Notes on Aleksei Malashenko

Chechnya expert and Scholar-in-Residence at the Moscow Carnegie Center.
Aleksei Malashenko co-chairs (with Martha Brill Olcott) the "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" program. This program examines the rise of nationalism, the problem of sustainable development in the oil-producing states of the Caspian Basin, the creation of a new class of political and economic elites, and the changing role of Islam in Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, and elsewhere in Eurasia.
Aleksei Malashenko and Dmitri Trenin. The Time of the South: Russia in Chechnya, Chechnya in Russia. September 2002. 267 pp. In Russian
- This book investigates the Chechen war and its effects on Russia. The authors have researched the many changes in the Russian political system, in its military organization and its foreign politics, which have been instigated by the conflict in the Southern Caucasus. Special emphasis has been placed on the evolution of the ‘Islamic Factor’ and its significance. The development of the situation in Chechnya since 1991 is analyzed; however, particular focus is applied to the concerns now facing Russia. According to the authors, Russia has entered the ‘Time of the South’, in which Southern issues (regarding the Caucasus and Central Asia) have shifted from the periphery of consciousness to central awareness, and in some cases have become the determining factors in various spheres of Russian political and everyday life.
Islam in the Post-Soviet Newly Independent States: The View from Within / Aleksei Malashenko and Martha Brill Olcott, Eds. July 2001. 320 pp. In Russian
- The book analyzes a wide range of problems related to the Renaissance of Islam in the post-Soviet space and its influence on politics, international relations, security, law, culture, and religion itself. There is a struggle over the role of Islam in the community, whether it should be the foundation of law and morality or not. This struggle exists in states that are multi-confessional as well as those that are mono-confessional. At the core is the question of whether a Muslim society can in fact ever become a truly secular one, or is secular a phenomenon of the Christian world. Each of the authors brings in extensive field research, or in-depth practical knowledge to the problem, so that the reader gets a sense of the multi-faceted nature of the problem.
Language and Ethnic Conflicts / Martha Brill Olcott and Ilya Semenov, Eds. July 2001. 150 pp. In Russian
- The publication fills in a gap in the studies of interethnic relations and ethnic conflicts in Russia and the CIS. The authors represent a variety of scholarly disciplines: there are ethnologists, sociologists, political scientists, philosophers and culturologists. The book examines the role language plays in the emergence, development and description of ethnic conflicts, considers different aspects of the interaction between language and ethnic conflicts, and analyzes the context in which this interaction arises and manifests itself, be it a sociopolitical, sociocultural, regional, educational or mythological context. Although this research is confined to local specifics of the problems under discussion, all of them are related to the Western discourse on nationalism, identity and language. The book has been prepared under the "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" project of the Carnegie Moscow Center on the basis of presentations made at the seminars of the "Language and Ethnic Conflicts" working group.
Aleksei Malashenko. Islamic Factor in the Northern Caucasus / March 2001, 180 pp. In Russian.
- Throughout the 1990’s the Northern Caucasus have been witness to a revival of Islamic influence in both political and social ideology. Islamic Factor in the Northern Caucasus outlines how the turn to Islam may largely be explained as an alternative to failed reforms, government corruption, and lack of faith in local and federal elites. The author analyses four levels of existence of the Islamic project - local, national, subregional, and regional. The Introduction and Chapter 1 look at the continuity of the Islamic presence in the Northern Caucasus and address the roots and causes of Islam’s renaissance. Chapter 2 explores Islam’s world view and ideology while Chapter 3 investigates the Islamic identity. In Chapters 4 and 5 Islam’s ability to consolidate society, and the specific demands of the Wahhabis are discussed respectively. The author concludes that Islam’s potential role as an ideological guide and political tool within the Northern Caucasus is very much alive.
Reality of Ethnic Myths / Malashenko, Aleksei, Olcott, Martha Brill, Eds. October 2000, 99 pp.
- This collection of articles from well-known Russian ethnologists and historians fills the gap in the research on inter-ethnic relations in Russia and the CIS. The collection draws the readers attention to several materials, part of which, is dedicated to myths in history and the reflection of historical myths in ethnic policies, as well as the problem of ethno-national liberalism. This publication was prepared as part of the project "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" and based on reports made at the Working Group Seminars in 1998 & 1999.
Multi-Dimensional Borders of Central Asia / Malashenko Aleksei, Martha Brill Olcott, Eds. April 2000, 97 pp.
What Do Russia’s Regions Want? / Malashenko, Aleksei, Ed. October 1999, 104 pp.
