Raimondo Lanza

Raimondo Lanza is a PhD researcher and teacher at Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris. He holds a MA in International Relations from Saint Petersburg State University. His research focuses on Russian geopolitics, geopolitical imaginations, stereotypes, popular culture, humor and dreamlife.

From anti-Kremlin satire to anti-Biden series: humor as a power tool in Putin’s Russia

When discussing Russian humor, one might first think of the dark, dissident humor of the Soviet era, when the powerless used bitter wit as a private form of revenge against the powerful. In those times, when the promises of Communist…

Is Russia actually that big? Deconstructing three geographical myths

Cartography produces simplifications and distortions of reality. In a non-verbal way, maps influence our representation of the world. By fixing North and South, center and periphery, we give precise messages about the political and social…

The new chip road between East and West

The term “Central Asia” generally refers to five post-Soviet countries that many struggle to name: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Despite some ready-made exotic imagery about the treasures of Samarkand (in…

A state of mind: how conspiracy theories became the Kremlin’s ideology

Does Vladimir Putin believe in a Western conspiracy to destroy Russia? Does he think, as he recently declared, that “NATO is like Nazism” and that “German tanks are once more threatening Russia”? If Putin’s mind remains a mystery, we know…

“All Funny on the Eastern Front”: war humor in Russia and Ukraine

Ethnic jokes were very popular during Soviet times. Russians used to laugh at “minor” nations of the Empire, expressing a sense of superiority. In the book Taking penguins to the movies (1998), Emil Draitser gives an account of Russian…

Author