Faith in Russia? Exploring National Identity Discourses on Russian Belonging and the Role of Religion
VAN TREECK, TOBIAS (2009)
VAN TREECK, TOBIAS
2009
Kansainvälinen politiikka - International Relations
Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2009-03-18
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20080
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20080
Tiivistelmä
This thesis engages in an interpretative exploration of contemporary discourses about Russian national identity with a particular focus on questions concerning Russia's European and international belonging, the role ascribed to religion, and possible connections drawn between these two dimensions.
This investigation starts off by a historical review of the role of religion as well as ideas of Europe in Russian identity. After subsequently examining the place of religion in International Relations theory and analysis, the thesis proceeds by laying out a theoretical framework inspired by constructivist ideas which accentuate the intersubjective character of meaning, and consequently the centrality of narratives for studying (national) identities. Securitisation theory is suggested as a particularly instructive tool for inquiries into identity constructions at the nexus of national identity and religion.
The analysis is conducted by means of a research method called "Q Methodology" which facilitates the systematic study of human subjectivity. The research material consists of 17 individual Q sort sessions conducted with students at the MGIMO University in Moscow, Russia.
By extracting four distinct discursive position on the question of Russia's place in the world and the place of religion in Russian identity, it is shown that a rich variety of - frequently competing - narratives about Russian national identity exists. In pointing out that some of these discourses do only marginally or not at all feature in the pertinent literature, new fields for inquiries into Russian identity constructions are revealed.
Asiasanat:Russia, national identity, religion, constructivism, securitisation
This investigation starts off by a historical review of the role of religion as well as ideas of Europe in Russian identity. After subsequently examining the place of religion in International Relations theory and analysis, the thesis proceeds by laying out a theoretical framework inspired by constructivist ideas which accentuate the intersubjective character of meaning, and consequently the centrality of narratives for studying (national) identities. Securitisation theory is suggested as a particularly instructive tool for inquiries into identity constructions at the nexus of national identity and religion.
The analysis is conducted by means of a research method called "Q Methodology" which facilitates the systematic study of human subjectivity. The research material consists of 17 individual Q sort sessions conducted with students at the MGIMO University in Moscow, Russia.
By extracting four distinct discursive position on the question of Russia's place in the world and the place of religion in Russian identity, it is shown that a rich variety of - frequently competing - narratives about Russian national identity exists. In pointing out that some of these discourses do only marginally or not at all feature in the pertinent literature, new fields for inquiries into Russian identity constructions are revealed.
Asiasanat:Russia, national identity, religion, constructivism, securitisation