Cancel Culture and Novaya Etika in Russian Public Discourse

Abstract

Using the prism of moral conflict between conservative and progressive worldviews, this chapter seeks to examine how cancel culture practices in the West have influenced Russian public discourse society. This essay argues that there are two main perspectives on cancel culture in Russia. The traditionalist perspective dismisses cancel culture as an alien ideology that is harmful to the domestic system of conservative values. This perspective inevitably creates a moral conflict with Russian conservative attitudes, which are in line with the current ideological paradigm of the Russian state. The progressive perspective on cancel culture often justifies the extreme use of canceling in the name of social justice and other noble causes, frequently overlooking the consequences of public shaming campaigns. While cancel culture applies to a broad range of social issues, the chapter examines its effects inspired by the #MeToo movement across different organizational settings. The authors also discuss the use of novaya etika, a new term used by Russian traditionalist patriots and liberal cosmopolitans to make sense of debates in the West concerning changing views of history, culture, and morality.