Alexei Yurchak, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, author of
Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation:
"This fascinating book offers a sweeping analysis of Russia's changing 'language culture' in the past several decades, from the politics of language use and debates over language norms to the role Russian language plays in national identity, political culture, and international relations. But this is more than a book about language culture. From the stagnant discourse of post-Stalinist Soviet Union to the exciting linguistic openness of Gorbachev’s perestroika, from the violent linguistic experimentation of the first post-Soviet decade to the authoritative linguistic grip and chaotic online utopia of Putin’s years, this book provides an extraordinary perspective on Russia's cultural and political history."
Mark Lipovetsky:
"There are very few books analyzing post-Soviet culture from the perspective of politics and vice versa. Michael Gorham's second monograph belongs to this rare and highly valuable breed, as it embraces the period from Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost to the anti-Putin protests of 2011–12. Michael Gorham has written a highly necessary book establishing a new approach to post-Soviet politics through the study of competition between language ideologies and rhetorical models warring for political prominence. Written in a highly accessible manner and rich with unique factual material, it should become an essential part of diverse courses on post-Soviet culture, language, and politics on both the undergraduate and graduate levels."
Eliot Borenstein, New York University, author of Overkill: Sex and Violence in Contemporary Russian Popular Culture:
"After Newspeak is a great book that gives tremendous insight into Russia's political culture, and it is a sheer delight to read."
Helena Goscilo, The Ohio State University, author of Dehexing Sex: Russian Womanhood During and After Glasnost:
"After Newspeak productively combines language theory and a wealth of sources—from TV to paper journalism, political speeches to blogs—to advance an original argument that covers more than three decades of Russian culture. Michael S. Gorham's impressively meticulous and wide-ranging scholarship and consistently analytical treatment of the material persuasively demonstrates the interplay among language, identity, and politics. Rich in content and sophisticated in its conceptualization, this book should engage not only Slavists, but also anyone invested in understanding the power of language."
Anna Popkova, Western Michigan University:
"Micahel Gorham's After Newspeak: Language Culture and Politics in Russia from Gorbachev to Putin is an insightful and thought-provoking cultural history of the Russian language and its close connection to Russian politics in the period from Gorbachev's perestroika to the early years of Putin's third presidential term Meticulously researched, wonderfully written, and full of vivid examples and compelling vignettes, After Newspeak is essential reading for anyone studying Russian politics, language, media, and national identity."
Magda Dolinska-Rydzek:
"In this book Gorham decided to survey a very dynamic and unstable period of Russian contemporary history that has not yet been studied from the perspective of language culture.... Gorham's innovative work, referring to numerous historical and socio-political contexts, not only enables a better undestanding of the last 25 years of the Russian Federation, but also offers a new perspective on the interrelation between language, culture, and politics."
