Soviet SCI_BERIA

The education and technological centre of Russia, Akademgorodok in Siberia is home to the state university, 35 research institutes, a medical academy and the House of Scientists, and generates over 17 million roubles every year. As such, it is often presented as evidence of the pre-eminence of Russian technology and innovation; and yet, as this pioneering study reveals, its soviet history and legacy complicates this ideal.

Drawing on a range of previously unexplored archive materials from across the globe, Soviet SCI_BERIA offers a new history of the so-called ‘science city’ from its foundations in 1957 to 1991. It focuses on socialist innovation practices and the relationship between experts and the state, and provides fresh insight into the transition from Soviet to post-Soviet Akademgorodok. In doing so, Tatarchenko not only fosters a conversation between history and science but also sheds new light on the late Soviet politics of expertise.

This innovative study is important reading for all scholars of modern Russian history and the history of technology.