CRISIS AND RUSSIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

This paper aims to explorer the dominant model of the national identity of Russians. Drawing on the national representative survey data conducted in Autumn 2015 by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Science, the author comes to a conclusion that Russians demonstrate a socio-cultural consensus in their attitudes towards state and society. Russians perceive society as Power passing the responsibility for the sustainable and equitable development to the state. The statism of Russia is a bottom-up phenomenon since people of Russia overwhelmingly support a priority of the society’s interests over the ones of an individual. The majority perceives Russia as a unique civilization that should avoid the Western way of modernization. The idea of the ‘unique way’ is a distinct feature of the national identity of Russians; it plays a pivotal role in the societal cohesion of the whole society. In this model, the state is considered to be responsible for any breach in the society, in particular for the injustice and exploitation. That’s why the growing number of violations of the rights of Russian workers increases the risks of societal conflicts and lead to a delegitimisation of the official authorities. In conclusion, the author suggests the state being more responsible for the Russian nation in the sense of protecting the population from the structural violence and exploitation.