Post-Soviet Cynicism in Russia: An Intellectual History

• In Event: Poster Session: Politics and History & International History and Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Politics and History

Abstract

I trace the intellectual history of cynicism in the thought of Vladislav Surkov, one of the architects of the Putinist system, to understand the origins of so-called “post-truth politics” in Russia. Cynicism here is understood as a posture that sees professed ideals as cover for self-interested motivation, that rejects “higher” ideals, and that instead advocates the pursuit of power. Reading Surkov against the background of Russia’s historical trajectory provides a window into the constitution of a cynical posture in Russian politics. My analysis looks at his fiction and non-fiction writings produced over a span of twenty years. His fiction writings in the form of novels and novellas profess that life in post-Soviet period Russia is debased, the rules are unjust, and the norms are corrupted by marketization and mediatization. Meanwhile, Surkov’s non-fiction output in the form of essays and speeches, can be read as his blueprint for securing power amidst the reigning cynicism. Surkov argues that political “technologists” like himself can utilize the media to produce images in a process he calls “meaning production” to garner support from the population that is already disillusioned with reality. He advocates the legitimation of power through an adoption of a cynical posture that allows hovering between media-enabled skepticism about reality and media-produced performances of power.

Author

• Dinara Urazova, Northwestern University