The Myth of the Russian ‘Unique Path’ and Public Opinion

Abstract

How to understand the concept of the ‘Unique Russian path’, that is, the belief in a special Russian destiny which today constitutes a fundamental part of Russian official rhetoric and is widespread in Russian society? This chapter analyses the symbolic policy of the Russian authorities and the symbolic practices of the Russian public. They are connected through the institutional channels of school, press, and above all television. The analysis is based on Russian nationwide polls of the adult (over 18 years of age) population that were conducted over more than two decades by the Levada Analytical Center.¹ The analytical approach is a form of sociological hermeneutics. It separates the semantic layers of various symbolic formations in public use, in particular the mythologeme (ideologeme) of a ‘Russian special path’ — my current subject of interest — and interprets them as elements of orientation and identification in various groups of Russian society. In addition, the semantic actions of other collective actors and the operation of communication channels between the participants are taken into consideration.