Russia-Ukraine war within thestruggle of imperial narratives against the values of freedom and dignity
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Київський національний економічний університет імені Вадима Гетьмана
Abstract
The article presents a study of Russian imperial narratives, which are an effective tool of the modern Russia-Ukraine war. This war is seen as a conflict of worldviews and values, a struggle of identities and historical memories. The methodological basis of the article is a combination of general scientific methods of comparative and historical analysis with special methods of narrative analysis. Based on the examples of the most common imperial narratives, it is substantiated that the latter have become an effective tool of justifying armed aggression against Ukraine and waging a genocidal war. It is emphasized that imperial narratives have always been tools of Russian propaganda aimed both at the direct and/or symbolic enemy, and at other people not directly involved in the existential struggle. Particular attention is paid to highlighting the manipulative influence and effects of Russian imperial narratives, the result of which is the affirmation of a positive image of Russia and the disappearance of Ukrainians and Ukraine as self-sufficient geopolitical entities from the mental map of most European nations. The ruling class of the Russian Federation, adopting the experience of digital totalitarianism in China, modifying the propaganda of the USSR and having sufficient financial capabilities, has been gradually moving in the direction of constructing its own model of digital autocracy over the past two decades. In the era of post-truth and complete digitalization, there has been a modification of Russian imperial narratives, which contributed to the spread of their influence. The author considers alternative (pro-) Ukrainian narratives as a tool of effective counteraction to Russian imperial narratives. Ukrainian narratives are based on the national version of historical memory, which is the result of the culture of dialogue and understanding, as well as on the recognition of the core values of freedom and dignity in the worldview system of the Ukrainian state and society.
Description
Keywords
narrative, Russia-Ukraine war, historical memory, memory wars, culture of dialogue and understanding, identity
Citation
Bulbeniuk S. Russia-Ukraine war within thestruggle of imperial narratives against the values of freedom and dignity [Electronic resource] / Svitlana Bulbeniuk // Political Technologies of Information War: Domestic and World Aspects : monograph / [Bulbeniuk Svitlana, Babarykina Nadiia, Haponenko Vira еt al.] ; Min. of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv Nat. Econ. Univ. named after Vadym Hetman. – Electronic text data. – Kyiv : KNEU, 2024. – P. 105–127. – Title from screen.