Intolerance in Russia: Old and New Phobias / Malashenko, Alexei and Vitkovskaya, Galina, Eds. Edited Volume, May 1999, 196 pp.
- A collection of articles focusing on the ethnic, cultural, and social phobias of the Russian people, based on analysis supported by historical evidence and empirical data from social surveys. The articles trace the evolution of these phobias and their transformation in the post-Soviet period. This research was the topic of a seminar series at the Carnegie Moscow Center, conducted under the auspices of the "Migration and Citizenship" and "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" programs, carried out by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Ethnicity and Confessional Tradition in the Volga-Ural Region of Russia / Malashenko, Alexei and Unusova, Aislu, Eds. Edited Volume, October 1998, 124 pp.
- This is a collection of papers presented at the regional scholarly seminar "Ethnicity and Confessional Tradition in the Volga-Ural Region of Russia" (Ufa, 20-21 April 1998), organized by Bashkir State University, the Academy of Sciences of Bashkortostan, the Department for Study of Peoples of Ural at Ufa Center for Population Studies (RAN), the publishing house "Bashkir Encyclopedia," and the Muslim Religious Ministry of Bashkortostan.
Cossack Revival: Hopes and Fears / Malashenko, Alexei and Vitkovskaya, Galina, Eds. Occasional Papers, #23, September 1998, 242 pp.
- This collection of articles investigates the historical path that Cossacks have followed through the Soviet period, with particular attention to the historical, ethnic, social, and political aspects of their development up to the formation of their contemporary state. The collection contains studies by government officials, scholars, and Cossack movement leaders (atamans). The studies were discussed at seminars in Moscow conducted under the auspices of the "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" and "Migration and Citizenship" programs, carried out by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Factor of Ethno-Confessional Identity in Post-Soviet Society / Malashenko, Alexei and Olcott, Martha, Eds. Edited Volume, July 1998, 204 pp.
- This book is a collection of papers presented by largely young scholars – participants of a series of Carnegie Moscow Center working group meetings during 1997-1998. The book features a successful attempt to carry out an analysis of the role played by the Russian Orthodox Church in contemporary Russian society and its complicated relations with the state. Papers included in this collection also present a number of case studies illustrating the influence of tradition on the political situation in some regions of the Caucasus. A thorough analysis of the evolution of ethnic and confessional identity of various ethnic groups in Dagestan is included as well. The publication was prepared under the auspices of the "Ethnicity and Nation-Building" project.
Malashenko, Alexei. The Islamic Renaissance in Contemporary Russia. Monograph, March 1998, 224 pp.
- This book represents a unique study that provides a complex analysis of the significance of Islam for Russia’s internal development and its policies abroad, as well as evaluates the role of the Muslim community in Russian society. The author describes in-depth the most influential representatives of the Russian Muslim community. The book was prepared on the basis of documents from Islamic political and religious organizations, materials from the press, and the personal impressions of the author from his meetings with representatives of the Muslim community in Russia.
Religion and State in Modern Russia / Olcott, Martha Brill and Malashenko, Alexei, Eds. Occasional Papers, #18, September 1997, 117 pp.
- This volume is a collection of papers delivered in a series of seminars on "Religion and Politics" sponsored by the Carnegie Moscow Center. These seminars were organized by the program on "Interethnic Relations in Russia and the CIS." The collection presents wide-ranging views on problems arising in the relations between religion and the state in contemporary Russia.
Ecology, Society and Tradition: Social and Political Crisis in the CIS in the Context of Environmental Destruction / Malashenko, Alexei and Olcott, Martha Brill, Eds. Occasional Papes, #15, May 1997, 70 pp.
- This book describes and analyzes the recent crises and conflicts related to economic development and environmental destruction. The book is written for ecologists, ethnographers, academics, students, and others interested in these important issues.
Identity and Conflict in the Post-Soviet States / Malashenko, Olcott, and Tishkov, Eds. Edited Volume, April 1997, 490 pp.
- A collection of articles by largely young scholars resulted from the working group "Inter-Ethnic Relations in Russia and the CIS," sponsored by the Carnegie Moscow Center. The purpose of the working group was to study the problems of identity, cultural cooperation and conflicts in the territories of the former Soviet Union. The study attempts to answer questions regarding the ethnopolitical legacy of the former USSR, new identity developments, natural cultural borders, cultural interaction, and the forces which drive internal conflict or unity in an ethnic or cultural group. The dynamics of ethnic conflict are considered as well.