Institute of Sociology
of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology
of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Vanke, A. (2025). Reconceptualising the Working Class in Contemporary Russia. In: Odhav, K., Govender, J. (eds) Sociology of Inequalities in BRICS Countries. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https: ...



Vanke, A. (2025). Reconceptualising the Working Class in Contemporary Russia. In: Odhav, K., Govender, J. (eds) Sociology of Inequalities in BRICS Countries. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3339-8_6
ISBN 978-981-95-3338-1
DOI 10.1007/978-981-95-3339-8_6

Posted on site: 09.01.25

Òåêñò ñòàòüè íà ñàéòå èçäàòåëÿ URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-3339-8_6 (äàòà îáðàùåíèÿ 09.01.2026)


Abstract

The chapter reconsiders the concept of the working class in the mainstream sociological class theories and provides critical reflection on its application in empirical research beyond ‘Western’ societies in the example of contemporary Russia. It is argued that in Russia, the working-class is strongly differentiated and includes different factions and that Russian society demonstrates multiplication of working classes, facing different problems but still shaped by neoliberal policies and larger orders of power. The article analytically compares the concepts of the post-Soviet working class and the post-socialist working class by looking at spatial scales and time dynamics they are capable of reflecting. It is shown that the two concepts differ by their applicability to ‘local’ and ‘global’ contexts and by their focus on ‘transformative’ and ‘transitory’ processes. The post-Soviet working class is a narrower concept describing the working class in a particular region with specific temporalities and territorialities; it is applicable to the genealogical analysis of structural changes in the former Soviet republics and countries of the former Soviet Bloc. The post-socialist working class is a broader concept that addresses the problems of the working class by focusing on specificities of larger orders of power and is applicable to the analysis of former socialist states in relation to working-class everyday experiences. Both concepts work better when integrated into the reflection on configurations of class, gender, race/ ethnicity and age that altogether contribute to the reproduction of intersectional inequalities in everyday life, in particular societies and in the global context.

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Content (in russ)


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