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DearReader,
IntheeighthcenturyBCHesiodcomplained:“Iseenohopeforthefutureofour
peopleiftheyaredependentonthefrivolousyouthoftoday,forcertainlyallyouth
arerecklessbeyondwords.”Thepoet’swordsechoedthroughoutcenturiesand
wereusedbyadultswhileaddressingeachsubsequentyounggeneration.Suchis
thenatureoftheunavoidableconflictofgenerations.
Inthisissue,however,weargueagainstHesiod.Ourauthorsillustratehowthe
ongoinggenerationalexchangethatistakingplaceinthecountriesoftheformer
SovietUnion,andespeciallyintoday’sRussia,bringshope,notdespair.Evenmore,
theyouththatiscomingofageinthesecountriestoday,althoughoftenmisunder-
stoodbytheirparentsandpoliticians,isprobablythebestindicatorastowhatcould
takeplaceinthenearfuture.
Theirunprecedentedparticipationinthe2017ralliesinRussiashowsthatthese
kidscareabouttheirfuture.Hence,itisworthkeepinginmindthewordsofsociolo-
gistandresearcherSvetlanaErpylevawhowrites:“Duringtherecentanti-corruption
ralliesinRussia,youngpeoplespokeoutnotonlyagainstthedishonestyofpower
andlackofpoliticalfreedominthecountry,butalsoagainsttheunfairdistribution
ofincomebetweendifferentgroups,theinaccessiblemedicalservices,thehigh
feesforstudenthousingandgrowingfoodprices.”
Notsurprisingly,thispotentialisextremelytemptingforpoliticianswho–beit
bydirectcommunication(AlexeiNavalny)oroffcialinstructionandhistoricalpolicy
(theKremlin)trytoshapetheirminds.Asourauthorsnotethereisanincreaseof
thelatter,beitinRussia,BelarusorUkraine,whichcausesustoreflectontheef-
fectivenessofthemethodsused(suchasasingleinterpretationofhistoryinRussia
orBelarus,ortheneweducationreforminUkraine)andthecontextinwhichthey
areintroduced.
Ifrecenteventscanteachusanything,radicalpoliticalchangedoesnottakeplace
intheclassroom,orinaccordancewithoffcialrhetoric.Thus,whiletheimmediate
outcomeoftheMarch2018Russianpresidentialelectionmayalreadybeknown,
thelong-termchangesintheregionaremuchmorediffculttoforesee,especiallyif
weignoretheaspirationsandvaluesoftheseadolescentsandyoungadults.With
thisinmind,wewishyouaninspiringreadingofthisissue.
TheEditors
