Sergei Akopov1; 1 HSE University, Russian Federation
Discussion
This paper studies sovereignty not only in relation to state, identity, or power but also in relation to concepts of ‘loneliness’ and ‘solitude.’ It explores relationship of ‘loneliness’ with ‘sovereignty’ and ‘political identity.’ Building on the existing literature on the connection between sovereignty and collective identity, this study extends such analysis towards a consideration of the interconnection between sovereignty and different forms of loneliness and relates them to ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ modes of ‘organized loneliness.’ The main aim is to use the framework of political representations of emotions to illustrate how a particular type of ‘loneliness’ – ‘loneliness anxiety’ – is filled with political reason. As a result of discourse analysis I claim that in Russian political discourse the link between collective identity and ‘organized loneliness’ can establish itself through three discursive models of sovereigntism in distinct domains: historical (collective memory), psychological (national honor and pride) and religious (sacral spiritual unity and spiritual ties). Each of these narratives has a particular way it can vertically outsource ‘loneliness anxiety’ towards statist institutions. I further empirically illustrate three specific models in which the ‘management of loneliness anxiety’ may provide legitimacy, including for Russia’s conservative ideological program of ‘state-civilization’ and its new 2020 amendments to constitution.
