Russian Consciousness Research Articles

About the characteristic features of Russians (territorial and settlement aspect)

Relevance. In the post-Soviet era, changes in the consciousness and behavior of the masses of people became inevitable. The study of the structure of characteristic features (consciousness and behavior) of Russians (both positive and negative) in modern conditions is of great scientific and practical interest.The purpose is to use sociological materials to identify the hierarchical structure of characteristic positive and negative traits (consciousness and behavior) of Russians, including by territorial settlement groups.Objectives: to analyze the assessments of positive and negative traits inherent, in the opinion of respondents, to people of their generation; to identify their hierarchical structure and characteristics by territorial settlement groups.Methodology. The sociological survey and the sampling method, methods of grouping data, their analysis and generalization, and correlation analysis were used.Results. The leading features (both positive and negative) inherent, in the opinion of respondents, to people of their generation are revealed, as well as the relationships between them by territorial settlement groups are revealed.Conclusions. The positive features that have taken the leading places indicate the high potential of humanism and harmonious personality development among the majority of Russians. The negative traits that took the leading places indicate a relatively low level of sociality, social empathy and social responsibility of significant masses of people (according to respondents' estimates). However, the respondents' overall assessment of people of their generation is predominantly positive, which gives grounds for social optimism. At the same time, although the differences between territorial settlement groups in both positive and negative features are not antagonistic, they can be the basis for elements of contradictions and conflicts. Consistent active work of advanced social forces is necessary, first of all, by means of education to strengthen the positive traits of people as a "situationally dominant factor" and a center of attraction, a positive pole, especially for the younger generations.

Герб на графское Российской империи достоинство и его версии генерала от кавалерии, атамана Донского Войска графа М.И. Платова

The coat of arms and its versions of Count M.I. Platov are considered for the first time in the scientific literature, their origin, composition, symbolism, role and significance in consolidating the image of a cavalry general, a military ataman of the Don Army in the historical memory of the peoples of Russia and Europe. The highly approved coat of arms of M.I. Platov, little known to contemporaries, was distributed in independent, attributed versions, which played an important role in visualization, strengthening the authority of the “whirlwind chieftain”. It is proven that these versions are unconfirmed and are closely connected with the processes of formation of historical memory and public consciousness in Russia. The versions of the Count's coat of arms of M.I. Platov retained heraldic continuity but were complemented with new figures that revealed the pages of his military and civil service, the relations of the Don Ataman with crowned persons, the military and state elite of Russia and Europe. It is emphasized that the versions of the coats of arms are at the same time independent heraldic and artistic works. According to the authors of the unapproved coats of arms, the awards, additions and changes included in them raised and consolidated the high status of the coat of arms holders, showed their role and merits in the history of Russia. The coat of arms portraits and versions of the coat of arms of Count M.I. Platov reflected the ideas of his contemporaries about his role in the history of the country, the process of formation of the Don nobili-ty, and the state of the heraldic tradition in Russia. Independent, unapproved coats of arms were an important stage in the development of Russian heraldic studies: some are still a kind of reminder of “famous names and events”, others were used primarily to solve personal, property and social problems over the course of one generation and became historical facts in the lives of the coat of arms holders. The coat of arms engraved portrait of M.I. Platov and versions of coats of arms go back to the Don painting and coat of arms tradition of the second half of the 18th – early 19th century. They, preserving artistic and compositional features, are part of the Don and Russian military portrait, Russian heraldry.

Vasily Surikov: the Power of the Unexperienced

The article is devoted to the work of the outstanding Russian painter V.I. Surikov. The author reveals the meaning of historical painting, which is usually associated with the artist. Surikov is not the one who addresses history as the past, but the one who explores the pain points of our self-awareness through history. Surikov is among the artists who transformed Russian painting, by analogy with Russian iconography, into our «thinking in colors», that is, into our philosophy, which develops beyond the boundaries of philosophy proper. In this sense, Surikov’s painting is of interest not only from the point of view of aesthetics, but from the point of view of studying the specifi cs of the Russian mindset. The article examines in detail the principal paintings of Surikov, such as “Boyarina Morozova”, “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak Timofeevich”, “Suvorov’s Crossing the Alps”, etc., and shows that they represent an attempt to formalize the Russian consciousness.

