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Pride and Shame in Collective Memory of Russian and American Youths
The article examines collective attitudes of American and Russian students towards their
countries’ events they are either proud, or ashamed of. Basing on the quantitative questionnaire
and the in-depth interview with the students of leading Russian and American universities the
authors identify the major differences in these views: time localization, contents structure, either
hard or soft power prevailing. The research stresses that the perceptions of the past have been
one of the core components of national identity and may have an impact on citizens’ political
behaviour in the present. Thus sharp contradictions in assessments of today’s younger generation
and their understanding of the past might influence the relations between Russia and the USA in
the future.