NATION AND DEMOCRACY Article 1. The Idea of Civic Nation in Modern Russia

Occupation: Doctoral student
Affiliation: Centre de recherches Europes-Eurasie, Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, INALCO
Address: Paris 63, Rue de Grand Moulins France 75013

Journal name

Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost

Edition

Issue 6

Pages

123-137

Abstract

These two articles focused on the relationship between nationhood, democracy and civil participation. The authors develop D. Rustow’s thesis of the national unity as a single background condition for democratisation. The article argues that the problematic institutionalisation of democracy in Russia and the current trust crisis towards democratic institutions in several western societies help to reveal a fundamental role of the civic nationalism not only in build its, but also in maintain modern democracy.

In the first article, the authors discuss the hybrid type of nationhood in Russia. Although the latter has some formal, both legal and cultural, features of a becoming political nation, it is still largely shaped by an “imperial syndrome”, reflecting the country’s imperial past and obstructing the building of democratic institutions. The authors highlight that it is poorly understood by the masses and by the academics, while two different ideological movements, the liberal and the conservative, do not seen to be interested in discussing them. The authors distinguish three academic will approaches to the idea of civic nation in Russia. First, “defensive constructivism” appealing to the broadly used discursive methodology to defend Russia from any criticism focused on the imitation of the major Russian institutions, i.e. civic nation, democracy, federalism, and the rule of law. Second, the “pragmatic relativism” approach postulating that then is no a hybrid character of Russian nationhood. Finally, the “historical fatalism” which claims that Russia remains an imperial polity and, thus, cannot become a nation state. While opposing to each of these three positions, the authors develop their own approach to the problem.

Keywords

civic nation, democracy, Russia, empire, trust, institutions, constructivism

Received

12.09.2020

Publication date

17.12.2017

Number of characters

2011

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GOST	Pain E., Fedyunin S. NATION AND DEMOCRACY Article 1. The Idea of Civic Nation in Modern Russia // Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost – 2017. – Issue 6 C. 123-137 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://ons-journal.ru/S086904990011469-7-1 (circulation date: 09.12.2023).
MLA	Pain, Emil, Fedyunin, Sergey "NATION AND DEMOCRACY Article 1. The Idea of Civic Nation in Modern Russia." Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost 6 (2017):123-137.
APA	Pain E., Fedyunin S. (2017). NATION AND DEMOCRACY Article 1. The Idea of Civic Nation in Modern Russia. Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost (6), pp.123-137

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