The ‘Politics of Loneliness’: Demasculinizing Narratives of Russian Sovereigntism

• Applicant: Privatdozent Sergei Akopov, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 527807706

This research project analyses how Russian political discourse connects masculinity/femininity with macro and micro levels of loneliness to legitimize ‘Great Russia’ nationalism. The research problem then could be formulated as follows: Modern Russian sovereignitism and nationalism can be significantly legitimized and fuelled through silenced masculinity and ‘loneliness anxiety’; their impact can be identified through a more systematic analysis of domestic, foreign, and transnational dimensions of Russian affairs and political discourse. At the heart of my project lies the following research question: Why and to what extent do notions of ‘masculinity’ and ‘loneliness anxiety’ contribute to explaining the legitimization of Russian sovereignitism, gendered nationalism, and aggression in domestic and foreign affairs. This research question is not about making a monocausal argument. The framing of this research question suggests that, besides masculinity and loneliness anxiety, there can be other factors that contribute to explaining the legitimization of Russian aggression on neighbouring countries and on its own population. However, I will concentrate on the research goal to look at the ideological discourse of sovereigntism as a tool for patterning difference and domination through the management of masculine loneliness anxieties in modern Russian society. Here, not only do I contend that states can talk on behalf of their people when state discourse on sovereignty directly or implicitly appeals to a nationally or civilizationally defined ‘loneliness anxiety’ of the people. Moreover, in societies like Russia, dominated by the ‘male gaze’ on politics, the exploitation of loneliness anxiety leads to sovereigntism becoming a ‘masculine organized loneliness’. The logic of this project outline consists of the following elements. I will start with outlining my preliminary work on 1) the psychological research on loneliness and then 2) unpack how this relates to political theory and international relations. 3) I will explain the link between ‘loneliness' and nationalist ‘sovereigntism’ and 4) justify the choice of Russia as a case. I will proceed to explaining why demasculinization of narratives of Russian sovereigntism is impossible without analysis of silenced ‘gendered nationalism’ dimension of ‘politics of loneliness’ in Russia. Lastly, I will juxtapose and compare Russian ‘gendered nationalism’, ‘vertical’ ‘politics of loneliness’ with horizontal, transnational practices of managing loneliness by ‘Global Russians’ on a micro level, thereby demasculinizing the former.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position