Author profile: Robert A. Saunders

Dr. Robert A. Saunders is a Professor in the Department of History, Politics and Geography at Farmingdale State College-SUNY. He is the author of four books, including Popular Geopolitics and Nation Branding in the Post-Soviet Realm (Routledge, 2017). His research explores the changing nature of national, religious, and political identity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

A Berlin-Ankara Axis against Satire?

Robert A. Saunders • Apr 20 2016 • Articles

In the context of a highly charged political environment, we are seeing that European values associated with free speech might just be more malleable than once thought.

Fantasies of Occupation: ‘Occupied’ and ‘the Man in the High Castle’

Robert A. Saunders • Mar 7 2016 • Articles

The Man in the High Castle is the perfect ‘distraction’ for a country riven by increasingly bitter culture wars, and a complete breakdown in civil discourse.

On Putin, Politics, and Popular Culture: An Interview with Alexander J. Motyl

Robert A. Saunders • Dec 8 2015 • Articles

Alexander J. Motyl discusses his new book, Vovochka, as well as politics, popular culture, and the subject of this satirical romp, Vladimir Putin.

Homeland’s Popular Geopolitics Gets Punked

Robert A. Saunders • Nov 24 2015 • Articles

The graffiti prank on the set of ‘Homeland’ is an act that represents a physical realization that the pop-culture canvas can be subverted even in the process.

VVP: Is Vladimir Putin the Super-Villain We’ve All Been Waiting For?

Robert A. Saunders • Sep 22 2015 • Articles

Like Osama bin Laden circa 2000, Vladimir Putin, while real enough, is more a figment of our popular-geopolitical imagination, and one which we cannot live without.

Imperial Imaginaries: Employing Science Fiction to Talk about Geopolitics

Robert A. Saunders • Jun 11 2015 • Articles

Pop Culture stages debates on complex topics associated with the history of imperialism, geopolitical thinking and the relationship between territory, space and power.

Scourging Paganism Past and Present: The Tragic Irony of Palmyra

Robert A. Saunders • May 28 2015 • Articles

The destruction of pagan historical records, in Europe as in Syria, forces us to confront how societies view, construct and instrumentalise the past.

Sláinte: The Performative Geopolitics of the Irish Pub

Robert A. Saunders • Mar 10 2015 • Articles

With the internationalisation of the Irish pub one should note the performative geopolitics that typically characterise the space: historic maps, flags and rebel songs.

‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ and IR Theory

Robert A. Saunders • Feb 15 2015 • Articles

Hollywood has a long history of trading in subtle political messaging and reinforcing the notion of US military might as a force for good, even when things get ugly.

Why Popular Culture? Why Now?

Robert A. Saunders • Feb 2 2015 • Articles

The new blog will seek to make sense of the relationship between pop culture and world politics. In every instance, we will make sure that we take pop culture seriously.

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