The Russian Society: Facts of Collective Consciousness

Abstract

The article discusses the current state of the collective consciousness of the Russian society that explains domestic and foreign policy trends of the Kremlin. Methodologically the study is based on the theory of social facts developed by Durkheim, according to which social facts consist of representations and actions. The empirical data produced by a number of surveys, including the surveys conducted by the Levada Centre, constitute an empirical base of this article. Data analysis suggests that the collective consciousness of the Russian society consists of the following facts: 1) «tyranny love», or an irrational admiration of «hardliners» who tend to favour a hawkish approach to foreign policy; 2) «freedom phobia», or a set of attitudes corresponding to the concept of «escape from freedom» coined by Fromm that leads to a systematic failure of any democratic reforms; 3) «Westernophobia», or a negative attitude towards the West or any country that adopts Western values, including Ukraine that has allegedly betrayed its ex-ally; 4) «aggressive narcissism», or the idea of Russia’s superiority that justifies the «rogue state’s» behaviour, including imperialist policies practiced by a number of countries over the past centuries. Social facts pertaining to the collective consciousness result in a distinctive civilisational marker that highlights the differences between Russia and the West, assists with the differentiation between the Russian and the Ukrainian societies, and explains the root causes of war against Ukraine.