ABSTRACT
Victor Shnirelman analyses the civilizational discourse of Russian politicians and representatives of the Orthodox Church focusing on President Vladimir Putin and patriarch Kirill’s writings and speeches. Agreeing with those who see Putin as a non-ideological, pragmatic politician, Shnirelman argues that his use of civilizational rhetoric is purely instrumental. It is conveniently evoked when Russia needs to disassociate itself from the West but is not founded on any consistent ideology or worldview. The Russian Orthodox Church, by contrast, seems more consistent in its use of civilization, which often equals “Orthodox civilization.” Shnirelman suggests that civilization in general has a broader appeal within the Church, as the Church’s canonical territory is larger than the Russian state’s. The state exhibits expansionist tendencies, but the Church’s cultural and religious scope offers less complicated rationalization for reaching out to the “Russian World” (Russkii mir), i.e., an imaginary Russophone world beyond the country’s current borders, as the Church’s attempt to appeal to all Orthodox Eastern Slavs manifests. Given the general vagueness of the concept of civilization, however, it is ultimately an empty signifier for both politicians and clerics used to replace the more problematic notion of “empire” in contexts where there is a need for articulating internal unity.