Modern Russia in collective consciousness of the country’s inhabitants

The article explores collective consciousness as a theoretical construct, a type of social consciousness and as real attitude of the population towards Russia at the emotional and rational levels. It shows that modern collective consciousness in Russia is a product of mass culture, which actualized during modernization of the Russian society in the economic, political, cultural and everyday spheres of life. Today, it is influenced by mass and high-tech communications, while also reflecting the life experience of different generations. The research methodology is based on the interpretation of collective consciousness as the averaged consciousness of the whole mass of individuals in social groups; it erases individual differences, human characteristics, which in any single case may not be the same as collective consciousness, but impart collective consciousness a qualitative diversity. Empirically, the research is based on representative mass surveys – the Seventh Wave of the Russian Values and Interests Monitoring (Summer 2023), Russian Survey of Young Russian Adults (June 2020), European Social Study (ESS 2018–2019). The research attempts to determine whether the Russian mentality is more emotional than rational towards their “lesser motherland” or birthplace, their oblast/republic/krai, Russia as a country and the author suggests that these properties of mentality constitute characteristics of such a complex psychological phenomenon as Russian patriotism. The article reveals a growing rational perception of the problems of society with outspoken criticism amid high levels of emo tional attitude of the respondents to the country and “lesser motherland”. Such is the evaluation of Russia’s attractive and unattractive characteristics and the importance of civil rights and liberties, among which the rights that ensure people’s basic modern life-supporting needs, such as employment, education, property, security and protection by law, were ranked first with more than 90% of respondents stating their support. There is also a cohort of young people aged 18–24, for whom political rights and democratic freedoms, enshrined in the Russian Constitution, become more important compared to other cohorts.

Основные факторы, определяющие правосознание российского общества

The concept of legal consciousness in Russian society is multifaceted and deeply rooted in historical, economic, and social factors. This article aims to dissect these factors and their impact on the formation of legal attitudes and perceptions among the populace. Legal consciousness in Russia has evolved over centuries, shaped by a complex interplay of historical events and socio-economic conditions. From the pre-Christian era to the tumultuous transformations in the 1990–2020s, the understanding of law and justice has been deeply intertwined with the fabric of Russian society. A significant aspect of legal consciousness formation lies in the experiences of the peasantry, from the era of serfdom to the collectivization efforts of the Soviet era. Economic factors, including income distribution and access to resources, play a pivotal role in shaping legal attitudes and behaviors among citizens. In the modern era, cultural-economic and legislative trends such as counter-sanctions and digitization have further influenced legal consciousness. The concept of legal nihilism, characterized by a disregard for legal norms and institutions, underscores the need for proactive measures to address this phenomenon. In conclusion, the analysis reveals a complex tapestry of factors influencing legal consciousness in Russian society, with economic disparities playing a significant role. The correlation between legal nihilism and income levels highlights the urgency of implementing targeted interventions to foster a culture of legal compliance and respect for the rule of law.

Lermontov’s reminiscences in the story of I. S. Turgenev “Bezhin Meadow”

The article examines the story of I.S. Turgenev “Bezhin Meadow” in the context of the novel “Hero of our Time” by M.Y. Lermontov, since the issues raised in “Bezhin Meadow” and in “Fatalist” have much in common: the heroes, bearers of the Western cultural tradition, are waiting for a “common man” to answer the question, whether there is such thing as predestination – the question they don’t get answered. An analysis of the progress of Turgenev’s work on the text of “Bezhin Meadow” and of its draft versions shows that Turgenev kept reworking his text by making it closer to the “Fatalist”. In the story “Bezhin Meadow” in the pair “a simple man / a bearer of Western cultural tradition”, a redistribution of roles occurs (in comparison with the “Fatalist”): the bearer of Western cultural tradition remains in doubt, but Pavlusha is a peasant boy who has determination and is a bearer of Russian consciousness. The worldview of the “common man” combines the incongruous: both the idea of determinism and absolute freedom, illustrating the ambivalence of the Russian consciousness. The collision of the doubting hero with the bearer of national consciousness does not resolve the doubts of the hero and, rather, confirms the hopelessness of his search. The emphasized (in relation to the “Fatalist”) activity of the “common man” makes it impossible to find a hero of the time among the “heirs of Pechorin” and opens a new stage in the search for a national hero. The correlation of the narrator from “A Sportsman’s sketches” with Pechorin allows us to take a fresh look at the problem of creative ties between Turgenev and Lermontov, to clarify the way Turgenev looked at Lermontov’s hero and at the problems raised in the novel “Hero of Our Time” in the early 1850s.

