ABSTRACT: Most academic studies of globalization concentrate on Western Europe and the US. But globalization does not only concern the west. Why is it that most globalization theorists make only passing remarks about Russia and then move to discuss Western Europe or the US. There seems to be a mental iron curtain that prevents writers from acknowledging the importance of Russia as the major post-communist country that has encountered globalization.

My case studies cover various forms of communications in Russia: agencies, television, advertising and new communication technology. News agencies, telecommunications and television represent the 'old' institutions with their origin in Communism. In them I consider questions of transition. Advertising and new communications technologies are representative of the 'new', born after the collapse of communism, and raise questions of 'implantation'. The 'old' have gone through considerable changes; in legislation, ownership forms, foreign investment, technology and content, and have become at least in part to resemble 'the new'. Some of 'the old' are still very closely affiliated with the state (the most obvious being state-owned news agencies) while others have loosened their ties (television), but remain partly in state ownership. 'The new' has no past in the Soviet Union and is based on models implanted from the west.

The consideration of globalization, media and communications in Russia is based on extensive primary research. It contributes to theoretical debate by relativising the concepts of 'globalisation' and 'new communications technologies' as well as analysing and describing their impact on a little known case: what was formerly called 'a sixth of the world'.