Tatyana Zaslavskaya
Encyclopedia
Tatyana Zaslavskaya (b. September 9, 1927, Kiev
) is a Russia
n economic sociologist, a theoretician of perestroika
, an author and co-author of several books on economy of the Soviet Union
(specializing in agriculture
) and in sociology
of the countryside and a large number of research papers. She was a member of the Consulting Committee to the President of Russia from 1991 to 1992 and also a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
. Zaslavskaya was the founder of VCIOM
and also its director in the years from 1987 to 1992. In 2000 she was the Laureate of the Demidov Prize
. Until today she is the honorary president of the Levada Center
.
for three years, and then graduated from the Economical Department of the University in 1950. She finished her post-graduate study at the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences with the degree of Kandidat
in 1956 under the supervision of Professor Vladimir Venzher (Владимир Григорьевич Венжер). In 1963 she joined the Novosibirsk
Institute of Economics headed by Abel Aganbegyan
(Абел Аганбегян) to work in a command of young and talented scientists. In 1965 she did her Doctorate
in Economics
and in 1968 she was elected an Associate Member (член-корреспондент) of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
within the canonical Marxist science, which postulated that the development of the society is derived from the economical relations, and not vice versa. At these times Soviet sociology
was under the tight scrutiny of the Communist Party (from the position of bourgeois pseudoscience
through a brief period of liberalisation during the Khrushchev Thaw
to sharp criticism during the Leonid Brezhnev
era). The remoteness and relative scientific freedom of the young department of the USSR Academy of Science at Novosibirsk allowed Zaslavskaya to do her research in sociology of the agricultural sector by studying the Siberia
n countryside, Altai Krai
in particular.
In the later years of the Soviet Union accurate detailed information regarding conditions in Soviet agriculture was considered a state secret when not censored outright. A major breach in security occurred in 1983 when the details of a classified paper, "for internal use only", the report from the closed conference in Novosibirsk by Tatyana Zaslavskaya regarding the crisis in Soviet agriculture, were published in the Washington Post. It was called «О совершенствовании социалистических производственных отношений и задачах экономической социологии» (“About the perfection of socialist relations of production and problems of economic sociology”) and was next to the United States
also published in Germany
. In the USSR all copies of the “Novosibirsk manifesto” were withdrawn by the KGB
. Later it became known as the Novosibirsk Report
in the West and was often considered one of the first signs of perestroika
. Although expressed in terms of Marxist theory, this paper -- an outline of a proposed research project to study the social mechanisms of economic development as exemplifed in Siberian agriculture -- was sharply critical of current conditions. Zaslavskaya was the author of a number of works in Russian
which deal with economics and social conditions in Soviet agriculture although some of her work was suppressed by Soviet censors. For example The Methodology of Comparing Labour Productivity in Agriculture in the USSR and the USA, written together with M.I. Sidorova, was suppressed due to its pessimistic results
In 1988 Zaslavskaya came back to Moscow for the formation of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM
which she was the director of until 1992. Afterwards she became the honorable president of VCIOM and later the honorable president of the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada (the Levada Center
since 2004).
In 1993 she became the co-president of the Interdisciplinary academic center of social sciences
(Russian: Интерцентра). Since 1993 the “Intercenter” has been carrying out ten annual international conferences concerning the question: “Where is Russia going?” under Zaslavskaya direction. Many representatives of different sciences (historians, jurists, sociologists, economists, political scientists, culturologists, and philosophers) participate in these conferences debating topics such as a better judgment of the post-communist transformation processes or modern problems and prospects of development of the Russian society.
Zaslavskaya's arguments evolved over time. In the Second Socialist Revolution she imagined that the USSR was experiencing a democratic revolution that would make Russia genuinely socialist. In the next two decades she puzzled over the form and nature of the transition that actually took place in Russia arguing in 1999 that it was some kind of revolution but then in 2002 concluding that "there was no new social revolution in Russia." She saw social change as occurring through crises involving "random transformation" as in the 1990s the Yelt'sin group lost control of the situation. This led her to try to devise various analyses of social groupings and models of change which tended to description and classification.
