Please join the Fletcher Eurasia Club for a lunch seminar with Sergei Erofeev, a lecturer at Rutgers University and specialist in cultural theory and social change. He will discuss the broader social and cultural factors driving Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political behavior, war against Ukraine, and relationship with the West.

Erofeev will argue that if the problem of Putin’s never-ending threat to the world is not solved through his defeat in Ukraine or a domestic coup, he may be driven to put an end to it himself “amidst a revolution.” Unlike any of Putin’s military actions, this type of act does have the potential for an unacceptable, albeit local, nuclear disaster. However, regarding the conflict with the West, the sociological perspectives of symbolic interactionism and deviance studies offer insights into why the world should not fear any form of Putin’s escalation, let alone a nuclear one.   

We encourage you to read and watch in advance his articles and interviews on the sociological implications of the Russia-Ukraine war, the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia, Putin’s public approval, the Russian diaspora’s anti-authoritarian leaning, and Russia’s brain drain. The Eurasia Club weekly lunch seminar series engages with students, faculty, staff, and researchers to foster a better understanding of the region among members of the Fletcher community. Members of the wider Tufts community are also welcome to attend. Lunch will be served.

If you would like to attend via Zoom or submit discussion questions for the speaker in advance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Sergei Erofeev is currently a lecturer at Rutgers University in New Jersey. His research interests are in cultural theory and social change. Previously, Dr. Erofeev served as a Vice Rector for International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, the Dean of international programs at the European University at Saint Petersburg, and the Director of the Center for Sociology of Culture at Kazan Federal University in Russia. Sergei Erofeev’s current work is focused on developing a methodology to study “tectonic value shifts”, the culture of mafia state and state terrorism.