Centre for Modernity Studies
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'Returning to roots' in post-Soviet Russia
Paul Kroopkin, PhD
Centre for Modernity Studies
Centre for Modernity Studies
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Method of the research
• Internet – Social Networks
• Mutual discussions on social and political issues
• Content analysis
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Results of behavioral analysis
• Evident grouping
• In every group: activists and others; activity – mainly virtual
• In-group solidarity / “hate” between groups
• “Ancestor worship” approach + “conspirological” mind
• “Golden age” in history + “pantheon of heroes”
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Social mapping of the i-activists
• Middle and below-middle classes
• All-over the world: Russia and Russian-speaking population of different countries
• i-Groups in many cases represent an appropriate “real-life” parts of the population
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Main i-groups
• “Westernians”
• “Stalinists” + “Brejnevists”
• “Empirists”
• Russian nationalists
• Ukrainian nationalists
• + other minor i-groups (heathens, etc)
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Attitude to some key memes
W S B E R UWest + - - - -/+ +Jewish resp. for the terror - +/- + + + +Nation-state - - - - + +Stalin - + +/- +/- -/+ -Russophobie + + - - +
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Features of “Ancestor worship”• Prevailing of the past over the future • “Us” are strongly separated from “them”;
“hate” in relationships (virtual)• “Golden age”, where “our” ancestors lived
in power• “Totems”, sacral symbols
• PS: Conspirology: “Enemies” are omnipotent, but ancestors prevailed over them…
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“Westernians”
• Real-life part – most efficient and media powerful group with a strong social identity
• Leading group of a discourse; others – just push off themselves from points of W
• “Golden age”: 20th and 90th of XX
• “Totems”: Western societies in general, USA in particular
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“Stalinists” & “Brejnevists”
• Real-life part – unstructured population of reform’s “losers”
• “Golden age”: 30-50th for S and 70th for B
• “Totems”: Victory in 2WW, Cosmos, A-bomb; for S also - Stalin
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“Empirists”
• Real-life part – unstructured population of reform’s “losers” + part of bureaucracy
• “Golden age”: 80-90th of XIX
• “Totems”: the Great History of Russia and achievements of Romanov’s Empire + Victory in 2WW, Cosmos, A-bomb
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Russian nationalists
• Real-life part – small and unstructured
• “Golden age”: mainly absent, some: medieval republics of north-west Russia
• “Totems”: Nation, Israel's or Baltic’s social practices
Centre for Modernity Studies
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Ukrainian nationalists
• Real-life part – very powerful in Ukraine
• “Golden age”: medieval Kiev’s state
• “Totems”: Nation, Independent Ukraine, Israel's or Baltic’s social practices
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