"The Political" In The Community Of Young Russian Nationalists In St. Petersburg: Understanding, Everyday Practices And Activism

Existing research in the field of the relationship of political communities with power often ignores what views their individual members have. Moreover, the approach used there may not notice changes occurring primarily in movements that are difficult to access outside. My bachelor thesis is aimed at studying how the concept of «the political» is perceived in the community of young Russian nationalists in St. Petersburg, how these ideas are reproduced in their daily practices, and how they can be related to their political activism. This research was carried out within the framework of an interpretive methodology, which does not involve the formulation and testing of any hypothesis. As a qualitative study, it relies on the analysis of non-numerical data using ethnographic field observations and interviews, including biographical interviews and casual communication with informants. The work was built on the basis of my previous experience in this area, which implies a high degree of field access. Based on the results of the study, the most common ideas about power relations were identified, and the dynamics of the interaction of understanding, practices, and activism were described, which indicate that there is no sense in using the concept of «community», since young Russian nationalists in the city are represented rather within the framework of overlapping, but different from each other associations.