Preface PART I 1. The Return of the 'Soviet' or the 'National' in Putin's Russia? 2. The White Knight and the Red Queen: Blinded by Love PART II Of History and Identity: Recent and Very Recent 3. Shared Mental Models of the Late Soviet Period 4. The New Russian Identity and the Burden of the Soviet Past PART III Of Leaders and Opinion-Makers: Top-Down Political Construction 5. Constructing The Collective Trauma of the 1990 6. MMM for VVP: Building the Modern Media Machine 7. Le Cirque Politique a la Russe: Political Talk Shows and Public Opinion Leaders in Russia Conclusion 8. Searching for a New Mirror: On Human and Collective Dignity in Russia Epilogue

"The Red Mirror covers the vital aspects of identity politics in post-Soviet Russia with skill and nuance, covering a remarkable breadth of secondary literature that links up decades of scholarship." -- Matthew Blackburn, Europe-Asia Studies "Methodologically The Red Mirror is an eclectic book bringing to the fore various theories and approaches to compose a coherent picture on Russian development during this millennium and understand it ... the book is most insightful and up-to-date." -- Simo Mannila, University of Helsinki , Eurasian Geography and Economics "Sharafutdinova's ambitious new undertaking is a major contribution to both the literature in Russian area studies and theoretical research focusing on the development of political identity." -- Igor Zevelev, Russian Review "In focusing mainly on Russian government of the last decade, Sharafutdinova has deepened our understanding of Russia, its citizens, and the autocratic President Putin. She scrupulously and often brilliantly examines many different groups and topics, and thus reveals Putin's skill at undermining the West and restoring the nation's self-respect. But this has also led to economic stagnation and a need for some oppression, factors that, she believes, ultimately threaten his rule." -- Peter Reddaway , Professor Emeritus of Political Science, George Washington University "Gulnaz Sharafutdinova's new book focuses on a first order question for any reader who wants to understand Russia or, more generally, modern autocracies: why Putin's popularity was so high in 2014-2018 despite dismal economic performance? The Red Mirror traces the origins of Putin's narrative, explains its appeal to Russian public, and explores the nuts and bolts of the media machine Putin uses to deliver the narrative in the most effective way." -- Sergei Guriev , Professor of Economics, Sciences Po, Paris

Selling point: Solves the puzzle of Russian politics by studying the Soviet experience alongside the nation's political transition in the 1990s and Putin's leadership Selling point: Draws upon the author's experience as a Russian immigrant and academic in the US to characterize Russia with empathy and neutrality Selling point: Uses a social psychological approach to make sense of authoritarian legitimation

Gulnaz Sharafutdinova is Reader in Russian Politics at King's College London. She is the author of Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism Inside Russia (Notre Dame University Press) and co-editor of Soviet Society in the Era of Late Socialism, 1964-1985 (Lexington Press).

Selling point: Solves the puzzle of Russian politics by studying the Soviet experience alongside the nation's political transition in the 1990s and Putin's leadership Selling point: Draws upon the author's experience as a Russian immigrant and academic in the US to characterize Russia with empathy and neutrality Selling point: Uses a social psychological approach to make sense of authoritarian legitimation