Gopnik

A Russian gopnik squats in a stairwell in a khrushchyovka building (2016)

A gopnik (Russian: гопник, romanizedgopnik, pronounced [ˈɡopnʲɪk]; Ukrainian: гопник, romanizedhopnyk; Belarusian: гопнік, romanizedhopnik)[1] is a member of a delinquent subculture in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and in other former Soviet republics—a young man (or a woman, a gopnitsa) of working-class background who usually lives in suburban areas[2] and comes from a family of poor education and income.[3]

The collective noun is gopota (Russian: гопота). The subculture of gopota has its roots in working-class communities in the late Russian Empire and gradually emerged underground during the later half of the 20th century in many cities in the Soviet Union.[4][5] Even before their heyday in the 90s, there was a ‘gopnik’ movement in the Soviet Union. Young men from working class areas rebelled against neformaly (non-conformists) and gladly fought people from punk movements, rappers and other lovers of Western music who became popular in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.[6]

These years—between the late 1980s and roughly 2001—were the time when the gopota subculture was at its greatest extent, though it remained prevalent, albeit in decline, throughout much of the former Soviet space into the 2000s. As of the late 2010s, the subculture has faded for the most part, although youth gangs (such as the A.U.E.) that resemble gopota still exist in Russia and in other Slavic and Baltic countries.

  1. ^ Russian plural гопники (gopniki), also гопота (gopota), and гопари (gopari). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y90yaLFoYoA Archived 2020-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Beiträge der Europäischen Slavistischen Linguistik (POLYSLAV)., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y90yaLFoYoA Archived 2020-03-27 at the Wayback Machine Volume 8, 2005, ISBN 3-87690-924-4, p. 237 Archived 2016-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Michele A. Berdy (2014-04-10). "Thugs, Rednecks, Nationalists: Understanding Russia's Gopnik Culture". Moscow Times.
    Anastasiya Fedorova (2014-07-30). "An Ode to Russia's Ugly, Mean Suburbs". Moscow Times.
  4. ^ "Slav Squat – Russian Disturbing Street Trend". Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  5. ^ "Russia's original gangstas: meet the gopniki". 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  6. ^ RIR, specially for (2016-03-30). "Who are Russia's 'gopniks'?". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2022-08-10.

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