Traditional values as a component of Russian security: a study of presidential discourse in 2012–2022

   Ideological transformations of the ruling elites in post-Soviet Russia have placed traditional values in the mainstream of political discourse. Over time, the ideologeme of traditional values increasingly infiltrated into the official discourse and legislation, which was characterized as a «conservative turn» by some researchers. Existing works, primarily focusing on explaining the ideological potential of traditional values, do not pay enough attention to another process – the positioning of the same values as a component of Russian security. This article attempts to explain the connection between traditional values and security using discourse analysis within the theoretical framework of the Copenhagen School of securitization. Focusing on the speech act as the initial stage of securitization, the political discourse of the President of Russia from 2012 to 2022 is analyzed. Basing on these materials, the author identifies consistent patterns in the meaning of traditional values and the semantic classification of threats to these values. In addition, arguments linking traditional values to national security are illustrated. Traditional values are perceived as a tool for uniting Russian society, with a special emphasis on family models, special morality, and intergenerational continuity. At the same time, the value dictate of the collective West is mainly perceived as a threat to traditional values, which, as it is argued, can lead to the loss of sovereignty, demographic crisis, and the erosion of the Russian identity. This work also takes the first steps towards the understanding of the emerging rhetorical and political trends in Russia after 2022 and provides a basis for further research of traditional values with the Copenhagen School approach.

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