Masculinity and Empire: The Case of Contemporary Russia

On the 12th of March, King's Russia Institute welcomed Dr. Marina Yusupova, Lecturer in Sociology at Edinburgh Napier University, for a talk titled "Masculinity and Empire: The Case of Contemporary Russia."

To introduce her research project, Dr. Yusupova emphasized the trend on TikTok and other social media platforms surrounding the "Roman Empire." This refers to a 2023 trend when people asked their male partners how often they thought about the Roman Empire and which highlighted a gendered approach to history. Dr Yusupova used this example to emphasise the cultural recognition of the rhetoric of masculinity and empire, stressing that popular imagination should not be underestimated. She quoted Edward Said: "It is not only about soldiers and cannons, but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings," to emphasize the role that empire can play in contemporary imaginaries.

Her literature review included both colonial history and gender studies, focusing on the definition of empire as a "form of state" and its impact on the collective imagination. She demonstrated that while current literature primarily focuses on former Western colonies, very little has been written about Russia and China. This gap allows her to approach Russia as an empire that has diminished in size in recent decades. She therefore aims to answer the following questions in her research:

1. How has empire shaped masculinity in Russia?

2. How can masculinity help us understand the durability of empire?

3. How does one become a 'Russian man'? How do individuals become inscribed into ideologies of masculinity and definitions of Russianness that enable them to feel superior to some people and inferior to others?

Dr. Yusupova's research is based on interviews with a sample of forty Russian men conducted in 2013-2014 and 2023-2024. The study of these interviews enables her to identify a "discourses of empire," which helps establish social acceptability as men and includes a series of colonizing discourses. Three types of discourses are visible in the interviews with Russian men:

1. Imperial greatness discourse

2. Imperial difference discourse

3. Imperial nostalgia discourse

During the discussion, the audience raised various suggestions and questions regarding Dr. Yusupova's research. Theoretically, there were suggestions to include a clearer definition of "masculinity" from a sociological perspective. Additionally, it was proposed that the role of media in shaping these discourses of masculinity—through state propaganda or media consumption—should be considered. Russian state propaganda could be particularly relevant to this research.

The characteristics of the sample of Russian men interviewed are also significant factors in this study. Different population groups consume different media. For example, the older generation mainly consumes ‘traditional media,’ while the younger generation predominantly engages with ‘social media.’ Understanding the media consumption habits and age differences of the men interviewed would add another analytical layer to the research question of masculinity and empire in contemporary Russia. This would offer a deeper insight into the factors and structural processes behind these discourses (see the article by Giaccardi, S. et al. for masculinity and media).

Furthermore, it would be interesting to explore the perspective of women on the question of ‘empire.’ Are women in Russia using similar ‘discourses of empire’? These questions may be addressed in Dr. Yusupova's forthcoming book on the research, which we look forward to reading!