‘Pro-moral order’ activism: a study of diversity within youth communities of struggle in St Petersburg

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers the activism of a range of youth activist groups that seek to uphold the ‘moral order’ in contemporary Russian society. They promote strict adherence to a healthy lifestyle including avoidance of alcohol, drugs and sexual promiscuity and oppose those whose choices and behaviour do not conform to their own values and moral attitudes. Such ‘pro-moral order’ activism is associated with traditionalist, conservative, right-wing nationalist movements fighting for the morality of the ‘ethnic Russian’ population but also attracts young people engaged in movements formerly sponsored by the Russian state. The article traces the composition of this complex activist terrain, examines the motives of participants in a range of movements, identifies the ideas and principles underpinning participants’ social mission and reveals intra-movement conflicts. The article explores the fine line activists tread between conflict and cooperation with the state and its law enforcement agencies and considers how some activist groups become stigmatised in public discourse. Drawing on a relational approach to morality, it demonstrates the importance of interaction – including conflictual interaction – to shaping what is considered permissible and valued and how the struggle for ‘moral order’ is a site of both community and conflict for young people in contemporary Russia.