Strategies of Consentful Contention in a War-Time Russia

• In Event: Public Sociology Laboratory: Studying Russian Society in the Time of War

Abstract

A year after the announcement of “partial mobilization” in 2022, the movement of soldiers’ wives (Put’ Domoy) began positioning itself as a collective force, openly criticizing the Russian state and military while demanding the return of their mobilized husbands. The recent advancement of Ukrainian troops into Russian territory has sparked a new wave of public dissatisfaction, as drafted soldiers are sent to the front lines and displaced residents of Kursk Oblast express frustration with the state’s response to their situation.

However, the claims of both soldiers’ wives and displaced Russian citizens do not fit within the classical framework of political contention. Instead, they employ “consentful contention”—a specific form of political engagement in which claim-makers adopt the persona of dutiful citizens while simultaneously contesting specific state actions or policies (Straughn 2005). Consentful contention illustrates how citizens seek to exercise the “voice” option under authoritarian conditions without relinquishing the advantages of loyalty. It allows citizens—regardless of their personal attitudes toward the state—to advocate for themselves by “taking the state at its word.”

Based on interviews with Put' Domoy participants and individuals who sought to help their sons, fathers, friends, husbands, and partners serving in the Russian army, this presentation examines how they engage with state structures and why they choose different paths—collective or individual, confrontational or non-contentious—in doing so.

Author

• Natalia Savelyeva, U of Wisconsin-Madison