Duka A. Power elites in the space of scandal (case of General Zolotov)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the scandal connected with the challenge to duel of the opposition politician and blogger A. Navalny by the Director of the Russian Guard General V. Zolotov, in response to the publication of corruption revelations. It is shown that the scandal demonstrates the state and structuring of the Russian political process, characterizes the institutionalization of the socio-political order (including the institutionalization of power groups). Conclusions about incomplete institutionalization of the post-Soviet state and power elite are drawn. Largely, the institutionalization of power groups occurred, first, to the detriment of the institutionalization of the state. Hence, the element of arbitrariness in their activities is quite large. Secondly, in such an institutional situation, the roles are not fully interiorized. There is a mismatch between the status and institutional requirements and the real behavior of elite persons. However, this is not problematic by the authorities. It is argued that the Russian public space is not completely public: its institutionalization as a space of modern politics and civil interaction has not been completed. At the same time, we can say that in the public space, the action on the public, the involvement of the public, the action of the public itself produces a significant effect. In this respect, the public figure in this space outplays (semi -) closed bureaucratic persons. However, the administrative non-public system in (semi -) closed societies is more successful. There is a fairly strong control over the media by the power groups. In the scandal stands out part of the scandalous, but in a specific perspective. Is the flow of information about unfavorable government scandals. Scandals that distract the public from important problems are inflated and hypertrophied. There is a further instrumentalization of morality in politics. It ceases to play an internal regulatory role. The appeal to it has an external ritual nature with a strong weakening of the value-normative system of society.

Content (in russ)