Jović-Lazić, Ana (2026) Performative power and strategic illusion in Russian foreign policy: geopolitical spectacle and the domestic construction of legitimacy. Journal of Political Power, 19 (1). pp. 1-21. ISSN 2158-3803
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Russia uses performance to project strength abroad and sustain legitimacy at home. This article analyses how the state stages media events, rituals and official narratives to construct power beyond its material capacity. Drawing on Bourdieu, Scott, Foucault, Ringmar, and Weber, it examines military parades, Putin’s speeches, state media coverage of the war in Ukraine, narratives of NATO encirclement, and the choreographed 2014 annexation of the Crimea. These performances create what Stoner calls a “myth of authoritarian competence”. Internationally, they signal great power status; domestically, they foster unity and normalise authority. Yet, economic strain and military setbacks expose this performative power’s fragility.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Performative power, symbolic legitimacy, strategic narratives, Russian foreign policy, propaganda, geopolitical spectacle |
| Depositing User: | Ana Vukićević |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2026 14:01 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Feb 2026 14:01 |
| URI: | http://repozitorijum.diplomacy.bg.ac.rs/id/eprint/1691 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
