Russia’s Social Upper Class: From Ostentation to Culturedness

Abstract

This article discusses examples of strategies employed by representatives of Russia’s new social upper class to acquire social distinction. By the late 2000s many of the upper-class Russians included in this study distanced themselves from the conspicuous ostentation ascribed to the brutish 1990s. Instead, they strove to gain legitimacy for their social position by no longer aggressively displaying their wealth, but instead elaborating more refined and individualized tastes and manners and reviving a more cultured image and self-image. These changes found their expression in various modes of social distinction ranging from external signs, such as fashion and cars, to ostentation vicariously exercised through the people these upper-class Russians surrounded themselves with.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12053
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
Additional Information: Copyright © 1999-2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Publication ISSN: 1468-4446
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2024 08:22
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2017 08:15
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Related URLs: https://onlinel ... 1468-4446.12053 (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2014-03-19
Accepted Date: 2013-10-01
Authors: Schimpfossl, Elisabeth (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-6168-7411)

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