Душа русско-славянской культуры в системе картин мира О. Шпенглера

The article examines the images of large cultures on the basis of O. Spengler’s physiognomic morphology. The meaning of the category «the soul of culture» as a worldview growing from the ancestral symbol is clarified. The essence of the German philosopher’s naturalistic approach to the ontology of culture is revealed. O. Spengler’s idea of Russian-Slavic culture and its ancestral phenomenon in the system of the worldviews is crit-ically comprehended, including the comparison of Spenglerianism with the domestic philosophical tradition. The soul of Russian-Slavic culture is defined as Karamazov’s, i.e. prone to extremes and antinomianism. A complex of oppositions characteristic of Russian consciousness is highlighted. The potential for the realization of the spiritual possibilities of Russian culture is seen in the ideals of the conciliar society and St. John’s man. Their achievement is associated with overcoming the historical «pendulum migration» and the transition to cultural paramorphosis between the two Russias.

Prayer Motifs and National Consciousness in Changing Conditions of Reception: As Exemplified by the Works of Ivan Shmelev and Boris Zaitsev

This article presents the role of selected motifs of prayer depicted in the works of first-wave Russian emigrants in the creation of a certain type of national mythology. The starting point of the considerations is a reflection on the status of emigrant literature at the time of its creation, during the period of political changes in the Soviet bloc, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and today. From the beginning, émigré literature has served as a certain treasury of images and symbols, which are treated as necessary elements for maintaining the national identity of emigrants. The article presents selected motifs from the works of Ivan Shmelev’s The Year of the Lord and Pilgrimage, and Boris Zaitsev’s Saint Sergius of Radonezh, showing prayer as an element of ritual, as a collective request, and as an act of deep contact with God. The analysis of the selected examples shows that regardless of the literary form, narrative perspective, or the way the subject was presented, the writers showed prayer motifs in a patriotic context, while mythologizing pre-revolutionary Russia and bringing the idea of “Holy Rus” to life. In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been an increased interest in emigrant literature, and the ideas contained therein have proven to be very important for the formation of the new national consciousness of Russians. Today, due to another political change in Russia and its political isolation, émigré literature is of renewed importance in Russian circles. The writers whose works are discussed in this study are regarded as the main Orthodox writers of the twentieth century, and the image of praying Russia is again the basis for building a new national identity. The study concludes with the observation that the value of emigrant literature should be studied in the context of the time of its creation.

Linguistic Personology and Linguistic Personality as Subjects of Vladimir V. Kolesov’s Scientific Reflection

Linguistic personology has remained a popular linguistic direction in Russia for more than thirty years. This discipline studies a native speaker or a linguistic personality with their own worldview, mentality, language fluency, linguistic creativity, and ability to understand someone else’s speech. The famous Russian philologist Vladimir V. Kolesov (1934–2019) was a prominent figure in Russian linguistics. However, in his last publication, he criticized both the term linguistic personality and the entire linguistic personology. Although specialists overlooked this criticism, it is important for linguistic personology. This article reveals the philosophical and methodological foundations of V. V. Kolesov’s criticism, as well as interprets the arguments he published in 2009-2021. First, the authors traced the development of anti-personological trends in V. V. Kolesov’s lifetime publications. Second, they identified the prerequisites for the criticism of the theory of linguistic personality. Third, they analyzed the posthumous publication of The Conceptual Field of Russian Consciousness as a synthesis that reinterpreted the previous criticism. The methods of contextual analysis, reconstruction, philological hermeneutics, and comparison made it possible to obtain two theoretical models that explain V. V. Kolesov’s conclusions about linguistic personology. The authors believe that the last thirty years of V. V. Kolesov’s scientific work was a gradual slide towards recognizing linguistic personality as an important tool in describing mentality.

