Civilizational Unity of the Post-Soviet States: Symbolic Components

Aim. To identify the civilizational foundations of the political unity of post-Soviet states based on the analysis of the values and principles of the semiosphere of the Soviet era.

Methodology. The study is based on the principles of a civilizational approach. The work used the method of semiotic analysis, as well as systemic, dialectical and historical-chronological methods, which together made it possible to determine the most important value characteristics of the symbolic field of the contemporary post-Soviet states.

Results. The role of cultural and civilizational components in the development of Russia's cooperation with the CIS states in the 21st century is shown. The elements of the state symbols of the post-Soviet countries, which have continuity with the symbols of the USSR, are revealed and analyzed. The main factors that contribute to the preservation of the popularity of the Soviet symbolic series are identified: association with the achievements of the past (primarily with the victory in the Great Patriotic War), nostalgia for the old days, as well as the demand for such ideas as a strong state, social equality, confidence in the future, friendship of peoples.

Research implications. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that Soviet symbols have undergone significant de-ideologization over time, as a result of which they are now often perceived outside the communist context as one of the manifestations of a unique civilization – the Russian World. Symbols of the USSR remain popular in the states of the post-Soviet space and, from a practical point of view, can be considered as one of the mechanisms of political and socio-cultural interaction between Russia and neighboring countries.

1. Derendyaeva A. D. [Key Concepts of National Anthems in the Post-Soviet Space: Historical Continuity or New Identity?]. In: Postsovetskie issledovaniya [Post-Soviet Studies], 2022, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 170–180.

2. Dufraisse S. [The Advent of Sports Celebrities: How to Analyze the Celebrity Phenomena in Soviet Union]. In: Sociologiya vlasti [Sociology of Power], 2018, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 83–100.

3. Epihina Yu. B. [Main Vectors of Interpretation of the Concept of “Social Justice” in Soviet Social Science]. In: Social’naya spravedlivost’ v russkoj obshchestvennoj mysli [Social Justice in Russian Social Thought]. Moscow, Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Publ., 2016, pp. 168–176.

4. Kibalko O. V. [Semiotic Analysis of a New Year’s Card from the USSR Era]. In: Sovremennyj diskursanaliz [Modern Discourse Analysis], 2021, no. 1 (27), pp. 15–33.

5. Kiuru K. V. [Verbal, Visual and Olfactory Identifiers of Brands of the Soviet Perfume as Symbols of the Epoch]. In: Gorizonty civilizacii [Horizons of Civilization], 2020, no. 1 (11), pp. 171–182.

6. Lourie S. V. [Friendship of Peoples in the USSR: A National Project or an Example of Spontaneous Interethnic Self-Organization]. In: Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost’ [Social Sciences and Modernity], 2011, no. 4, pp. 145–156.

7. Meleshkina E. Yu. [The Prohibition of Communist Symbols in Post-Communist Countries]. In: Gumanitarnye nauki. Vestnik Finansovogo universiteta [Humanities. Bulletin of the Financial University], 2019, vol. 9, no. 4 (40), pp. 36–45. 8. Münch F. [“Alyosha” Soviet Soldier Monuments in the Post-Communist Space]. In: Ural'skij istoricheskij vestnik [Ural Historical Journal], 2014, no. 4 (45), pp. 60–68.

8. Platitsyna A. I., Mukhina N. E. [The Pride of the USSR: Space Development]. In: Sovremennye problemy gumanitarnyh i obshchestvennyh nauk [Modern Problems of the Humanities and Social Sciences], 2017, no. 4 (17), pp. 66–71.

9. Popov A. D. [“Routes of Friendship”: Organization of International Tourism in Countries of Socialist Camp in 1950–1980s]. In: Nauchnyj dialog [Scientific Dialogue], 2021, no. 6, pp. 408–425.

10. Titov V. V. [The Role of Soviet Symbols in the National-State Identity Formation of the Russians]. In: Vestnik Zabajkal’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Transbaikal State University], 2021, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 82–86.

11. Tueva A. V. [The Russian/Soviet Influence on the Formation of the Modern Central Asian State Symbols]. In: Istoricheskij put’ Rossii: iz proshlogo v budushchee: materialy mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferencii, posvyashchyonnoj 800-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya Velikogo knyazya Aleksandra Nevskogo, Sankt-Peterburg, 26 marta 2021 g. [Historical Path of Russia: From the Past to the Future: Materials of the International Scientific Conference Dedicated to the 800th Anniversary of the Birth of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, St. Petersburg, March 26, 2021]. St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design Publ., 2021, pp. 585–591.

12. Filatova M. V. [I Really Want to Go Back to the Soviet Union: Nostalgia for the USSR through the Prism of the Series “Inside Lapenko.” “Lapenko Effect”]. In: E-Scio, 2021, no. 1 (52), pp. 59–67.

13. Hobsbaum E. [Russians’ Nostalgia for the USSR is Nostalgia for a Country in Which Money and Profit were not the Main Thing...]. In: Svobodnaya mysl’ [Free Thought], 2011, no. 11 (1629), pp. 31–36.

14. Chalaya E. A., Bochkareva A. S. [Symbols of the Great Patriotic War in Belarus]. In: Nauchnye trudy Kubanskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnologicheskogo universiteta [Scientific Works of the Kuban State Technological University], 2015, no. 7, pp. 205–213.

15. Churadaeva A. V. [Confidence in the Future as a Factor and Indicator of Social Stability]. In: Ezhegodnik “Vittevskie chteniya” [Yearbook “Wittev Readings”], 2013, no. 1, pp. 290–291.

16. Shvedova L. E., Zadereichuk G. I. [The Use of Soviet Symbols in the Modern Advertising Industry]. In: MediaVektor [MediaVector], 2022, no. 3, pp. 113–119.

17. Spengler O. Der Untergang des Abendlandes (Rus. ed.: Svas’yan K. A., transl. Zakat Evropy. Ocherki morfologii mirovoj istorii. T. 1. Geshtal’t i dejstvitel’nost’. Moscow, Mysl’ Publ., 1993. 663 p.).

18. Boer R. The Soviet Union as a Multi-national and Anti-colonial State. In: Socialism in Power. Singapore: Springer, 2023, pp. 89–111.

19. Kavolis V. Civilization Analysis as a Sociology of Culture. New York, E. Mellen Press, 1995. 223 p.

20. Kramer M. The Dissolution of the Soviet Union. In: Journal of Cold War Studies, 2022, vol. 24, pp. 188–218.

21. Pickett J. Soviet Civilization through a Persian Lens: Iranian Intellectuals, Cultural Diplomacy and Socialist Modernity 1941–55. In: Iranian Studies, 2015, vol. 48 (5), pp. 805–826.