Unlikely mobilisations: how ordinary Russian people become involved in collective action

Abstract

This paper analyses the dynamics of grassroots mobilisation in contemporary Russia. Based on data from ethnographic studies conducted in two life spheres – the home and the workplace – the analysis shows how ordinary Russian people who have no particular propensity towards activism may adopt a new way of feeling, thinking and acting. The mobilisation process is highly problematic in an apolitical society such as Russia. Building on interactionism and pragmatic sociology, the study stresses the importance of ‘testing moments’ in one's immediate environment that trigger collective action via day-to-day, emotional conversations. Many intertwined dynamics underlie the mobilisation process, including the appropriation of common places, the making of communities, the rise of collective empowerment and the dynamics of experiencing activism. Drawing on Goffman's frame analysis, the process of individual involvement in collective action is conceptualised as a reframing process. Overall, the process of becoming an activist is shown to be remarkably pragmatic and experiential, unfolding through practices and interactions that are often small-scale.