Civil religion in Putin’s “Holy Rus”: A case of strategic nation-building through political discourse.

Abstract

Coined by Rousseau, the term civil religion describes the form of bond that integrates the individual into the whole and gives meaning to their existence (1893). Civil religion has become critical for the Russian state to legitimize the Ukrainian invasion as necessary for the common good. As president of Russia who holds the authoritative power, Vladimir Putin mostly communicates his political message through public addresses. Analyzing the 21 transcripts of speeches by Putin after the Ukrainian invasion, this study asked: How does Putin’s regime frame the post-Soviet Russian civil religion in addresses after the Ukrainian invasion? Through discourse analysis, this study found the three most common themes, patriotism and honor in sacrifice, anti-Western senti- ment, and democratic values. Examined using the rhetorical triad of nationalism by Levinger and Lytle (2003), the study results reveal that the deliberate choice of themes justifies war as necessary through glorification of patriotism, villainization of the enemy, and moral justification of violence. In effect, the findings reveal how Putin’s regime strategically positions the Russian people and the state in the post-Soviet world to defend the act of interstate invasion.

Keywords

• civil religion
• contemporary russian identity
• discourse analysis
• putin
• presidential address