The winner of the Karpinsky award (Fund Tyopfera, 1989, Germany
), the Demidov Prize
(Demidovsky fund, 2000, Russia
, Yekaterinburg
), founder of the Novosibirsk economic-sociological school.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n economic sociologist, a theoretician of perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, an author and co-author of several books on economy of the Soviet Union
Economy of the Soviet Union
The economy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was based on a system of state ownership of the means of production, collective farming, industrial manufacturing and centralized administrative planning...
(specializing in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
) and in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
of the countryside and a large number of research papers. She was a member of the Consulting Committee to the President of Russia from 1991 to 1992 and also a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
. Zaslavskaya was the founder of VCIOM
VCIOM
All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, VTsIOM, [established in 1987; till 1992 – All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion] is the oldest polling institution in the post-Soviet space and is one of the leading sociological and market research companies in Russia.-General...
and also its director in the years from 1987 to 1992. In 2000 she was the Laureate of the Demidov Prize
Demidov Prize
The Demidov Prize was a national scientific prize in the Russian Empire awarded annually to the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. One of the most prestigious and oldest scientific awards in the world, its traditions influenced other awards of this kind including the Nobel Prize...
. Until today she is the honorary president of the Levada Center
Levada Center
Levada Center is a Russian independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research organisation. It is named after its founder, the first Russian professor of sociology Yuri Levada . Levada Center traces back its history to 1987 when VCIOM was founded, originally headed by Academician...
.
Biography
Tatyana Zaslavskaya studied at the Physical Department of the Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
for three years, and then graduated from the Economical Department of the University in 1950. She finished her post-graduate study at the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences with the degree of Kandidat
Kandidat
The Candidate of Sciences degree is a first post-graduate scientific degree in some former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, which is awarded for original research that constitutes a significant contribution to a scientific field. The degree was first introduced in the USSR on...
in 1956 under the supervision of Professor Vladimir Venzher (Владимир Григорьевич Венжер). In 1963 she joined the Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
Institute of Economics headed by Abel Aganbegyan
Abel Aganbegyan
Abel Gyozevich Aganbegyan is a leading Soviet and Russian economist of Armenian descent, academic of Russian Academy of Sciences and honorary doctor of business administration of Kingston University, the founder and first editor of the journal EKO....
(Абел Аганбегян) to work in a command of young and talented scientists. In 1965 she did her Doctorate
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and in 1968 she was elected an Associate Member (член-корреспондент) of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Research
The analysis of the economic situation in Soviet agriculture led Zaslavskaya to the conclusion that the revealed problems cannot be explained without sociological analysis, which bordered with blasphemyBlasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
within the canonical Marxist science, which postulated that the development of the society is derived from the economical relations, and not vice versa. At these times Soviet sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
was under the tight scrutiny of the Communist Party (from the position of bourgeois pseudoscience
Bourgeois pseudoscience
Bourgeois pseudoscience was a term of condemnation in the Soviet Union for certain scientific disciplines that were deemed unacceptable from an ideological point of view....
through a brief period of liberalisation during the Khrushchev Thaw
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were partially reversed and millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and...
to sharp criticism during the Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
era). The remoteness and relative scientific freedom of the young department of the USSR Academy of Science at Novosibirsk allowed Zaslavskaya to do her research in sociology of the agricultural sector by studying the Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n countryside, Altai Krai
Altai Krai
Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
in particular.
In the later years of the Soviet Union accurate detailed information regarding conditions in Soviet agriculture was considered a state secret when not censored outright. A major breach in security occurred in 1983 when the details of a classified paper, "for internal use only", the report from the closed conference in Novosibirsk by Tatyana Zaslavskaya regarding the crisis in Soviet agriculture, were published in the Washington Post. It was called «О совершенствовании социалистических производственных отношений и задачах экономической социологии» (“About the perfection of socialist relations of production and problems of economic sociology”) and was next to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
also published in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In the USSR all copies of the “Novosibirsk manifesto” were withdrawn by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. Later it became known as the Novosibirsk Report
Novosibirsk Report
The Novosibirsk Report, which many scholars consider one of the first signs of perestroika, was the name given in the West to a classified paper prepared under the direction of Tatyana Zaslavskaya of the Novosibirsk Institute of Economics which addressed the crisis in the agriculture of the Soviet...
