Text-as-Data Approaches to Studying Exclusion & Inclusion Strategies in Authoritarian Regimes

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The panel explores the use of text-as-data methods to analyze exclusion and inclusion strategies in authoritarian regimes, with a focus on Russia. The studies examine political inclusion and exclusion through legislative and judicial institutions and their impact on migrant communities. By leveraging text analysis techniques such as Natural Language Inference, grounded theory, and qualitative legal analysis, these studies reveal how political narratives shape autocratic governance. Together, they offer insights into how authoritarian regimes manage dissent, manufacture enemies, and manipulate discussions to maintain power and legitimacy.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Papers

• Blame Attribution in State Duma: Natural Language Inference in the Analysis of Parliamentary Speeches - David Avagian, U of Mannheim (Germany); Artur Baranov, Northwestern U

• Scapegoating Strategies in Autocracies: The Cases of LGBTQ People and Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia - Sergey Katsuba, U College Dublin (Ireland)

• Narratives of Justice among Russian Wartime Migrants - Mikhail Turchenko, Northwestern U

Discussants

• Victoria Hastings

• Raushan Zhandayeva, George Washington U