The Russian State and the Church in East Asia: Acclamation and Border Crossing

Abstract

The presented study focuses on the problem of rethinking by the Russian state of the territory of East Asia, when it erases or, on the contrary, actualizes ethno-cultural borders, thus trying to support the spread of influence in the region. For this, a favorable discourse is being formed in the media space that describes the presence of Russia in modern East Asia. At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church became the most important partner for the state; it creates large volumes of similar content. The appeal of other mass media to the topic of describing the Russian presence in the region inevitably leads to a reference to texts and meanings created by the state and the church. In them, they themselves shape public opinion about their actions, trying to control media power. They create an imaginary uniform community of compatriots for whom the border with Russia is important, but other borders of East Asia are not so relevant, and speak on their behalf: about the approval of Russia's actions, about the need to spread its influence and their support. As a result, the created content contributes to the self-glorification of the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church. The problems of acclamation, control of the media space, the creation of an imaginary community and the use of the concept of boundaries for these purposes were studied using the content analysis of post-Soviet publications created by the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church (digital and print).