The NGO 'Soldiers' Mothers' in Russia and its Activities: Interpreted Through the Concept of 'Human Dignity'.

This paper offers an interpretation of the activity of the Russian NGO 'Soldiers' Mothers' which provides legal assistance to soldiers and their families. This NGO attracts significant attention in Russia and some authors have already suggested explanations of its work from anthropological and sociological perspectives. This paper interprets the 'Mothers' through the concept of human dignity as understood by the German sociologist and philosopher Jürgen Habermas. As argued by Habermas, dignity is a communicative structure that makes the passage from morality to law and, therefore, the social dialogue possible. It is shown that dignity occupies a crucial place in the work of the activists of the organization, which forms a link between private and public spheres. This paper is based on interviews with the activists of the 'Soldiers' mothers' of St. Petersburg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]