The concept of "Subaltern Empire" in 2024: a discourse analysis of the statements of Russian politicians

The article examines the relevance of the concept of «Subaltern Empire», which was proposed in relation to Russia by Vyacheslav Morozov in the book «Russia's Postcolonial Identity. A Subaltern Empire in a Eurocentric World». The author aims to explore the possibility of describing the discourse of Russian politicians using the concept of Morozov, as well as describing Russia's position in the world as a «Subaltern Empire» after the start of a special military operation in 2022. The article examines in detail the statements of members of the Russian political class within the framework of Russia–West relations and, in particular, the current confrontation. The methodological basis of the research is the discourse—analytical approach of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. The empirical basis of the study is the statements of Russian politicians. The analysis used texts of politicians and officials on social networks, the media, as well as official speeches and other political documents. The empirical data covers the period from February 2022 to October 2024. The article concludes that the key features of the concept proposed by Morozov in 2015, remain relevance in the Russian political discourse of 2022–2024. In the confrontation between Russia and the West, the first side is a «subaltern», which is in a «subordinate position» in relation to the «hegemon». The characteristic features of Russia's «subalternity» are the immanent Eurocentrism of political and cultural language, the narrative of frustration and resentment reproduced by Russian politicians, the attempt to construct one's own identity by denying the West, the desire to gain recognition of one's own «merits» in the West, etc. The West is still remains for Russia the significant other with which the latter permanently correlates itself.