in the West and was often considered one of the first signs of perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
. Although expressed in terms of Marxist theory, this paper -- an outline of a proposed research project to study the social mechanisms of economic development as exemplifed in Siberian agriculture -- was sharply critical of current conditions. Zaslavskaya was the author of a number of works in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
which deal with economics and social conditions in Soviet agriculture although some of her work was suppressed by Soviet censors. For example The Methodology of Comparing Labour Productivity in Agriculture in the USSR and the USA, written together with M.I. Sidorova, was suppressed due to its pessimistic results
In 1988 Zaslavskaya came back to Moscow for the formation of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM
VCIOM
All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, VTsIOM, [established in 1987; till 1992 – All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion] is the oldest polling institution in the post-Soviet space and is one of the leading sociological and market research companies in Russia.-General...
which she was the director of until 1992. Afterwards she became the honorable president of VCIOM and later the honorable president of the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada (the Levada Center
Levada Center
Levada Center is a Russian independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research organisation. It is named after its founder, the first Russian professor of sociology Yuri Levada . Levada Center traces back its history to 1987 when VCIOM was founded, originally headed by Academician...
since 2004).
In 1993 she became the co-president of the Interdisciplinary academic center of social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
(Russian: Интерцентра). Since 1993 the “Intercenter” has been carrying out ten annual international conferences concerning the question: “Where is Russia going?” under Zaslavskaya direction. Many representatives of different sciences (historians, jurists, sociologists, economists, political scientists, culturologists, and philosophers) participate in these conferences debating topics such as a better judgment of the post-communist transformation processes or modern problems and prospects of development of the Russian society.
Zaslavskaya's arguments evolved over time. In the Second Socialist Revolution she imagined that the USSR was experiencing a democratic revolution that would make Russia genuinely socialist. In the next two decades she puzzled over the form and nature of the transition that actually took place in Russia arguing in 1999 that it was some kind of revolution but then in 2002 concluding that "there was no new social revolution in Russia." She saw social change as occurring through crises involving "random transformation" as in the 1990s the Yelt'sin group lost control of the situation. This led her to try to devise various analyses of social groupings and models of change which tended to description and classification.
Memberships and awards
Member of Academy of Europe, European-Mediterranean Academy, honorary member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the doctor of philosophy of Oberlinsky college, member of the International sociological institute.The winner of the Karpinsky award (Fund Tyopfera, 1989, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), the Demidov Prize
Demidov Prize
The Demidov Prize was a national scientific prize in the Russian Empire awarded annually to the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. One of the most prestigious and oldest scientific awards in the world, its traditions influenced other awards of this kind including the Nobel Prize...
(Demidovsky fund, 2000, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
), founder of the Novosibirsk economic-sociological school.
Publications
- Tatyana Zaslavskaya, The Second Socialist Revolution: An Alternative Soviet Strategy, US edition: (in "The Second World" book series) Indiana University Press, (1990), 241 pages, ISBN 0-253-36860-X, ISBN 0-253-20614-6 (paperback)
- "The Novosibirsk Report", Survey, vol. 28 (1984), no. 1 pp. 83-109.
- "The structure of social change in Russia. The purpose and the results of Russian reforms," Russian Social Science Review, vol. 43 no.3, (2002) Translation from Obshchestvo i ekonomika, 1999 (3-4).
- "The socio-structural aspect of the transformation of Russian society", Sociological Research, vol. 41 no. 6, (2002). Translation from Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia, 2001(8) of Demidov lecture.
- "On the social mechanism of post communist transformation in Russia",Sociological Research, vol. 42 no. 6, (2003). Translation from Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia, 2002(8).
- "Contemporary Russian society", Sociological Research, vol. 45 no. 4, (2006). Translation from Obschestvennye nauki i sovremennost, 2004(5).