About Anna Zhelnina

I am a sociologist, interested broadly in sociological theory, urban and political sociology, and social movement studies. I defended my PhD in 2020 at the City University of New York. It was a qualitative study of a controversial urban renewal proposal in Moscow, which I examined in 2017-2019 through observation, interviews, digital ethnography, and document analysis. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies (Urbaria), where I continue working on issues of civic engagement in urban politics, especially among Russian-speaking minority communities. At the same time, I am working on a book manuscript, developing my dissertation for publication. I am an academic writing and public sociology enthusiast, experimenting with sociological fiction and other writing genres. I am also hosting various writing events (writing retreats and groups), and try to demystify academic writing and make it more accessible (both to writers and readers).