Description
This panel brings together five research papers that explore different aspects of strategic narratives articulated by the Russian state, and by Russian state-sponsored and independent media. The papers draw on diverse theoretical traditions and methodologies to analyse the formation and the reception of these narratives. Focusing on the formation, Chatterje-Doody’s paper examines the ways in which the Russian state-sponsored RT constructs strategic narratives promoting populist sentiments among ‘Western’ audiences, while Kazakov’s study investigates RT’s attempts to discredit political actors in the UK’s 2019 General Election. Focusing on the reception of strategic narratives, Szostek explores the impact of Russian media narratives on popular attitudes to democracy and good citizenship, and on belief in disinformation in Ukraine, while Hoyle studies the impact of Russia’s ‘antagonistic strategic narratives’ on media consumers in the Netherlands and Sweden. Finally, Feklyunina and Bilsland interrogate the link between Russia’s strategic narratives of past victories and defeats and the ways in which the Russian authorities have interpreted Russia’s ‘rightful’ international role in its relationship with the US and Afghanistan.
