Present Bachelor of Arts thesis paper presents an empirically oriented news framing analysis that is carried out on a number of RIA Novosti and Sputnik News publications, in order to determine the...Show morePresent Bachelor of Arts thesis paper presents an empirically oriented news framing analysis that is carried out on a number of RIA Novosti and Sputnik News publications, in order to determine the change of intensity of Russian Public Diplomacy efforts in the news media dimension since 2014. The analysis is based on Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, and News Framing theory, and conducted on articles falling under an overarching theme of Russian perception of the historical West. The analysed frames are synthesised in their purest form on the basis of Russian official ideology, paying special attention to the universality of the resonating capacity of the frames, and traced back to publications and appearances of Vladimir Putin, to demonstrate the continuity of a frame, from sponsor to reader. Conclusions are made based on the results of the analysis, and findings on Russian development of Public Diplomacy infrastructure since 1929.Show less
The nineties in Russia were a hectic period full of change. Gorbachev came to power and implemented new policies such as Glasnost and Perestroika. These policies had an enormous effect on the...Show moreThe nineties in Russia were a hectic period full of change. Gorbachev came to power and implemented new policies such as Glasnost and Perestroika. These policies had an enormous effect on the Russian economy and among other things food shortages appeared. When Gorbachev came to power, people believed in him and the promise of a better future he brought. However when the reforms turned out to have negative economical consequences, people were left disappointed. This national feeling of disappointment was later used by the state to legitimize the change in political course of the new president Putin. This demonizing of the nineties sparked a form of countermemory called ‘Flashmobs’. ‘Flashmobs’ are personal pictures of the nineties posted on social media accounts. This thesis will look at Flashmobs as an expression of reflective nostalgia for the nineties. As a form of democratic protest of people who are saying that the nineties were not all bad, and thereby creating a countermemory against the demonization of the nineties.Show less
This thesis argues that Orthodoxy is being placed as a primus inter pares in Russia's hierarchy of traditional faiths. This is done by analyzing Russia's political, educational and religious...Show moreThis thesis argues that Orthodoxy is being placed as a primus inter pares in Russia's hierarchy of traditional faiths. This is done by analyzing Russia's political, educational and religious dynamics. This objective is pursued by delving into the relationship between President Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. This is done in order to provide an understanding of how the current relationship between the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the President of the Russian Federation is contributing to the perpetuation of a discourse, placing Orthodoxy as a key marker of Russian identity, undermining the country’s secularism. Education is moreover brought into consideration, exploring the way in which Russia’s hierarchy of faiths is made tangible in the country’s state-run schools.Show less
