The warrior muzhik and fakelore maiden: Russian banal nationalism on and offline

Abstract

Nationalism is often understood in terms of grand political movements, political speeches and too often in wars pitting states against each other or nationalist insurgents rising against. Yet, nation and nationalism can be studied in the banal events of daily life as Michael Billig (1995) proposed. The flying of flags in front of houses, the draping of St. George ribbons or icons off of rearview mirrors, the small symbolic markings of nationhood ― all these reinforce the nationalism that can be harnessed by larger political movements. This article will examine the banal in the cyberspace, notably how idealized images of masculinity and femininity are created, liked and shared on social media, and how such mundane daily affirmations of nation-hood reinforce larger national narratives. Individuals are thus not passive recipients of national discourses, but can be active contributors to them by taking and sharing photos of themselves in folkloric dresses or working out in gyms. They can thus either reinforce or challenge the pre-vailing narratives and participate in the making of nations. This is clearly seen in Russian social media sites where online nationalism both buttresses and occasionally challenges older ideals of nation and gender, both intertwined in defining what it means to be Russian.