Conformism and Agency: Model Young Communists and the Komsomol Press in the Later Khrushchev Years, 1961–1964

ArticleinEurope Asia Studies 65(7) · September 2013with16 Reads
DOI: 10.1080/09668136.2013.824140
Abstract
This essay examines newspaper narratives depicting model youth in Komsomol'skaya Pravda in the early 1960s in order to cast light on the Party-state's efforts in the Khrushchev years to use the press as a means of re-energising the drive to forge model communist citizens. In contrast to most studies of Soviet media, this study offers a glimpse of the reception of official signals, by drawing on sociological studies that Komsomol'skaya Pravda conducted of its readers in the early 1960s. Throughout, the paper explores recent scholarly discussions of resistance, conformism and agency in the Soviet context.

Do you want to read the rest of this article?

Request full-text
  • [Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: This article traces the development of a ritual of remembrance invented in 1968 by a small group of young people to perpetuate the memory of Soviet landing troops lost at sea off Novorossiisk. With a series of changes, this annual tradition of "Beskozyrka" (a sailor's cap) has flourished over the years, resisting sweeping political, economic and social changes towards the end of the twentieth century to become even more successful today than in the Brezhnev era. It is argued that, thanks to national and local conditions under which collective war memory is thriving, increasing empathy with the troops is demonstrated such that this continuing legacy of the youth of 1968, far from being discarded after Brezhnev's death, is increasingly relevant to the identity of the hero-city of Novorossiisk today.
    Article · Jan 2013
  • [Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Russia once again has voluntary militias. As in Soviet times, they monitor public space, help fight crime, and serve to keep society in line. They are also used to suppress political protests. The militias' advocates emphasize that the militias give young people an opportunity to become model citizens. The people's patrols embody a form of state-sponsored engagement on behalf of civil society. The fact that hundreds of thousands of young people volunteer for these militias shows the extent of conformity on behalf of the Putin regime. The traditional theory that government bodies and organisations of civil society stand opposite one another does not apply here. The patrols' proponents have not succeeded in winning recognition for the voluntary militias as a generally accepted model for young people.
    Article · Nov 2013
  • [Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Volunteer militias of young people wearing red armbands have grown into an increasingly common sight in Russia during the last five years. They patrol the streets for what they consider violations of public order, persecuting the transgressors. The militias emerged from a combination of central, regional and local government support, and from grass-roots activism. This chapter uses newspapers, television broadcasts, legal documents, political statements, legislation and digital media such as websites to examine the public discourse about these volunteer patrols. I focus in particular on youth engagement in militia activities, and do not discuss the special cases of Orthodox Church and Cossack patrol groups.
    Chapter · Jan 2016 · Osteuropa

We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on ResearchGate. Read our cookies policy to learn more.