The article examines problems that Russia may face by positioning itself as a civilization-state. Russia’s attempts to dissociate itself from the West and Western culture, completely reject liberalism—or advocate it along with a complete rejection of collectivism—may lead not to Russia’s establishment as a civilization-state, but to self-denial. The author argues that many Western cultural trends are manifestations of radical ‘expressive individualism’ engendered by postmodern culture. Russia can counter expressive individualism with its own ideal of personality rooted in its culture and the philosophical tradition of personal-ism, and consider the possibility of personalizing the majority based on collectivity. Rus-sian culture could offer an alternative form of personalization that affirms the norm of the majority, not of the minorities.
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