Parodic Male Societies in Russian Culture (Research Summary)

This project is an analysis of prominent semi-dissident Russian male societies, whose main features are self-mockery, parody, a certain level debauchery (drinking, eating, smoking, laziness, etc.) and the extolment of these practices and values in their literary writings. At the same time, it is shown that the groups also exhibit a number of aspects of Orthodox Christian ethics, including pity for others, asceticism, humility, self-deprecation, and protecting those who are weaker. It is argued that, by simultaneously embracing self-mockery and piety, these groups revert, in part, to a kind of medieval Russian humor. This trend of replicating the core features of medieval ethics has served as a form of resistance in time of political and cultural hardships. Having a deeper insight into the structure, thoughts, and behaviors of powerful and influential male groups can help U.S. policy-makers to understand how Russians react to change and can lead to more fluent communication with politicians and men of power.

Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.

Zlatina Sandalska, of the University of Southern California, was a 2011 Regional Policy Symposium participant.