ABSTRACT

Though in recent months Putin’s popularity has frayed at the edges, the dearth of comparably powerful and experienced political leaders leaves no doubt that he will continue to be a key political figure. During his tenure as Russia’s President and subsequently as Prime Minister, Putin transcended politics, to become the country’s major cultural icon. This book examines the nature of his iconic status. It explores his public persona as glamorous hero, endowed with vision, wisdom, moral and physical strength—the man uniquely capable of restoring Russia’s reputation as a global power. In analysing cultural representations of Putin, the book assesses the role of the media in constructing and disseminating this image and weighs the Russian populace’s contribution to the extraordinary acclamation he enjoyed throughout the first decade of the new millennium, challenged only by a tiny minority.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

chapter |31 pages

Russia's ultimate celebrity

VVP as VIP objet d'art

chapter |28 pages

A personality cult for the postmodern age

Reading Vladimir Putin's public persona

chapter |17 pages

Putin as the Father of the Nation

His family and other animals

chapter |28 pages

Putin's performance of masculinity

The action hero and macho sex-object