King’s Russia Institute

King’s College London is set to open a Russia Institute in 2013, which will aim to become the leading international centre for the study of contemporary Russia. The Institute will launch MA and PhD programmes designed to complement those of the existing Global Institutes at King’s, focusing on the nations that are emerging as the key cultural, economic and political powers of the twenty-first century.

Professor Keith Hoggart, Vice-Principal of External Relations at King’s said: ‘I am delighted that the College has approved the creation of a Russia Institute. There are already a variety of Russian interests at King’s, which the formation of a Russia Institute should give greater prominence to, as well as providing a focal point for strengthening the College’s expertise and activities that are Russia-centred.

‘With a Russia Institute in existence, the College is increasing its capabilities to provide world-leading investigative insights on how the BRIC economies, which will be cultural, economic and political powerhouses for the twenty-first century, are helping forge a new global hegemony. Along with King’s Brazil, China and India Institutes, the new Russia Institute will aid understanding in a comparative sense of how the BRIC economies are becoming ever more important on the world stage, so having Russia is critical to providing that comparative framework.’

The mission of the new Russia Institute will be to promote, undertake and coordinate interdisciplinary, balanced, and cutting-edge studies of how Russian society functions and on the country’s place and impact in global affairs. The Institute will also focus on Russia’s relations with neighbouring countries and developments in Eurasia and the Caucasus.

King’s already has an established tradition in studying Russian society, from its history and law to politics and religion; the College has also recently developed close ties with the country’s academic, political, and cultural organisations. Other existing research strengths at King’s, including security and diplomacy, politics of development, and entrepreneurship and economic change, will be drawn on to provide students an in-depth understanding of Russia in the context of globalization.

Marat Shterin, Lecturer in Religion, Society and Politics at King’s said: ‘Russia, with its fascinating history, rich culture, complex contemporary politics, and growing economic power, has long been at the centre of attention for academic, policy, business and artistic circles. But now, as openness and global integration have brought Russia more fully into the world than ever before, the opportunities to truly understand the country Churchill famously called “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” have never been greater.’

King’s central London location will also allow the new Russia Institute to leverage unparalleled access to the intellectual, policy and cultural resources available in the UK and in Europe, while simultaneously building an authoritative profile in Russia, based on partnerships with major academic institutions, government and the corporate sector, and on engagement with public debates there.

The College is now in process of hiring a Director to lead the Institute, and other appointments will follow in 2012, ahead of a formal opening in 2013.

The Russia Institute is developing MA and PhD programmes that will include unique modules drawing on advanced methods and concepts across the social sciences, humanities, and other subject areas, such as medicine and law. As a result, while focusing on Russia, students will acquire a range of transferable analytical skills necessary for their successful careers in a variety of fields within and outside academia.

Given Russia’s enormous geographic, cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, the Institute is aiming at establishing specific programmes on the Northern Caucasus, Siberia, and the Far East, alongside research and teaching interests in Russia’s immediate neighbours, many of which, such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia, share its historical legacy and have close economic and political ties.

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