printThe Past in the Present:
USSR Phenomenon in Modern Media and in the Consciousness of Russian Students
Bubnova I.A.
Dr. Sci. (Philol.), Cand. Sci. (Psy.), Prof., Head of Foreign Philology Chair, Moscow City University, Moscow, Russia aribubnova@gmail.com
Gorokhova D.V.
Cand. Sci. (Philol.), Assoc. Prof., MGIMO University – Branch in Odintsovo, Odintsovo, Russia podrezova.dascha@yandex.ru
Bubnova I.A., Gorokhova D.V. The Past in the Present: USSR Phenomenon in Modern Media and in the Consciousness of Russian Students. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2021. No 7. P. 73-82
The article presents the data of experimental study aimed at revealing the features of the representation of the USSR’s image in the text typical for modern Russian MCT, and the peculiarities of the content of the psychologically real meaning of this term in the perception of modern students. The use of macrostructure analyzing method of the text developed by T.M. Dridze allowed us to prove that such texts, appealing to the emotional sphere via expressively marked lexical units are aimed at destroying the historical memory of people and replacing it with artificially constructed knowledge. Based on specific results obtained in the course of associative experiment, it becomes clear that the goal set in such texts is partially realized: the semantic content of the psychologically real meaning of the term USSR reveals social stereotypes constructed through MCT. Moreover, the level of importance of negative assessment of the USSR component has increased compared to 2018, although it is not dominant: the semantic content of the meaning of the term USSR in the perception of students is much broader, and the component with the opposite assessment is clearly distinguished – the best country in the world. In general, the number of components with negative and positive connotation in the structure of psychologically real meaning is approximately equal, which proves the unstable state of the system of knowledge of the Soviet period in the country’s history as a part of a common cognitive base that unites generations and ensures the succession of culture.
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