Historical consciousness and the consolidation of the opposition

Uses of the history of revolution and dissent in Russian protest art, 2008–2012

Bibliographic Data

ID12412229
AuthorsNadezda Petrusenko (0000-0001-5252-009X, Umeå University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume40
Issue2
Pages88-104
Publication date2023-11-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePost-Soviet Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1060-586X • E-ISSN: 1938-2855
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1060586x.2023.2270374
OpenAlexW4388618877
LanguageEN
References cited24

The protests against election fraud in Russia in winter 2011–2012 were the first in the post-Soviet period that were attended by a united opposition, and attracted hundreds of thousands of previously apolitical citizens. This article seeks to explain mass participation in the protests by focusing on uses of the history of revolution and dissent in Russian protest art. The article investigates whether a common historical consciousness, which could have made it possible to unify previously fragmented opposition and mobilize previously apolitical citizens, was manifested in protest artworks created by artists with differing political ideologies. The conclusion is that the official historical narrative promoted by the state – of a spiritual unity between a strong state and the people – was challenged and undermined by protest artists, who have characterized Russian history as a continuous struggle between an oppressive state and civil society. This finding indicates that a common historical consciousness was manifested in protest artworks

Aesthetics · Art · Consciousness · Consolidation (business · Dissent · Economics · Epistemology · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Communism, Protests, Social Movements · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · History · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Philosophy

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access