Kogalym: City of Oil

This thesis examines the influence of the Russian oil firm Lukoil on the economic and cultural landscape of the town of Kogalym. Analyzing the propensity of Lukoil to facilitate the creation of both physical and cultural infrastructure, I scrutinize the effects of intervention for the sake of profit. Especially in rural Siberian towns that are in close proximity to petroleum reserves, oil companies often fund cultural tradition, identity, and education projects. In doing this, these corporations decide which elements of Russian culture are worthy of celebration and remembrance. I further argue that vulnerable people are typically subjugated by oil firms in the pursuit of revenue. Able-bodied men are exploited for their labor, women are counted on to turn temporary settlements-which I define as "shift cities"-into thriving cities, and indigenous Russians are expected to give up land that could aid in the oil production process. With seemingly endless wealth at its disposal, companies like Lukoil attempt to instill "ideal" values into the residents of their cities in an attempt to curate a group of people that feel indebted to the firms for funding their livelihoods. By autonomously deciding what defines Russian identity, I argue that these oil conglomerates ultimately exert financial and cultural control on the people they purport to be helping. This is not without consequence, and I carefully explore the unintended effects of this intervention, such as the rise of illicit economies, arrested development shift cities, the plight of indigenous Russians who find themselves in land disputes with oil firms, and the environmental consequences of the imperfect Russian oil infrastructure.