Framing Identity: Russian Media in the Baltics as a Mechanism of Soft Power

Author

Jackson McArthurFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-11-2024

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Croft Institute for International Studies

First Advisor

Joshua First

Second Advisor

Ana Velitchkova

Third Advisor

Ian Gowan

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Societal tensions surrounding language, national identity, collective memory, citizenship, and integration exist between the titular Baltic population and Russian speakers living in the Baltic states (Simons, 2015). The Russian government has tried to exploit these tensions via non-violent yet subversive political and cultural influence—or “soft power”—with limited success, particularly through Russian-language media (Kudors, 2015). While many scholars have focused on the reception of Russia’s soft power among the Baltic Russian-speaking population, which has been primarily ineffective at advancing Russia’s political goals (Cheskin, 2015; Kallas, 2016; Coolican, 2021), few have analyzed Russian-language media as a mechanism of Russian soft power in the Baltics. My research aims to examine Russian-language media as a vehicle of Russian soft power and seeks to assess how Moscow’s discourse frames the issues of the Baltic states’ 2004 ascension to NATO and the EU, the 2007 Bronze Night in Estonia, and Latvia’s 2018 educational reforms phasing out instruction in the Russian language. I argue that Russian media as a mechanism of Russian soft power attempts to construct a separate cultural, political, and linguistic identity among Russian speakers in the Baltic states that is separate from their nationalizing states but not necessarily loyal to Russia. This media analysis sheds new light on Russian soft power in the Baltic states and will allow scholars and policymakers to evaluate Russian soft power not only in terms of its receptiveness among its target population but also with regard to its strategy, themes and structure.

Recommended Citation

McArthur, Jackson, "Framing Identity: Russian Media in the Baltics as a Mechanism of Soft Power" (2024). Honors Theses. 3122.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3122

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.