Attitudes to Putin-Era Patriotism Amongst Russia’s ‘In Between’ Generation

Abstract

This essay focuses on the role of patriotic socialisation amongst a selected sample from the cohort born in the early 1980s. This understudied group occupies a unique space in Russia’s societal and political developments, including Putin-era patriotic education. The qualitative case study shows that respondents’ personal and positive memories of the Soviet-era patriotism have no positive connection with the current patriotic education. While they acknowledge the virtues of official patriotism, they are also critical of certain aspects, in particular, its militaristic emphasis.