The “Motherland” in the symbolic politics of the post-Soviet Russia Cover Image

«Родина-мать» в символической политике постсоветской России
The “Motherland” in the symbolic politics of the post-Soviet Russia

Author(s): Oleg Vjacheslavovich Riabov
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Cultural history, Political history, Government/Political systems, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Social development, Sociology of Culture, Post-Communist Transformation, Sociology of Politics
Published by: Ивановский государственный университет
Keywords: the Motherland; the maternal symbol; symbolic politics; the post-Soviet Russia; Russian nationalism;

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the using of the symbol of the Motherland in the symbolic politics in the post-Soviet Russia. The author demonstrates that the maternal symbol of Russia is employed in the politics of the national identity, in the practices of political mobilization, in legitimation and delegitimation of power, in the rhetoric on the international relations, in politics on demography and education. This symbol serves as an important cultural and semiotic resource of power relations; political actors compete for their own interpretation of social reality with help of the “Motherland”, concurring for the right to represent her. The author points out that researching the using the maternal symbol of Russia is heuristic for studying the nature of symbolic politics in general.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 3-4
  • Page Range: 78-95
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Russian