Dissertation defence (Contemporary History): MA Zoé Allen-Mercier
MA Zoé Allen-Mercier defends the dissertation in Contemporary History titled “Negotiating the Boundaries of Social Order: Discourse and Governance in Soviet Karelia in the 1970s–1980s” at the University of Turku on 30 October 2026 at 12.00 (University of Turku, Publicum, Pub3, Assistentinkatu 7, Turku).
Opponent: Professor Simo Mikkonen (University of Eastern Finland) and Professor Emilia Koustova (University of Strasbourg)
Custos: Professor Louis Clerc (University of Turku)
Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
The thesis examines Soviet mechanisms of maintaining social order in the 1970s and 1980s in the Republic of Karelia, within the context of Détente and active protest movements in the country. The period of Détente had significantly compromised the epistemic order in the Soviet Union and induced a shift in state-society relations. Along with certain issues related to the policy of “developed socialism”, these factors contributed to creating an atmosphere of tension and exacerbating the risks of subversion within the population. Rather than looking at repressive methods, the study analyzes the development of prophylactic discursive devices and non-coercive measures designed to regulate the social order. These phenomena are highlighted through the example of a border republic where such issues were most imminent. By examining shifting popular discourses and the state’s response, the analysis demonstrates a multilateral negotiation of power as well as efforts to revitalize the official discourse, while also examining their role in center-periphery relations.
Overall, this dissertation illustrates the elaboration of integrative, dynamic and adaptative methods of mass political work which were incrementally developed over the post-war period, but coalesced in the mid-1970s amidst the policies of Détente. The dissertation thus sets out to challenge the perception of rigidity in official discourse production and the concept of stagnation during the Brezhnev era.
