Russophobia concept in modern political discourse

Abstract

Russophobia is one of the most odious phenomena that Russia has been facing for several centuries. At present, the Russophobic ideology has been adopted by almost all major Western countries; it determines the political agenda in the confrontation of these countries with Russia. To effectively oppose this policy, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze the origins of the Russophobic policy. The study and criticism of Russophobia presuppose the reconstruction of historical events, social factors and political ideas that constitute the origins of this phenomenon as well as the main directions of its evolution. It is important also to identify the main trends and versions of Russophobic ideology and investigate the place and role of Russophobic stereotypes in the public consciousness and ideological conflicts in the modern world. First of all, it is necessary to define the concept of “Russophobia” and evaluate the evolution of Russophobic discourse in socio-political life of the 20th–21st centuries. The article characterizes various ways of presenting Russophobia in political science discourse, showing the multifaceted and multifunctional nature of this political and ideological phenomenon based on fear of a strong Russia which is perceived as the “despotic antithesis” of European “democratic” civilization, as well as contempt for the “barbaric” and “slavishly submissive to the authorities” Russian people. A comparative analysis of approaches to the definition of the concept of “Russophobia” is carried out. The connection of Russophobia with ideology and propaganda is revealed. The following characteristic features of anti-Russian stamps, clichés, negative stereotypes that, in fact, constitute Russophobia are determined: falsification of historical data, the reporting of ridiculous information about Russia and Russians, the use of various kinds of fakes, reader manipulation techniques — forgeries, hoaxes, half-truths etc. The authors substantiate the position that only strong and independent Russia defending its national interests and civilizational values can resist successfully this global stream of political propaganda.