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‘Threat’, ‘Protection’, ‘Traditional Values’ and ‘Patriotism’: Russian Authorities’ Discourse on Youth
The chapter explores the rhetoric of Russian authorities in relation to youth. The analysis focuses on the identification of the motifs of the authorities’ rhetoric about young people. The analysis confirms the assumption that a pragmatic attitude exists on the side of the Russian ruling elite in relation to youth. The analysis of presidential speeches, government programmes and reports shows that the specific motifs of the authorities’ rhetoric in relation to youth are ‘threat’, ‘protection’ and ‘traditional values’. The authorities problematize an alleged external influence on young people and emphasize ‘traditional values’ without specifying what these values are. The shifts in the interpretation of the ‘national idea’ from the ‘competitiveness of the country’ to ‘patriotism’, and the re-interpretation of patriotism from the ‘love for the Motherland’ to ‘readiness to defend the state by military means’, are revealed. The results of this study show that patriotism is filled by articulated militarized content.
