Constructing the national past in the official rhetoric: The analysis of thematic repertoire of the commemorative speeches of presidents of the Russian Federation (2000-2013)
Research Article
Acknowledgments
The research is supported by the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Foundation, grant No. 11-03-00202 a
How to Cite
Malinova O.Y. Constructing the national past in the official rhetoric: The analysis of thematic repertoire of the commemorative speeches of presidents of the Russian Federation (2000-2013). Vlast i Elity (Power and Elites). 2014. Vol. 1. No. 1. P. 224-246. (in Russ.).
Abstract
The article is a part of research project studying political uses of the national past by the Russian governing elite. Analyzing the thematic repertoire of the commemorative speeches of presidents of the Russian Federation since 2000 till the May of 2013, it reveals, what kind of historical events, processes and figures were considered ‘proper’ for political use during three electoral terms of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. It was found that the most usable part of the national history are events of the Soviet period, in particular the Great Patriotic War. In general they provided more than a half of occasions for official commemorative speeches, and their portion raised from one presidential term to another. This symbolic resource was used rather arbitrary: the selected episodes represented the glorious past of the ‘thousand-years-long’ state that was able to win in the War and to become the world power. According to our argument, the ‘popularity’ of the Soviet past was not a result of particular sympathy to this legacy, but a consequence of the availability of this resource. Also significant attention was paid to representation of continuity of the state (in particular military) institutions. The shift in the state symbolic policy that took shape in 2003-2005 resulted in reduction of a number of ‘post-Soviet’ historical occasions for president’s rhetoric: from 31 per cent of the total number of commemorative speeches during the first term of Vladimir Putin to 12 per cent during his second term and 16 per cent during Dmitry Medvedev’s stay at office. At the same time certain efforts were made for institutionalization of the memory of more remote past associated with the idea of the ‘thousand-years-long’ Russian state (the most remarkable step was establishment of the Day of National Unity in 2004, commemorating the events of the seventeenth century). But these efforts could not bring quick results, besides there were not enough systematic.
Keywords:
symbolic policy, memory politics, governing elite, commemorative speeches, political rhetoric, V. Putin, D. Medvedev
References
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19. Putin V.V. Poslanie Federal'nomu Sobraniyu Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.12.2012. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/news/17118 (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
20. Spravka o nerabochikh prazdnichnykh dnyakh, professional'nykh prazdnikakh i pamyatnykh datakh [Information on non-working holidays, professional holidays and memorable dates] (podgotovleno ekspertami kompanii «Garant»). URL: http://base.garant.ru/4029129/#block_111 (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
21. Art D. The Politics of the Nazi Past in Germany and Austria. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
22. Coakley J. Mobilizing the past: Nationalist images of history // Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 2007. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 531-560.
23. Gill G. Symbols and Legitimacy in Soviet Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
24. Gill G. Symbolism and Regime Change: Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
25. Joesalu K. The Role of the Soviet past in post-Soviet memory politics through examples of speeches from Estonian presidents // Europe-Asia Studies. 2012. Vol. 64. No. 6. P. 1007–1032.
26. Schöpflin G. The Functions of Myth and a Taxonomy of Myths // Myths and Nationhood / Ed. by G. Hosking, G. Schopflin. New York: Routledge, 1997. P. 19-35.
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28. Wertsch J.V. Blank Spots in Collective Memory: A Case Study of Russia // The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 2008. No. 617. Р. 58–71.
29. Wodak R., De Cillia R. Commemorating the past: the discursive construction of offi cial narratives about ‘Rebirth of Second Austrian Republic’ // Discourse & Communication. 2007. Vol. 1. No. 3. P. 337-363.
2. Dubin B. Return symbols instead of change symbols // Pro et contra. 2011. No. 5 (53). P. 6-22. (In Russ.)
3. Efremova V.N. Den' narodnogo edinstva: Izobretenie prazdnika [National Unity Day: The Invention of a Holiday] // Simvolicheskaya politika. Vyp. 1. Konstruirovanie predstavlenii o proshlom kak vlastnyi resurs. Moscow: ISISS RAS,2012. P. 286-300. (In Russ.)
4. Koposov N.E. Pamyat' strogogo rezhima. Istoriya i politika v Rossii [Memory of the Strict Regime. History and Politics in Russia] Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 2011. (In Russ.)
5. Malinova O.Yu. Konstruirovanie smyslov: issledovanie simvolicheskoi politiki v sovremennoi Rossii [Constructing Meanings: A Study of Symbolic Politics in Contemporary Russia] Moscow: ISISS RAS, 2013. (In Russ.)
6. Malinova O.Yu. Political Use of the Past as a Tool of Symbolic Politics: The Evolution of the Discourse of the Ruling Elite in Post-Soviet Russia // Politeks. Saint Petersburg, 2012. V. 8. No. 4. P. 179–204. (In Russ.)
