Subjunctive Russia: how the past shapes the present in contemporary Russian politics

The discourse of traditional values, which moved to the centre stage of Russian politics in the last few years has been conventionally seen as an attempt to appeal to conservative, nationalist-leaning forces and to represent 'moral majority' of the Russian citizens. This article argues that the discourse of traditional values has, in fact, a different effect. It does not seek to mobilize, or represent and hegemonize the moral majority. Rather, it aims at restricting agency even on its own side of discursive frontier that allows a radical exclusion of the political from discursive horizon as a whole. This article shows how this exclusion is rationalized through a distinct grammar of 'subjunctive Russia' - a utopian imaginary that the discourse of traditional values is based upon.