'Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth' examines how reactionary and revisionist rhetoric began dominating public discourse in Russia and how Vladimir Putin managed to win public support for the war in Ukraine. A significant role is played by militarist youth movements that mimic the institutions of totalitarian regimes of the past and try to develop an ideological continuity between generations. Garner presents in-depth stories from the personal and social media lives of the diverse spectrum of social groups, from nationalist crowds to marginalised communities, including ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ youth, and activists, who are being driven away and apart by the state.

SPEAKERS:

• Dr Ian Garner
• Emily Ferris

CHAIR:

• Dr Natasha Kuhrt, Senior Lecturer at the Department of War Studies

SPEAKERS BIOS:

Dr Ian Garner

His research focuses on Soviet and Russian war propaganda and culture. The author of Stalingrad Lives: Stories of Combat and Survival (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023) and Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth (Hurst Publishers, 2023), he studied at the Universities of Bristol and Toronto and at the St Petersburg State Conservatory. He has written and been interviewed for The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, BBC, CBC, ABC, Vice News, Times Radio and elsewhere. He currently teaches at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Emily Ferris

Research Fellow in the International Security Studies department at RUSI, specialising in Russian domestic politics. Emily has a particular interest in Russia's military and civilian infrastructure including its railways, road and port systems, and the role this plays in advancing Russia's political ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as deployed in conflict zones such as Ukraine. She also researches domestic political administrations in Russia's Far East, and Russia's military and political relationship with Belarus.