«Лёгкость бытия» в социокультурном контексте постсоветской эпохи

The publication continues to consider such a socio-cultural phenomenon as the “lightness of being”, this time in the context of the historical and cultural dynamics of Russia in the first quarter of the 21st century. The study aims to identify the features related to the national mentality and the post-Soviet worldview, as well as stable stereotypes of their perception in relation to the phenomenon under consideration. The paper sheds light on the peculiarities of reflecting the “lightness of being” in the mass consciousness of Russians, modern Russian art and characterizes trends related to the potential of the “lightness of being” to contribute to spiritual and social rehabilitation of the individual in modern conditions. The paper determines how the “lightness of being” manifests itself in the culture of the period under consideration, which accounts for the scientific novelty of the study. As a result, having identified the most important points related to the socio-cultural situation in Russia in the first quarter of the 21st century, the author concludes that Conflict (Struggle) initially adjoins Harmony, the structure of which includes the “lightness of being” as an important element not only of the existential support of the individual, but also of national culture.

Kant and the “New Brain Line” of Akim Volynsky

The article treats the specific reception of I. Kant’s ideas by an eminent Russian philosopher, literary critic and art critic at the turn of the 19th–20th century Akim L. Volynsky. Unlike G. W. F. Hegel and F. W. J. Schelling, I. Kant did not enjoy popularity in Russia until the very end of the 19th century. The appearance of A. L. Volynsky’s work ‘Critical and Dogmatic Elements in Kant’s Philosophy’ (1889) became an important event in Russian cultural life. In this article A. L. Volynsky announced the inevitability of “the power of religious belief over all questions of life.” In so doing, he had set vector of the development of literature, philosophy and social consciousness in Russia and prepared a religious and philosophical renaissance of the turn of the century. I. Kant’s philosophy, which stands against dogmatism in thought and also establishes unbendable moral values, became a worldview ground for A.L.Volynsky in his struggle with Positivism, atheism and Utilitarianism that dominated over the society and literature at the time. However, his enthusiasm was not appreciated by his contemporaries — representatives of the Silver Age of Russian culture, among whom F.Nietzsche began to come into vogue. A. L. Volynsky was not a pioneer of Russian Kantianism. His article on Kant had only an indirect influence on his contemporaries. However, it was the first sign of Russian Kantian studies, ahead of the works by A. I. Vvedensky, V. S. Solovyov, I. I. Lapshin, N. Ya. Grot, F. A. Stepun, and others.

КОНСТИТУЦИОННАЯ КУЛЬТУРА РОССИЯН НА ЭТАПЕ ПЕРЕХОДА ОТ ЛИБЕРАЛИЗАЦИИ КОНСТИТУЦИОННО-ПРАВОВОГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА К ЗАЩИТЕ ТРАДИЦИОННЫХ ЦЕННОСТЕЙ

The purpose of the study is to analyze the state of modern constitutional culture in the era of changing political and ideological guidelines, the transition from a liberal-universal model of constitutional development to a nationally oriented one.The objectives of the study are the following: to determine the main characteristics of the state of constitutional culture in the era of excessive enthusiasm for universal liberal values at the end of the last century; analyze the main trends in the processes of constitutional and legal reform in the light of the ideas of protecting constitutional identity, ensuring constitutional sovereignty and protecting traditional values; consider the impact of the constitutional reform of 2020 on the qualitative change in the constitutional culture of Russians, its significance for determining the future paths of constitutional and legal development of Russia, and identify the positive and most controversial aspects of the reform. The work used general scientific, special scientific and special research methods. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that today a steady trend has formed towards reforming the constitutional and legal space - the ideas of liberal universalization are opposed to the ideas of constitutional identity and the protection of traditional values. At one time, the new Russian Constitution was designed to take into account all the shortcomings of decades of socialist construction and act not as a document of a political-declaratory nature, but as a basis for the creation of a state and society of a fundamentally new type. According to the author, excessive passion for borrowed values of a universal nature has had the most negative impact on the state of the constitutional culture of Russians. However, even today it is obvious that a well-developed theoretical structure that would relatively accurately and legally definitely outline the main directions of further constitutional development, in line with the development of the idea of protecting traditional values, does not exist today, which is especially noticeable in the example of documents of a programmatic and political nature . The constitutional reform of 2020, according to the author, reflected new trends and approaches to the idea of ensuring constitutional identity and symbolized significant changes in constitutional culture, including at the level of ordinary consciousness of ordinary Russians who were directly involved in the process of constitutional reform. However, the author concludes that the constitutional reform is incomplete, which generally characterizes the state of domestic constitutional culture.

ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНА СВІДОМІСТЬ УКРАЇНЦІВ ЯК ЕКЗИСТЕНЦІЙНИЙ ФЕНОМЕН

The article is devoted to the study of the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians as an existential phenomenon based on the Ukrainian studies approach. Emphasis is placed on the need for a value-semantic distinction between the geopolitical consciousness of Russians and the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians, which is a determining prerequisite for Ukrainian studies of this problem. It is claimed that the geopolitical consciousness of Russians is based on aggressive expansionist values and semantic principles. In turn, the opinion that the basis of the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians is based on humanistic existential value-meaning principles is substantiated. Thus, in particular, on the basis of the analysis of the geopolitical ideas of Ukrainian philosophers, it is shown that the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians is based on the archetypes of the Ukrainian mentality, is connected with the idea of harmony in arranging the geopolitical space of existence of the Ukrainian ethnic group and the Ukrainian nation, and also bears the imprint of the geopolitical injuries associated with the need for Ukraine to overcome civilizational challenges at key stages of its development. It is emphasized that the problem of the transformation of geopolitical science in the direction of postmodernism, which is a topic of modern Western European humanitarianism, is also actualized by the awareness of the need to modernize the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians. So, in particular, the article emphasizes the newest, integrative possibilities of the Ukrainian studies approach for further research. It is substantiated that the geopolitical consciousness of the Ukrainian community is one of the fundamental factors for the establishment of the geopolitical subjectivity of Ukraine and the modernization of its geopolitical priorities and values in the conditions of countering the global challenges of war. Aspects of further research into the geopolitical consciousness of Ukrainians in the context of the need to affirm its geopolitical subjectivity are proposed.

Identity and historical memory of Russians in the context of confrontation with the "collective West"

Basing on the data of long-term sociological research, the authors study the influence of the construct “collective West” on the civic identity and historical memory of modern Russian society and investigate the dynamics of these attitudes of public society under the influence of the international political situation. “Collective West” is considered as a stereotypical construct founded on Russian public opinion and political discourse. The authors identify three main approaches to the description of the “collective West”: socio-economic and political approaches, as well as the strategy of studying the organisation of private life. This allows us to correlate the features attributed to the discursively constructed “Other” with the ideas about the “collective West” actualized in the mass consciousness of modern Russians. The authors summarize that the Russian collective identity combines both traditional-self, Russian, and Western-liberal values. But Russians are unambiguous when it comes to the interpretation of historical memory: they acutely perceive the discrepancy between Russian and Western interpretations of the past.
 The “collective West” has acted for Russia not only as a traditional socio-cultural and civilizational “Other”, but also as geopolitical competitor. Hence this is the peculiarity of interpretations of past events and historical memory in Russia and abroad. The “perestroika inertia” of attempts to reconcile different versions of the past was replaced in the 2000s by a sharp anti-communist discourse of a number of Eastern European states, their “turn” to the West and Russia’s growing external isolation. This revitalized the conflict between the national historical narratives of Russia and Western countries, and this is very painful for Russian society today. Negative interpretation of the events of Soviet history, especially of the memory of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, is absolutely unacceptable for the Russian historical memory. Russian people react to the attempts to revise the traditional interpretations of Russian history with the demand for reliable historical knowledge. People attitude to preserve the established interpretation of national history is related not to the fear of decentralization tendencies, as it was in the 1990s, but to their desire to protect the history of their families and family memory.

