Constructing Modern Russian Identity Through Discourse Metaphors

Abstract

The current paper presents a comprehensive literature review of research into the phenomenon of Russian national identity and emphasizes the crucial role of discourse metaphor in narratives of national culture and identity. The latter, as a complex mental construct, encompasses common or similar beliefs or opinions internalized in the course of socialization as well as emotional attitudes, behavioural and linguistic dispositions. The paper claims that Russian patriotism-based national identity construction is directly related to the historical background, current political ideology, as well as objectives and tasks the state sets. Patriotic sentiments in Russia tend to boost due to some life-changing dramatic events or challenges the country has to face; this gives rise to employing a multitude of discursive practices, which rely heavily on discourse metaphors. The relevant point the paper proposes lies in the fact that discourse metaphors, being conceptually grounded, serve as a pervasive cognitive mechanism applied to explain a complex abstract concept of national identity. However, its meaning is still being shaped in relation to a particular period of time and the context where a debate is unfolding. Unlike conceptual metaphors that are considered to be universal, independent of time, discourse metaphors change or evolve within the ongoing discourse and are intended for specific purposes. The current paper seeks to demonstrate how particular metaphors can serve as discursive mechanisms of constructing the national identity to achieve both culturally and historically specific strategic purposes. The authors claim that a combination of co-occurring metaphors in the public discourse forms a holistic extended metaphorical narrative promoting a particular view of Russianness and focus on some of them.

Constructing the Image of Russia Through Metaphorical Framing

“…When used in clusters, metaphors that co-occur in the public and media discourse give rise to a holistic extended metaphorical narrative foregrounding a particular view of the Russian identity. This approach substantiates the idea that one of the functions of metaphor in discourse is to legitimize policies "through providing access to the system of underlying social and cultural values" [Skrynnikova, Astafurova 2020].…”

Moral and Gender Identity in the Story of the Butterfly in the Mosque

“…Metaphors can determine whether reality is interpreted and categorized as positive or negative. In line with research (Sipra, 2013) in certain textual devices and styles are often used to achieve certain goals in spreading the ideology in it, this is illustrated by the organized syntactic aspect in terms of repetition which emphasizes the main theme in socio-cultural terms, also using metaphors and other tools (Skrynnikova, 2020) explains that metaphors serve as powerful discursive mechanisms for building national identities that aim to achieve not only culturally but also historically specific strategic goals. Modality is a statement in a sentence that states the speaker's attitude towards the thing being discussed, namely regarding actions, circumstances, and events, or also attitudes towards the interlocutor.…”

Identitas Moral Dalam Cerpen “Banjir Yang Di Kirim Ke Champoan” (Studi Analisis Wacana Kritis)

“…Hal ini sejalan juga dengan penelitian yang mengatakan bahwa sarana dan gaya pada teks tertentu sering digunakan untuk mencapai tujuan tertentu dalam menyebarkan ideologi di dalamnya (Sipra, 2013). Metafora dalam teks berfungsi sebagai praktik diskursif yang kokoh dalam konstruksi identitas yang mempunyai tujuan tidak hanya secara budaya tetapi juga tujuan strategis yang spesifik secara historis (Skrynnikova, 2020). Modalitas merupakan pernyataan satu kalimat yang mengungkapkan sikap penulis terhadap apa yang sedang dibicarakan, yaitu.…”