Russia and the United States as Constitutive Others in the National Identity Discourses
https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2024-15-1-20-45
Abstract
This article explores the imagological foundations of the ongoing confrontation between the United States and Russia. Utilizing a historiographical review of US–Russia relations and the author’s extensive research, it employs a constructivist approach to examine the enduring patterns in their mutual representations. The analysis uncovers the cyclical nature of these perceptions, swinging between value-driven and pragmatic narratives. It suggests that throughout history, the US and Russia have consistently served as each other’s “constitutive Other” within their identity discourses. This involves the creation of meaning repertoires that align with their domestic and foreign policy goals. Moreover, the article argues that the current confrontation mirrors a clash between their respective value systems and messianic ambitions. This dynamic contributes to the development of a new kind of imagined reality, reinforcing the enduring dichotomous worldview that defines the relationship between the two nations.
Keywords
Russian-American relations,
identity,
constructivism,
imagology,
the constitutive Other,
national exclusiveness
Supporting agencies: This article has been prepared with the financial support of The Russian Science Foundation (RNF), project no. 20-18-00482 “Transformations of the Supremacy Ideas in the West and in Russia in the Late 19th – Early 21th Centuries”.
About the Author
V. I. Zhuravleva
Russian State University for the Humanities; Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Victoria I. Zhuravleva - PhD (Hist.), Professor, Head of the American Studies Department at the Faculty of International Relations, Political Sciences, and Area Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities; Senior Research Fellow, Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences.
6, Miusskaya Square, Moscow, 125047; 32a, Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow, 119334
Competing Interests:
None
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For citations:
Zhuravleva V.I. Russia and the United States as Constitutive Others in the National Identity Discourses. Journal of International Analytics. 2024;15(1):20-45. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2024-15-1-20-45
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