Ethnic identity and tolerance in a multicultural society: an all-Russian perspective and research in Kabardino-Balkaria

The article presents the results of the study of ethnic identity and ethnic tolerance as significant elements of the mass consciousness of Russians. The empirical basis is provided by representative sociological research conducted in the Russian Federation, data from the «Public Opinion» Foundation, and research conducted in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, along with in-depth interviews with experts from Kabardino-Balkaria. It is noted that the ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation is enshrined in the public and doctrinal discourse, reflected in the Constitution of the country, and the Strategy of State National Policy. Research shows that while there is a high level of ethnic identity among Russians, there is also a high level of interethnic tolerance, which is necessary for fostering processes of nationwide consolidation. The most significant indicator of interethnic tolerance is the perception that violence in resolving interethnic and interreligious conflicts is unacceptable. Disrupting the established consensus could occur through the breach of fairness in interethnic relations. From 2010 to 2021, Russian society moved towards embracing the multinational character of Russia, with the level of positive assessments of Russian multi-ethnicity rising from 34% to 52%. Normative interethnic tolerance, expressed through the willingness to accept people of different nationalities as citizens of the Russian Federation and residents of their own region (republic, region, city, town, or village), exceeds 70%. Ethnic identity and interethnic tolerance can be viewed as stable dominants of mass consciousness firmly rooted in the realm of beliefs, social practices, and social institutions, actively influencing nation-building processes and national-civic consolidation. The conclusion is that unique models and formats of nationbuilding are emerging in the regions of Russia, shaped not only by federal and regional policies related to ethnic and Russian identity but also by everyday, historically developed, and locally rooted traditional forms of interethnic (and interreligious) interaction and socio-normative practices of interethnic tolerance.

The associative field of the concept “enemy” in modern Russian linguistic consciousness

The purpose of this study is to reveal the structure of the associative field of the ENEMY concept in the Russian linguistic consciousness and to find out the factors causing its transformation. The object of the study is the results of associative experiments presented in the "Slavic Associative Dictionary" and in the "Russian Regional Associative Database. 2008-2015". The subject of the study is the basic cognitive features that form the associative-verbal model of the concept "enemy" in the modern linguistic consciousness of Russians. The results of the comparative analysis of the researched associative fields in general testify to the stability of the associative-verbal model of the concept of ENEMY in the Russian linguistic consciousness of the first decades of the 21st century. The list of high-frequency reactions to the stimulus of враг is mostly unchanged (друг, недруг, враг народа, злой, мой, ненависть, etc.). The enemy's qualitative, action and acting characteristics, as well as his emotional and general negative assessment, remain stable. The connection between the concepts ENEMY and WAR is relevant. However, the circle of reactions that point to the subject of enmity changes: next to the topic of Germany (немец, Гитлер, Германия, фашизм), the reactions of Америка, США, Запад are noted. Reactions нации, страны, государства appear among the names of the objects targeted by enmity. Reactions indicating the location of the enemy express the idea of his proximity, which is associated with a sense of danger and threat. The appearance of such reactions indicates the gradual actualization in the Russian linguistic consciousness of the image of an external enemy, which can be associated not only with people of other nationalities, but also with individual states or their associations. Such changes are obviously caused by extralinguistic factors, in particular, the strengthening of political tensions on the part of Russia in the early 2000s against neighboring states and Western countries, which was accompanied by the active formation of the image of an external enemy in the Russian media space. The transformation of the associative field of the ENEMY concept in Russian linguistic culture demonstrates socio-cultural conditioning, discursiveness and dynamism of language consciousness.

Интерпретационное искажение прошлого как способ манипуляции историческим сознанием современной российской молодежи

The article is devoted to the problem of manipulation of historical consciousness of modern Russian youth. The aim of the present study is to analyze the interpretive distortion of the past as a means of influencing the minds of the new generation of Russian citizens. The article analyses the historical prerequisites and directions of large-scale influence of the West on the historical consciousness of Russians. Its causes and forms leading to the destruction of the civic position of young people are analyzed. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the con-structivist approach to understanding history and a set of technical manipulative tools that serve the designated paradigm are becoming the leading ones in this respect. The struggle against such attitudes today comes to the forefront in connection with the ideological war against Russia. The results of the work can be useful in scien-tific research and educational process in the field of Russian history, social philosophy, political science, soci-ology.

