UC San Diego
Department of Communication
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Natalia RoudakovaNatalia Roudakova

Assistant Professor in Communication


Affiliated Faculty Program for the Study of Religion
Affiliated Faculty Program for Russian and Soviet Studies

roudakov@ucsd.edu

Education

Ph.D. in Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University (2007)

Research

Natalia Roudakova’s work bridges cultural anthropology, on the one hand, and political communication and comparative media studies, on the other. Although there is some tradition of ethnography in journalism studies, anthropologists have not played much of a role in the field of political communication; Roudakova’s research addresses that gap. More specifically, she is interested in refining the analytical tools for understanding journalism in illiberal and non-democratic settings beyond the dichotomy between democracy and dictatorship; and the one-dimensional view of journalism in those settings as a vehicle for either indoctrination or resistance. Roudakova’s research also explores media’s role in maintaining and destabilizing social orders, leading to political transformation and change. She has carried out fieldwork among political journalists in various regions of today’s Russia, and historical work on the social contract between the media, the state, and citizens in the Soviet Union. Other research interests include journalism ethics and professionalism beyond the Western world; generation of dissent and consent in democratic and non-democratic settings; cultural production of states; and religion, radio, and citizenship. Broader research interests include comparative analysis of media systems, ethnographic research in communication, and anthropology of liberalism and secularism.

Publications

  • Roudakova, Natalia (forthcoming) "Comparing Processes: Media, 'Transitions', and Historical Change" in Hallin, D. and P. Mancini (eds) Comparing Media Systems: Beyond the Western World. Cambridge University Press.
  • Roudakova, Natalia (2009) “Post-Soviet Journalism as ‘Prostitution’: Russia’s Reactions to Anna Politkovskaya’s Murder.” Political Communication, 26 (4): 412-429
  • Roudakova, Natalia. (2008) “Media-Political Clientelism: Lessons from Anthropology,” Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 41-59.

Teaching

Natalia Roudakova has taught courses in cultural and political anthropology, religion and democracy, and civil liberties and terrorism. At UCSD, Roudakova will regularly teach courses on European media systems, media in authoritarian societies, radio and citizenship, concepts of freedom, and religion and the public sphere, in addition to other standard courses in Communication. She also leads a research (grant) proposal writing seminar for graduate students.