Instruments and Influences of Russian Propaganda I: Weaponizing the Narrative in Cinema, Television, and Mass Media

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel addresses propaganda as it appears in contemporary Russian television, cinema, and mass media. The panelists address the construction of propaganda through textual and visual elements, including cinematic techniques that extend beyond cinema, linguistic and narrative techniques, and images created or manipulated to serve ideological purposes. Olha Tytarenko investigates Sergei Eisenstein’s montage theory, especially the “montage of attractions” and its significant influence in the ideological narratives of mass media related to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Serhii Tereshchenko proposes a comparative terminological study of the concepts of justice, democracy, tolerance, and truth within Russian media, fiction, and film in the years 2022-2024 and argues for a rehabilitation of keyword analysis in the study of Russian culture. Arina Kosareva explores strategic narratives about contemporary Ukraine in two popular programs on Russian television, Vremya and Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, analyzing broadcasts from the years 2010-2022 and mapping subtle propaganda techniques. Kirsten Rutsala examines recent Russian television series, focusing on the spy drama Russkie (The Russians) and investigating both overt and indirect forms of propaganda, from storylines and character development to specific language usage, cultural myths, and imagery. With a clear concentration on the contemporary situation in Russia and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the panelists address the timely issue of propaganda in visual and textual mediums. In so doing, they interrogate the various ways that propaganda shapes narratives and manipulates perceptions.

Sub Unit

• Cinema, Television, Electronic Media

Chair

• Alla Roylance, New York U

Papers

• Between Perception and Deception: Eisenstein’s Montage in Political Narratives and Warfare - Olha Tytarenko, Yale U

• Tolerance, Democracy, Truth, and Justice as Identity Markers: A Study of Russian Media, Fiction, and Film, 2022-2024 - Serhii Tereshchenko, SUNY Albany

• Spies Like Us: Propaganda in Contemporary Russian Television Series - Kirsten M. Rutsala, Virginia Tech

• 'It is Not a Real Country': Strategic Narratives and Propaganda Techniques the Russian State-Controlled TV Uses against Ukraine - Arina Kosareva, U of Oslo / PRIO (Norway)

Discussant

• Dmitrii Pastushenkov, Harvard U