HSE Publishing House

This book comes at a time when the late 20th century's illusions of the 'withering away' of social classes, the triumph of the welfare state, and the prosperity of the middle class are being challenged worldwide. Recent history confirms the revival of class conflict, growing inequality, and a lack of opportunities for the lower classes.

The author looks at contemporary Russia as part of Eurasian civilization and as a netocratic society that is not authentically bourgeois, and describes the country's social stratification as a combination of class-related (dominant) and socio-professional hierarchies.