POL354H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Russian Culture, Sovereign Democracy, The Russian Review
Document Summary
Contrasted with western reductionism, breaking things into component parts. Russian culture as it pertains to russian politics. Proportional model of parliamentary elections --> merging politically disparate groups. Cannot form political parties on religious, occupational, etc. Personification of political institutions --> individual personality as an institution. Higher and more remote an authority is, the more it is trusted. Needs to happen right away - "what you can"t do in 2 weeks, you can"t do" Anything incompatible with life of culture or harmful to foundation was rejected --> failure of reforms. What methods best suit russian culture and pursuit of democracy. Integration of russia in european identity is erroneous - "anomaly" to them. Politically advantage minorities that will advantage society (inventors) "post-totalitarian national identity: public memory in germany and russia. " Public memory: cultural spaces, processes through which a society understands, interprets, and negotiates myths about its past. Dominant cultural understandings of "nation" or "people" thus formed.