7. Malinova O.Yu. Political Use of the Symbol of the Great Patriotic War in Post-Soviet Russia: Evolution of the Discourse of the Ruling Elite // Proshlyi vek. Moscow: ISISS RAS, 2013. P. 158-186. (In Russ.)
8. Malinova O.Yu. The theme of the past in the rhetoric of Russian presidents // Pro et contra. 2011. No. 3–4. P. 106–122. (In Russ.)
9. Medvedev D.A. «Nam ne nado stesnyat'sya rasskazyvat' pravdu o voine — tu pravdu, kotoruyu my vystradali» ["We should not be ashamed to tell the truth about the war - the truth that we suffered for"] // Izvestiya. 07.05.2010. URL: http://www.izvestia.ru/pobeda/article3141617/ (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
10. Medvedev D.A. Pamyat' o natsional'nykh tragediyakh tak zhe svyashchenna, kak pamyat' o pobedakh. Novaya videozapis' v bloge Dmitriya Medvedeva v Den' pamyati zhertv politicheskikh repressii [The memory of national tragedies is as sacred as the memory of victories. New video in Dmitry Medvedev's blog on the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 30.10.2009. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/transcripts/5862 (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
11. Putin V.V. Vstupitel'noe slovo na zasedanii Gosudarstvennoi komissii po podgotovke k prazdnovaniyu 300-letiya Sankt-Peterburga [Opening remarks at a meeting of the State Commission for preparations for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 13.01.2001. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2000/01/13/1334_type63378_121182.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
12. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na prieme po sluchayu Dnya Konstitutsii [Speech at the reception on the occasion of Constitution Day] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.12.2002. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2002/12/12/1637_type63374type82634type122346_29631.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
13. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na prieme po sluchayu Dnya Rossii [Speech at the reception on the occasion of Russia Day] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.06.2002. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2002/06/12/0001_type82634type122346_28953.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
14. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na sobranii, posvyashchennom Dnyu pamyati voinov-internatsionalistov [Speech at a meeting dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 14.02.2004. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2004/02/15/1615_type63374type63376type122346_159652.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
15. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na torzhestvakh po sluchayu Dnya Rossii [Performance at the celebrations on the occasion of Russia Day] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.06.2003. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2003/06/12/1419_type82634type122346_47092.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
16. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na torzhestvennom prieme, posvyashchennom Dnyu narodnogo edinstva [Speech at a gala reception dedicated to National Unity Day] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 04.04.2005. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2005/11/04/1615_type82634type122346_96690.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
17. Putin V.V. Vystuplenie na torzhestvennom prieme po sluchayu Dnya pri nyatiya Deklaratsii o gosudarstvennom suverenitete Rossii [Speech at the gala reception on the occasion of the Day of the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Russia] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.06.2000. URL: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2000/06/12/0002_type122346_28767.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
18. Putin V.V. Poslanie Federal'nomu sobraniyu Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 25.04.2005. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/appears/2005/04/25/1223_type63372type63374type82634_87049.shtml (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
19. Putin V.V. Poslanie Federal'nomu Sobraniyu Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation] // Ofitsial'nyi sait Prezidenta Rossii. 12.12.2012. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/news/17118 (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
20. Spravka o nerabochikh prazdnichnykh dnyakh, professional'nykh prazdnikakh i pamyatnykh datakh [Information on non-working holidays, professional holidays and memorable dates] (podgotovleno ekspertami kompanii «Garant»). URL: http://base.garant.ru/4029129/#block_111 (available 12.03.2014). (In Russ.)
21. Art D. The Politics of the Nazi Past in Germany and Austria. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
22. Coakley J. Mobilizing the past: Nationalist images of history // Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 2007. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 531-560.
23. Gill G. Symbols and Legitimacy in Soviet Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
24. Gill G. Symbolism and Regime Change: Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
25. Joesalu K. The Role of the Soviet past in post-Soviet memory politics through examples of speeches from Estonian presidents // Europe-Asia Studies. 2012. Vol. 64. No. 6. P. 1007–1032.
26. Schöpflin G. The Functions of Myth and a Taxonomy of Myths // Myths and Nationhood / Ed. by G. Hosking, G. Schopflin. New York: Routledge, 1997. P. 19-35.
27. Somers M.R. The narrative constitution of identity: A relational and network approach // Theory and Society. 1994. Vol. 23. No. 5. P. 605–649.
28. Wertsch J.V. Blank Spots in Collective Memory: A Case Study of Russia // The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 2008. No. 617. Р. 58–71.
29. Wodak R., De Cillia R. Commemorating the past: the discursive construction of offi cial narratives about ‘Rebirth of Second Austrian Republic’ // Discourse & Communication. 2007. Vol. 1. No. 3. P. 337-363.
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
ACM
[1]
Malinova, O.Y. 2014. Constructing the national past in the official rhetoric: The analysis of thematic repertoire of the commemorative speeches of presidents of the Russian Federation (2000-2013). Vlast i Elity (Power and Elites). 1, 1 (Oct. 2014), 224-246.
Section
Russian elites: practice and perspectives of development
