Kulturowy ruch młodzieżowy rolewików w Rosji
Roleviks - a Cultural Youth Movement in Russia

Summary/Abstract: I discuss one of the most interesting youth movements in Russia in recent years - Rolevoye Dvijenie, known as the Rolevik movement. The Roleviks gained a large following in the 1990,s due to their main form of activity: the organization of LARP (Live Action Role Playing) games in Poland and Western Europe. The present analysis is based on my own empirical research, in the form of 30 interviews conducted with Roleviks in 2001 and 2002 in four Russian cities: Sankt Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk and Ekaterinburg. Using the in-depth interview method with a small degree of standardization I have gained a comprehensive insight into a community of young people, so far undescribed in any general scientific publication. I present in turn the history of the Roleviks in Russia; various forms of their activity; the self-organization of the movement; the relationship between the movement and Russian society; significant values and attitudes shaping people linked with the movement. I point out the importance of LARP to thousands of young Russians, while attempting to show that this activity is not mere "childishness" but can be viewed as a conscious creation of an alternative reality, enhancing the everyday world of the Russian youth. The results of my research demonstrate that the emergence of the Roleviks -especially their style of life and involvement in culture - is closely related to the radical cultural and social changes, which took place in Russia in recent years. Within the Russian culture of postmodernism, with its enormous variety of truths and visions of reality, the Rolevik movement has become an eloquent example of new cultural trends.

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