Russia’s Gopnik Subculture: aktsiia on the street and “correct” masculinity in post-Soviet Russia
posted in: Archive, Number 3, Social sciences, Volume 4
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The paper analyses a distinct feature of Russia in the 1990s that had a significant impact on the disarray caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Young Gopnik clothed in sportswear travelled from Russia’s rural districts to the cities, and these troublesome young men, who were regarded as the proper strain of masculinity, increased rapidly at a period of national turmoil. The article is based on a theoretical framework that draws attention to the concept of social disorganization theory, strain theory and cultural deviance theory. Although the group dissolved from the Russian political landscape, their worldviews remained influential in Russian culture.