This edited volume addresses the highly important issue of contemporary Russian nationalism. The rise of Russian nationalism under Vladimir Putin has attracted a lot of scholarly and media attention, and even more so following the 2014 Ukraine Crisis. Among the numerous books and articles on similar topics, this volume stands out for its specific focus on the “new” imperialist to ethnic turn of contemporary Russian nationalism, and for its list of contributors, which consists of some of the most prominent scholars of Russian nationalism in both academic and policy circles from six different countries. One common problem of many edited volumes is the difficulty in putting together a coherent theme with multiple authors with different research backgrounds. But the diversity of perspectives in this volume constitutes a major strength. Russian nationalism, as a complicated and multifaceted phenomenon, deserves and needs to be studied from a multiplicity of angles, which is what this book offers. Much of the empirical analysis in this book is based on two major nationwide surveys conducted by Romir in May 2013 and in November 2014 following the events in Ukraine, although the contributors also draw upon a large amount of other primary and secondary sources.

Organizationally, this volume is divided into two parts, focusing on society-level and state-level Russian nationalism, respectively. Even though the title of the volume rightly accentuates the “new” aspects of contemporary Russian nationalism, the authors are well-aware of the historical roots of this nationalism. The first several chapters make it abundantly clear that today's Russian nationalism is a product of historical vicissitudes as well as more recent developments, such as the Soviet collapse and the subsequent mass influx of non-Russian migrants. The chapter by Emil Pain, for example, shows compellingly that Russia's authoritarian and imperial legacies have far-reaching influence on Russian national identity even after the Soviet collapse and emergence of a post-Soviet anti-imperial nationalism. The chapters by Alexander Verkhovsky and Anastasia Mitrofanova examine ethnic Russian nationalism from racial and religious perspectives, respectively. Race and religion are two commonly employed criteria by ethnic nationalists everywhere to justify the exclusion of those deemed not to belong. Interestingly, both chapters find that despite the recent ethnic resurgence, strictly racial and religious definitions of Russian national identity do not seem to appeal to the majority of Russians, which implicitly attests to the strength of the imperial legacy. This, of course, does not mean sentiments of ethnic exclusion are not rampant today, as shown by the chapter by Natalya Kosmarskaya and Igor Savin that studies Muscovites’ attitudes toward immigrants. The resilience of the imperial mindset is further supported by the chapter by Mikhail A. Alexeev, which shows that even ethnic minorities in Russia tend to support further territorial expansion, although Slavic and non-Slavic minorities prefer different types of expansion.

What is striking about the first part of the book, therefore, is the finding that imperial and Soviet legacies seem to be far-reaching despite the “new” ethnocentric shift. This important finding explains why a coherent and distinctive Russian national identity remains elusive despite the regime's efforts, to which the second part turns. Building on his previous acclaimed works on patronal politics in Russia, Henry Hale explains the heightened role of nationalism during Putin's third term through the lens of evolving machine politics in Russia, which forced Putin to seek out a new basis of support following the 2011 domestic political crisis. Similarly, the chapter by Helge Blakkisrud notes the ethnic shift under Putin's third term in response to domestic and international challenges even as the regime distanced itself from more extreme versions of ethnic nationalism. Meanwhile, Marlene Laruelle brings attention to the content of contemporary Russian nationalism by examining the ambiguous and ambivalent relationship between Russian and European identities, which is reflected by some intriguing parallels between strands of ethnic Russian nationalism and right-wing nationalism in Europe. Next, Stephen Hutchings and Vera Tolz explore the crucial role of the Russian media in the regime's nation-building project, which strives to strike a balance between maintaining multi-ethnic cohesion and catering to growing ethnic nationalist sentiments, with the latter gradually gaining ground during Putin's third term. Finally, Peter Rutland examines the impact of Russian nationalism on the country's developmental trajectory as “modernizers” and “nationalists” continue to debate over the desirability of a uniquely-Russian economic model, with the 2014 Ukraine Crisis appearing to push Russia further away from embracing western market institutions. The second part of the book thus echoes the first in noting the ethnic shift under Putin's third term as the imperial vs. ethnic tension continues into the uncertain future. What is clear is that, “imperial” or “ethnic,” contemporary Russian nationalism is ever far-removed from the liberal and civil ideal, which is now under increasing challenge within the west itself.

Russian nationalism is an inherently messy topic. As many contributors acknowledge, the imperial/ethnic dichotomy of Russian nationalism does not capture all the nuances of its full spectrum. Not all the “imperialists” are the same, and the “ethnocentrists” are far from a homogeneous group. But this conceptual distinction does provide a useful analytical tool in highlighting the tangible shift that had taken place in contemporary Russian nationalism from 2000 to 2015. Russia's imperial and Soviet pasts continue to cast a long shadow, while new challenges lead to forms of ethnic backlashes not entirely unlike what has been going on in the west. The Putin regime's efforts to occupy a dominant middle ground have achieved mixed success. On the one hand, it has created a narrative that has more coherence and intelligibility than was the case in the first post-communist decade; on the other hand, there remain fundamental tensions within the narrative, which certainly does not enjoy anything close to a national consensus. This volume has brought together a set of complementary, thought-provoking essays that offer a wide range of theoretical and empirical insights into the evolution of, and the fundamental tensions within, contemporary Russian nationalism. As such, this book should be on the reading list of everyone who is interested in Russian nationalism and in the trajectories of Russian and post-communist politics writ large.