bespredel

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian беспреде́л (bespredél, “lawlessness; arbitrary rule”), from бес- (bes-, “without”) +‎ преде́л (predél, “limit”).

Noun

bespredel (uncountable)

1. (political science) A fundamental breakdown in the established norms of a society, due to its citizens no longer having a collective understanding of the customs, values or institutions of that society; particularly in a Russian or post-Soviet context.
   • 2015, Svetlana Stephenson, “6. THE GANG IN THE COMMUNITY”, in Gangs of Russia. From the Streets to the Corridors of Power, Cornell University Press, →DOI, pages 152–153, 154–155:

     In the Russian Far East, for example, vory took it on themselves to punish not only criminals unaffiliated with their organizations but also those members of their own society who committed acts of bespredel, extreme violence that was forbidden under the code—for example, brutally attacking or killing a woman or a child. […] Crime committed by outsiders is seen as bespredel because the territory “belongs” to the gang. As always with the gang, moral reasoning goes hand in hand with pragmatic considerations. The members admitted that the gang fights bespredel largely because it does not want additional police attention in its territory.

   • 2017, Regine A. Spector, “6. Becoming Trading Elders and Local Authorities”, in Order at the Bazaar. Power and Trade in Central Asia, Cornell University Press, →DOI, page 150:

     When asked of his understanding of bespredel at the bazaar, or mafia-related lawlessness, Adyl, a similarly aged trader originally from Osh confirmed what most other traders stated: there is not that kind of bespredel at the bazaar.