New Books in Sociology Anna Zhelnina, "Private Life, Public Action: How Housing Politics Mobilized Citizens in Moscow" (Temple UP, 2025)
Dec 5, 2025
Anna Zhelnina, an Assistant Professor of interdisciplinary social science and author focusing on housing politics in Moscow, discusses her impactful research on the city's 2017 renovation plan. She reveals how citizens mobilized in response to housing policies, often surprising each other with their differing views. Zhelnina explores how these grassroots movements transformed everyday interactions and led to significant political outcomes, all while highlighting the fragility of civil society in an authoritarian context. Her insights resonate beyond Moscow, reflecting global struggles in urban redevelopment.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Renovation's Massive Reach
- The 2017 Moscow Renovation targeted demolition of over 4,000 Soviet-era apartment buildings, affecting more than a million residents.
- Anna Zhelnina reframed her dissertation to study how this massive plan reshaped social and political life in Moscow.
Housing Views Shape Political Choices
- Residents' positions toward relocation depended on housing ideals, past housing experiences, and trust in state institutions.
- Socioeconomic status mattered but did not fully explain support or opposition to renovation.
Soviet Legacies And Moscow Inequality
- Soviet-era norms left a persistent idea of housing as a right and influenced expectations about state responsibility.
- Moscow's unequal neighborhood prestige complicated the socialist-era ideal of equal housing access.
