ABSTRACT
In this chapter I explore the discursive dimension of the intelligentsia and provide further illustration to the argument that it is far from being simply a social group, but can be seen as a rhetorical device aimed to fulfil certain functions. I demonstrate that the debates about Russian intelligentsia that took place at the turn of the millennium confirmed the prestige of intelligentsia identity. I explore how the process of identity search or identification took place in post-communist Russia and argue that by claiming intelligentsia identity intellectuals can justify the right of the special role of one group in society and establish their superiority over both the masses and the power.
