"Monstration" as a semiosis of political simulacrum of demonstration: the phenomenon of return to the real

Problem and purpose.The paper analyzes the reasons for the emergence of the cultural phenomenon of Monstration and its representation as a socio-political phenomenon. The purpose of the article is the identification of the significant features of Monstration and their interpretation in the context of the concepts of J. Baudrillard and A. Camus. The methodologyof the study is the method of comparative analysis of May-Day demonstrations and Monstrations. Results.Monstration arises as an opposition to demonstrations, which are in the position of the fourth order simulacrum - the absence of sense with no tries to hide it. Demonstrations are meaningless because of their traditional nature and lack of serious demands for change. An individual may not agree with the reality for various reasons and the reality does not provide him a space for free discourse - both social and political. Hence, according to the provisions of A. Camus, there comes an appeal to absurdity as a mockery of the apparent rationality of reality. The most relevant and significant Monstration is found in the remote regions of the Federation because it is there that society feels the greatest estrangement from participation in the life of the state. In addition, the reason for Monstration is also the possibility of creative self-expression, which is not always accompanied by any political or social position. The conclusion. On the one hand, the analysis of characteristic features of Monstration shows the essence of this socio-cultural phenomenon, and the causes of its emergence represent crisis phenomena in contemporary Russian society, its political and social space. On the other hand, Monstration represents a fundamentally new space for the realization of creativity by the people - spontaneously, without special regulation on the part of the administrative resource, but at the same time orderly. It is this feature of Monstration that seems to be the most interesting, and it will serve as material for further research in this field.