The ‘public–private’ sphere in Soviet and post-Soviet society
Perception and dynamics of ‘public’ and ‘private’ in contemporary Russia

Abstract

The post-Soviet Russian society produces of a great variety of political parties, newspapers, and TV channels but this is not synonymous with democratic pluralism and/or the formation of a critical public sphere. This public sphere suffers from obstructed communication between the state and its citizens as one result of Soviet political socialization. This is not only a reason for fuzzy interview communication in the frame of scientific research in contemporary Russia, it is an important aspect of impediment to the construction of civil society. In our article we will firstly outline Russian sociological discussion on the specific Soviet division of the public sphere in an ‘official’ and a ‘private’ part. Secondly, we will suggest how to compare it with ‘western’ theoretical approaches to the topic by strengthening any non-dichotomous models. Finally, we consider the actual condition of Russian public which is still marked by a general distrust of the state and its ‘organs’, and recently coloured by false public forums threatening freedom of the press and freedom of opinion.

Keywords:

• public and private spheres
• post-Soviet societies
• Russia
• political culture
• Soviet public
• qualitative methods in sociology