Divergence in Radical Right Rhetoric by Pro-Regime Platform in Russia

• In Event: Memories and Narratives of War: Public Opinion and Grassroots Interpretation of Violence in Authoritarian Settings

Abstract

Using evidence from automated transcripts and Telegram channels, this paper argues that the formality of a pro-regime platform determines its adoption of radical right rhetoric against racialised minorities in Russia versus Western Europe and North America. Informal platforms like pro-regime Telegram channels pursue both anti-Black and anti-Central Asian rhetoric, intermediate platforms like television propaganda talk shows only support anti-Black narratives, while formal platforms like television news as well as presidential and parliamentary speeches avoid either type of hostile rhetoric. This limitation suggests that the regime recognises the proximity between ethnonationalism across foreign and domestic contexts, qualifying the argument that it uses anti-Black rhetoric unreflectively to promote a narrative of "western chaos".

Author

• Andrey Davydov, McGill U (Canada)