Cultures of power in post-Communist Russia
Subtitle: an analysis of elite political discourse
By: Michael Urban
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
ISBN-13: 9780521195164
Subjects: Politics and government; Elite (Social sciences); Political culture; Discourse analysis; Language; Interviews; Politicians
Description: "In Russian politics reliable information is scarce, formal relations are of relatively little significance, and things are seldom what they seem. Applying an original theory of political language to narratives taken from interviews with 34 of Russia's leading political figures, Michael Urban explores the ways in which political actors construct themselves with words. By tracing individual narratives back to the discourses available to speakers, he identifies what can and cannot be intelligibly said within the bounds of the country's political culture, and then documents how elites rely on the personal elements of political discourse at the expense of those addressed to the political community. Urban shows that this discursive orientation is congruent with social relations prevailing in Russia and helps to account for the fact that, despite two revolutions proclaiming democracy in the last century, Russia remains an authoritarian state"--

"Urban shows that this discursive orientation is congruent with social relations prevailing in Russia and helps to account for the fact that, despite two revolutions proclaiming democracy in the last century, Russia remains an authoritarian state"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-211) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. Social relations; 3. Community; 4. Morality; 5. Competence; 6. Revolution; 7. Conclusion; Appendix. Sketches of respondents' backgrounds.