ABSTRACT
Introduction For some time after starting my fieldwork, Oborona remained a mystery to me. I got to know the activists and the group’s repertoire of action, but I had difficulties grasping what the group was really about. Coming from Finland, I was used to associating social movements with questions of social justice and the anti-or alternative globalization movement of organizations opposing neoliberal globalization (see Della Porta and Diani 2006, 2). With this mindset, I had difficulties understanding Oborona and its struggle against the government. On the one hand, Oborona’s repertoire of action was very similar to the social movement organizations in Western Europe: they organized flash mobs and performances, participated in rallies and demonstrations and were very active in online discussions. However, these activities were always organized around abstract themes of constitutional rights and seemed to avoid taking any stand on questions of poverty, economic reforms, gender, sexual minorities or ethnic discrimination, for instance, which would have seemed as obvious points of critique. Activists often struggled with questions about their political views and wanted to emphasize how the group accommodates everyone regardless of their political position. On the other hand, when I talked with the activists, they often emphasized their group as their most important network of support and like-minded friends. They were talking about their fellow activist-friends as intelligent and active and they were clearly proud of being part of such a group despite their political disagreements.
