The Politics of (Historical) Love: On Patriotism, National History and the Annexation of Crimea

Abstract

This article shows how the presumed historical importance of ‘unification’ with Crimea ensured Russian public support for its annexation. Based on the analysis of patriotic discourse in Russia, I show how within its frame the terms ‘People’, ‘Russia’ and ‘Motherland’ correspond to sacred non-human beings. The ontological gap between them and humans is mediated by means of national history: created by human subjects, history ultimately belongs to the Russian nation. In this context, loving Russia means ensuring the greatness of Russian history. The historical significance of the annexation made it patriotic, and hence, a desirable course of action.

Acknowledgements

The research for this article was conducted when the author was an independent researcher.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Rossiya, kotoruyu my poteryali, Sergei Govorukhin director, Mosfilm, 1992, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Aygl7ybmlg, accessed 30 January 2024; Utomlennye solntsem, Nikita Mikhalkov director, Caméra One, Canal+, Studio Trite, 1994, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gluS3OA9dOc, accessed 30 January 2024; Sibirskii tsiryulnik, Nikita Mikhalkov director, Caméra One, France 2 Cinéma, Studio Trite, Barrandov Biografia, Canal+, Eurimages, Goskino USSR, Medusa Film, 1998, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVNHuULHHpo, accessed 30 January 2024; Turetskii gambit, Dzhanik Faiziev director, Studio Trite, Perviy Kanal, 2005, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiZVq1LYR8s, accessed 30 January 2024.

2 Novyi tekst Konstitutsii RF s popravkami 2020, Gosudarstvennaya Duma Federal'nogo Sobraniya Rossiiskoi Federatsii, available at: http://duma.gov.ru/news/48953/, accessed 8 November 2023.

3 ‘Russia: “Crimes Against History”’, International Federation for Human Rights, 2021, p. 13, available at: https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/russie-_pad-uk-web.pdf, accessed 15 August 2023.

4 ‘Poedinok s Vladimirom Solov'evym’, Rossiya-1, 7 February 2013, 8:12, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4gfdP5Hb1g, accessed 2 December 2023.

5 ‘Kollektivizatsya: prestupnaya avant’ura ili strashnaya neobkhodimost’?’, Sud vremeni, episode 9, Channel Five, 29 July 2010, 6:44, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=rZX5U_iyZaI&itct=CAkQpDAYBiITCP2ptu6s0tACFdheTgodxMsMPTIHcmVsYXRlZEjek-zZlP-Z3VU%3D&client=mv-google&gl=US&hl=en, accessed 2 December 2023.

6 ‘Poedinok s Vladimirom Solov'evym’, Rossiya-1, 7 February 2013, 4:49, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4gfdP5Hb1g, accessed 2 December 2023.

7 ‘Poedinok s Vladimirom Solov'evym’, Rossiya-1, 7 February 2013, 34:21, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4gfdP5Hb1g, accessed 2 December 2023.

8 ‘Kollektivizatsya: prestupnaya avant’ura ili strashnaya neobkhodimost’?’, Sud vremeni, episode 10, Channel Five, 30 July 2010, 26:08, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QeBbo4ejxiY, accessed 2 December 2023.

9 ‘Kollektivizatsya: prestupnaya avant’ura ili strashnaya neobhodimost’?’, Sud vremeni, episode 10, Channel Five, 30 July 2010, 34:11, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QeBbo4ejxiY, accessed 2 December 2023.

10 ‘Kollektivizatsya: prestupnaya avant’ura ili strashnaya neobkhodimost’?’, Sud vremeni, episode 9, Channel Five, 29 July 2010, 42:52, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=rZX5U_iyZaI&itct=CAkQpDAYBiITCP2ptu6s0tACFdheTgodxMsMPTIHcmVsYXRlZEjek-zZlP-Z3VU%3D&client=mv-google&gl=US&hl=en, accessed 2 December 2023.

11 ‘Poedinok s Vladimirom Solov'evym’, Rossiya-1, 7 February 2013, 17:40, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4gfdP5Hb1g, accessed 2 December 2023.

12 ‘Poedinok s Vladimirom Solov'evym’, Rossiya-1, 7 February 2013, 1:24:57, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4gfdP5Hb1g, accessed 2 December 2023.

13 Lacan calls such central terms ‘master signifiers’ (Bracher 1988). A good example of their self-referentiality may be found in the Biblical scene, where God presents himself to Moses: ‘I am who I am’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dmitriy Skulskiy

Dmitriy Skulskiy, Ruppin Academic Center, The Institute for Immigration and Social Integration, Kfar Monash 4025000, Israel. Email: [email protected]