Can we trace attempts taken in Russian history to overcome the inability to speak publicly? How do different social groups in modern Russia cope with situations when they have to participate in a public discussion and arrive at a compromise? What historic, sociological, linguistic, and psychological reasons underlie intolerance towards different opinions? Can this situation be changed?

Bringing together an international team of leading historians, sociolinguists and sociologists in this field, this volume explores these questions from different methodological perspectives, using various...