Research Interests
With an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and PhD in Russian Literature
and Culture, I cover the span of sub-disciplines represented in UF's
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. In my first book, Speaking in Soviet
Tongues: Language Culture and the Politics of Voice in Revolutionary
Russia (Northern Illinois University Press, 2003), I tell
the story of the rise of the official language of the Soviet state and
the role played in that process by institutions of literature,
linguistics, journalism and pedagogy. The book received Choice
Magazine’s ‘Outstanding Academic Book’ award and the 2004 AATSEEL award
for ‘Best Book in Literary and Cultural Studies.’
I'm currently finishing a second book manuscript on "In Newspeak's
Wake: The Culture and Politics of the Russian Language from Glasnost to
Twitter," which examines the relationship between language, politics
and national identity during the collapse of the Soviet Union and
ensuing decades of tumult and transformation. Various articles on these
and related topics have appeared in 12 different peer-review journals
and edited volumes. For a complete list, see my full curriculum vitae.
Most recently I've been exploring the role of the internet and new
media technologies on language, and the Russian language in particular.
Early fruits of this work may be found in my recent article, "Virtual Rusophonia: Language Policy as 'Soft Power'
in the New Media Age," and my "Russian
Internet Culture" website.
I'm a core member of the international working group ‘The Future of Russian: Language Culture in the Era of New Technology’, sponsored by the Norwegian Research Council.
Since 2005 I've devoted a good deal of my time to journal editing, serving as Associate Editor of both The Russian Review and Russian Language Journal.
