethnic discrimination and intersectionality, redefine activist identity and solidarity. The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the convergence of decolonial activism and feminism in the context of the war against Ukraine. By analyzing these changes, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of how activist identities and alliances evolve under authoritarian conditions, providing insight into the broader dynamics of civil resistance and identity politics.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

This is a very stubborn myth, indeed, despite a lot of insightful and nuanced scholarship produced over the last couple of years covering the efforts of war-induced migrants in Europe and elsewhere. I work with one such group in Canada and their energy is not matched by their visibility.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

One of Schulmann's more interesting observations from yesterday: Belarus is now freer than Russia in terms of access to information.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Ekaterina Schulmann and Maksim Kurnikov, recording today’s episode of “Status” live in Ottawa!

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

If only someone studied these kinds of questions...

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Recently published: Introduction: New Research on Russian Women’s Anti-War Activism after February 2022 by: Regina Smyth & Veronica Kostenko Free access for one week: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

Our special issue explores the roots, strategies, and frames that shaped women’s activism contesting Russia’s war in Ukraine. This introductory article places gendered anti-war activism in the context of the late Soviet and post-Soviet periods. This approach highlights critical changes that have occurred in Russian politics and society in the past two decades. On the one hand, we observe the rise of a new grassroots feminism and increased women’s activism, as well as the rise of horizontal protest organizations that effectively relied on new media as a tool of mobilization. On the other hand, we observe a profound change in the regimes’ repressive response to all types of wartime activism and growing societal quiescence in the face of state actions against soldiers’ wives and mothers. We conclude with a discussion of the articles included in the special issue, to highlight the debates and contributions that emerged across different approaches and empirical lenses.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

A fantastic collection of articles in this issue!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The science says that White House is unlikely to benefit from a rally-around-the-flag effect, nor is this likely to work as a diversionary war. And, as we all know, the Trump administration is all about the science. oxfordre.com/politics/dis...

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

No immediate threat to national security. No congressional authorization. No constitution.

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Steve Saideman @smsaideman.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The Trump administration has become the greatest force for the spread of nuclear weapons. Near threshold adversaries now must get them to prevent an attack a la North Korea. America's "allies" need them since the nuclear umbrella is now in tatters.l

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

A process begun already in 2014 with the state takeover of the Perm-36 gulag museum and its conversion into a museum honoring the prison guards. I interviewed the original directors of Perm-36 as well as the advisor for its replacement and wrote about it here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.org

Patriotism without Patriots? Perm΄-36 and Patriotic Legitimation in Russia | Slavic Review | Cambridge Core

Patriotism without Patriots? Perm΄-36 and Patriotic Legitimation in Russia - Volume 79 Issue 2

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Happening tomorrow! Still time to register.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Well that was fun. Bluesky is pretty much X now with a coat of paint.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

As a citizen, I’m all for this. As a comparativist, name one time that telling authoritarian incumbents you’ll throw them in prison has worked out. If you thought J6 was bad…

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

The truth is that no AI company wants you to run a local AI, most consumers and enterprise will keep paying for subs, and the niche group of AI developers need hardware with gobs of memory not useless NPUs. There is no actual market for "AI PCs."

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

An appropriate way to start the new year!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Teaching graduate-level "Russian Domestic Politics" for the first time since... (checks notes) 2019?! Yikes. Time to start a new syllabus from scratch. Topics and readings attached for the morbidly curious.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Took some time off for the holidays, returned to my inbox to find another senior scholar throwing a tantrum because I desk rejected their screed. To be clear, by saying that I'm "obsessed with theory," this author was referring to my suggestion that, you now, they should have one.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Today I had the honor and privilege of talking to students of Invisible University for Ukraine about everyday nationalism. Many thanks to Viktoriya Sereda for the kind invitation and to her fantastic students who raised some fascinating questions.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Getting ready for another morning making the rounds on CBC radio to talk Ukraine-US-Russia: Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, Quebec City, Cornerbrook/Gander, Moncton, Saskatoon, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, Yellowknife, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vancouver.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Go home, Wiley. You're drunk.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Waiting for the inevitable picture of Trump standing in a wheatfield.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Personally, I kinda think it looks more like the FIFA Zombie Apocalypse Prize.

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Great to see this issue is finally online. We're getting a lot of excellent research so we tried to cram as many articles as we could into the last issue before the holidays. Check it out: online.ucpress.edu/cpcs/issue/5...

online.ucpress.edu

Volume 58 Issue 4 | Communist and Post-Communist Studies | University of California Press

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Making the rounds on CBC radio this morning to talk about Witkoff, Russia, Ukraine, and back channel diplomacy. Three interviews down, eleven to go!

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Paul Goode @jpaulgoode.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Find me on the ASEEES conference program or shoot me a note if you’d like to chat!

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Reposted by Paul Goode

Communist and Post-Communist Studies @cpcs.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Free to access for one week: Russian Business and the Authoritarian Welfare State: Corporate Social Programs as Legitimation for Companies and the State by Ulla Pape 👉 doi.org/10.1525/cpcs... #Russia #authoritarianism #welfare #legitimation

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