Caring Like a State

The post-Soviet Russian state is haunted by the spectre of shrinking population. Despite well-publicized pronatalist campaigns, declining birth rates and raising mortality rates cast doubt on the state's ability to properly care for its people. In this volume, anthropologist Inna Leykin follows the circulation of demographic knowledge in contemporary Russia to show how its production and public consumption have shaped social imaginaries about normative families, national sovereignty, and the self. She demonstrates that the language of demography has been influential in defining what kind of behavior and social aspirations are considered worthy of state support and protection.

Caring Like a State: The Politics of Russia's Demographic Crisis analyzes the world of professional demographers and non-state actors, as well as the subjective experiences of ordinary Russian citizens to explore how their reciprocal relations have shaped the dominant understanding of the problem of population and its possible solutions.