Cultural grounds of corruption in Russia

Abstract

A subject of the research is the strategies of corrupt behaviour of the modern Russians and possible cultural grounds of these strategies. Having analyzed modern theories of the corrupt behaviour and cultural texts of Soviet writers, filmmakers, contemporary Russian writers we found cultural grounds of social communications rooted in an archaic and traditional Russian cultural space. Modern Russian social communications include cultural practices associated with giving and feasting. The difference between the strategies of the corrupt behaviour and cultural practices of giving and feasting is fundamental and should be considered in the modern Russian social management. Methodology of the study is related to the conceptual analysis of texts of cultural anthropologists, including those who study the economic and social aspects of giving. We applied hermeneutics of cultural texts, art representatives of the Soviet mythological world view and the Russian national image of the world. Scientific novelty of the study involves identifying interdependence between the Soviet mythological world view, the Russian national image of the world and the economic and social communications of giving and feasting. It is shown that the legal mechanisms to overcome the negative consequences of the corrupt behaviour are insufficient. It is necessary to introduce cultural practices based on the archaic and traditional values transformed to the new social communications and new strategies of social management.