ABSTRACT
The Introduction begins by arguing that analyses of Russia’s mode of projecting itself in the international arena have been overwhelmingly limited to International Relations. Here, linear models of agency and counter-agency, influenced by the Kremlin’s brazen defiance of Western norms of conduct, displace paradigms that recognize the importance of meaning as well as intent, and of deeper structural processes and trans-state logics as well as agency. Especially important in this context is mediatization, defined as the process by which social and political practices of all kinds, including nation-building and nation projection, adopt a media form and follow media-driven logics. In striving to correct the imbalance, this book articulates a new, cultural studies-inspired approach to Russia that accounts for mediatization by emphasizing the feedback loops or recursions that characterize performances of national belonging and nation projection in the digital era. Situating this approach first in relation to prior scholarship, and then with respect to the Russian media environment, the Introduction outlines features of recursive nationhood – the book’s guiding concept – specific to Russia. It concludes by providing chapter summaries and outlining the book’s overarching themes, pointing out that its case studies extend beyond television to warfare, theatre, film, and performance art.
