La « Russie civilisée » contre la « nation des esclaves » : mythologies élitistes et construction de frontières sociales­morales dans la Russie du début du XXIe siècle

Abstract

The article focuses on the reproduction of a discourse opposing a liberal , “ civilized ” and pro­European minority to “the people ”, disdained as archaic, uncivil and hostile to liberal values in contemporary Russia . In the context of increasing marginalization and blatant stigmatization of liberalism in the Russian public sphere , I distinguish two key moments when this elitist discourse reached his peak : first , during the 2011­2012 anti­government mass protests and , second , in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution followed by the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and an armed conflict in the Donbass region . I argue that the symbolic barbarization of the “ popular masses ” not only stems from the intelligentsia ’ s aspirations to affirm its social status , but also serves as a tool to blame the alleged “ slavish mentality ” of the majority of Russians for the failure of post­Soviet democratic transition and / or the unpopularity of the liberal agenda . In conclusion , I speculate that this discursive strategy is deeply counter­productive since it reinforces the image of Russian liberalism , backed by the official political discourse , as an “ anti­popular ” or “ anti­national ” ideology and drives the Russian liberal­minded public to despair.