Clash of Ideologies? The Nationalist Challenge to Contemporary Russian Liberalism

Ideology and Politics Journal. 2013. Т. 2. № 4. С. 61–77.

Fabrykant M.

The article is dedicated to the new significance of the national issue as a challenge posed to the contemporary Russian liberalism. The purpose of the study is to transfer the clash of liberal and nationalist ideologies from mass media and blogs into the realm of academic conceptual analysis. In the first part of the article, the key definitions of nationalism are examined and placed on a scale compatible to the described range of position developed by Russian liberals with regard to nationalist ideology. Then the two continuums are used to trace the main criteria of (in)compatibility between liberalism and nationalism. Subsequently, the focus shifts on the contemporary Russian liberalism to trace possible implications of the discovered (in)compatibilities. Finally, the conclusions contain a series of suggestions on the possible moves that have not been taken by liberals in their attempts to come to terms with the challenge of nationalism.

Keywords: национализм, nationalism, history of liberalism in Russia, либерализм в России