Ideas about the soul in the modern religious consciousness of Russians

Ideas about the soul in the modern religious consciousness of Russians

Consolidation of the Russian society under contemporary challenges: Social-historical and value contexts

Civil identity is one of the key resources for uniting Russian society. It is based on the historical self-awareness, common historical memory, joint commemoration of significant historical events and achievements of the state and society. Civil identity of the Russian nation is concentrated around the Soviet legacy: Russian reality is filled with Soviet reminiscences and markers of historical memory, many of which act as ‘links’ for the differentiated social space. However, the Soviet period is becoming increasingly distant, full of myths and simplified interpretations. Therefore, the increased attention to the interpretation of ambiguous events of the Soviet history may cause a critical revision of the Soviet value paradigm in relation to the historical heritage and the policy of memory and become a catalyst for centrifugal sentiments, creating threats to the state security and integrity. The efficiency of state institutions and prospects of civil society structures depend on the dominant identity markers in the mass consciousness and on the most important reference groups for self-identification. Thus, the study of the historical consciousness and memory of Russians as the basic principles of national consensus and the analysis of the features of the post-crisis historical worldview of different groups in the Russian society are of particular relevance. Based on the monitoring research data from the IS FCTAS RAS surveys (conducted in 2020-2023 on the representative all-Russian regionalized quota sample; N = 2000) and an integrated approach, the authors assess the historical and value consciousness of Russians under contemporary challenges: interest in history and historical facts, perception of historical periods and leading historical figures; attitude to national history, formation of the all-Russian identity and the role of family memory in this process; a ‘new vision’ of Russia and its future, a trend to rethink the idea of change and the path of national development, understood in the mass consciousness through the original model of the world order and civilizational sovereignty; ideas about key social groups that contribute to or hinder national development, and about the tasks to be solved on the path to creating future Russia. The main conclusions of the research are presented in the article in the form of postulates.

Ideas about the future in the collective consciousness of Russians

The article discusses the interpretation of the image of the future in the views of Russians. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the formation of the image of the future in conditions of political instability. It is shown that citizens' ideas about the future of their loved ones and the state are influenced by current social problems and contradictions. However, we are not talking about the mechanical transfer of actual experiences of respondents to an idealized future. The factors determining the complex and multi-stage process of constructing the image of the future in the public consciousness are revealed. It is shown that trust in political institutions and state power is one of the main factors in the process of forming a relatively consistent and positive image of the future. The reasons for the weak reaction of society to various types of threats, including corruption and social inequality, are analyzed. Ideological concepts and the stereotypes that have manifested themselves in recent years in the minds of Russian citizens. The role of mass media in the construction of collective ideas about threats to the existence of the state in the medium term is noted. The evolution of conservative political attitudes in the mass consciousness under the influence of the official political narrative is traced. The fact of the growth of anxiety and alarmist ideas about the near future in various social groups is noted, as a psychological reaction of individuals to incomplete information about the ongoing political changes in society. At the same time, there is an obvious trend towards preserving democratic institutions and values that modern Russian society is not going to abandon. The article is descriptive and abstract in nature. The method of secondary analysis is applied. The conclusions are based on the publications of the Institute of Socio-Political Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1992-2022 , and according to the data of the All-Russian monitoring "How are you living, Russia?" (1992-2022), a comprehensive sociological study "Forecasts and alternatives for the development of Russia through the eyes of Russians" (2021). On the basis of the conducted research, criteria are identified that ensure the reproduction of stereotypical ideas about the future in the analyzed social groups. The study of the features of the formation of the image of the future can be useful for making political decisions aimed at the development of the state-political system, the improvement of civil society and the consolidation of modern Russian society based on the adoption of national values and ideals. The factors hindering the construction of a holistic image of the future in present-day Russia are considered. The relevance of the studied topic is explained by the fact that the analysis of the structural features of the formation and functioning of collective ideas about the future of the state contributes to the understanding of complex socio-psychological processes.