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Plots against Russia: Conspiracy and Fantasy after Socialism
"A study of paranoid, conspiratorial, and extremist trends in Russia's media, film, and fiction since the collapse of the Soviet Union"--
- GenresRussiaPoliticsNonfiction
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 12, 2020
In most societies, the phenomenon of conspiracy theories develops only in fringe environments and it rarely becomes part of the mainstream. In Russia, following the collapse of the USSR, conspiracy has become something of a normalised part of an everyday conversation since 2000. Its push toward the mainstream started through books and films, and it expanded via TV channells, newspapers, and increasingly, the Internet. Taking into account the fact that the Russian government controls the media landscape of the country, it would be hardly surprising to see how conspiracy stories (in the form of plots and machinations against Russia) have become a weapon for the regime in manipulating the audience. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Russia. As the rhetoric of "fake news" and an explosive style of Donald Trump's US presidency demonstrates, conspiracy, ironically, is establishing itself in the normal discurse of everyday narrative in the highest echelors of the most powerful governments.
Plots Against Russia is an academic work, it does have examples of the most perverse nonsense one can imagine (and the results if this imagination are freely circulating as the conspiracy theories), but at its heart it remains a structured, fact based, methodologically driven, and well resourced book. But Borenstein does more than just revealing the absurdities of conspiratorial narrative. He explores the way the conspiratorial theorising is embedded in the powerful plots/narratives/stories that "model conceptions of Russia's identity and fate", (p. 4).
In this regard, Borenstein's approach depicts all the philosophical rigor one would expect from a more conventional academic subject. He employs Lacan, Derrida, Freud, Foucault, Popper, and Baudrillard, among others, to illustrate his main focus of conspiracy being more conducive to art (rather than ideology), due to its subjects seeing patterns everywhere, from everything (p. 41). For him, conspiracy is a "paranoid subject position", a temporary stance, a mode that is picked up and dropped at ease (p. 51). It is quite interesting how the author explores the mechanics and the structure behind the most popular conspiracy stories, focusing on intentionality (a guiding hand), agency, and normativity. A crucial factor in the appeal the conspiracy stories have, is the simplicity and the reassurance of a world in order. This "teleological warmth" stems from the fact that someone is in charge of the chaos, be it the Jews, the Masons, or the Americans. Acknowledging the presence of evil plotters gives the story a hopeful purpose and the unwrapping of the machinations presents an opportunity for heroism, for action (p. 73). This is why engaging in fantasy novels, sci-fi books and/or films, can create the main ingredients for a good conspiracy story.
Russia's history offers a fertile ground for the creation and spread of conspiracy narratives. The secrecy and the propaganda of the Soviet Union created the perfect conditions for speculations and imaginary interpretations of the world. The 20th century offered many examples of destruction of the country and its population, whether it was the Russian Civil War, World War I and II, or the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent economic destruction of its citizens. And because conspiracy is the answer to the question of "why are things so bad?", one can excuse the warmth with which Russia embraced the narrative of the victim and the offended. Socialism, after all, was in dire need to be replaced by a national ideology that elevated Russia and offered her a sense of primacy and greatness. This need to appeal to strength as a remedy for the country's victimisation (p. 239) saw new heights since 1999 with NATO expansion to Russia's borders, the bombings of Serbia (something of a Christian orthodox brotherly country), and the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, not far from Russia. The Russian narrative was easy to interpret it as the country's "untapped potential and superior spiritual and intellectual resources could threaten American hegemony" (p. 76-77).
Plots Against Russia examines specific cases of conspiratorial narratives in Russia's recent history, media, and Internet. These are juxtapositioned against or in tandem with religious and conservative values. In this regard, apocalypse and melodrama are two prominent examples. Others are Russophobia, liberalism, globalisation, the LGBT question, political correctness, and the war in Ukraine.
Plots Against Russia is an academic work, it does have examples of the most perverse nonsense one can imagine (and the results if this imagination are freely circulating as the conspiracy theories), but at its heart it remains a structured, fact based, methodologically driven, and well resourced book. But Borenstein does more than just revealing the absurdities of conspiratorial narrative. He explores the way the conspiratorial theorising is embedded in the powerful plots/narratives/stories that "model conceptions of Russia's identity and fate", (p. 4).
In this regard, Borenstein's approach depicts all the philosophical rigor one would expect from a more conventional academic subject. He employs Lacan, Derrida, Freud, Foucault, Popper, and Baudrillard, among others, to illustrate his main focus of conspiracy being more conducive to art (rather than ideology), due to its subjects seeing patterns everywhere, from everything (p. 41). For him, conspiracy is a "paranoid subject position", a temporary stance, a mode that is picked up and dropped at ease (p. 51). It is quite interesting how the author explores the mechanics and the structure behind the most popular conspiracy stories, focusing on intentionality (a guiding hand), agency, and normativity. A crucial factor in the appeal the conspiracy stories have, is the simplicity and the reassurance of a world in order. This "teleological warmth" stems from the fact that someone is in charge of the chaos, be it the Jews, the Masons, or the Americans. Acknowledging the presence of evil plotters gives the story a hopeful purpose and the unwrapping of the machinations presents an opportunity for heroism, for action (p. 73). This is why engaging in fantasy novels, sci-fi books and/or films, can create the main ingredients for a good conspiracy story.
Russia's history offers a fertile ground for the creation and spread of conspiracy narratives. The secrecy and the propaganda of the Soviet Union created the perfect conditions for speculations and imaginary interpretations of the world. The 20th century offered many examples of destruction of the country and its population, whether it was the Russian Civil War, World War I and II, or the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent economic destruction of its citizens. And because conspiracy is the answer to the question of "why are things so bad?", one can excuse the warmth with which Russia embraced the narrative of the victim and the offended. Socialism, after all, was in dire need to be replaced by a national ideology that elevated Russia and offered her a sense of primacy and greatness. This need to appeal to strength as a remedy for the country's victimisation (p. 239) saw new heights since 1999 with NATO expansion to Russia's borders, the bombings of Serbia (something of a Christian orthodox brotherly country), and the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, not far from Russia. The Russian narrative was easy to interpret it as the country's "untapped potential and superior spiritual and intellectual resources could threaten American hegemony" (p. 76-77).
Plots Against Russia examines specific cases of conspiratorial narratives in Russia's recent history, media, and Internet. These are juxtapositioned against or in tandem with religious and conservative values. In this regard, apocalypse and melodrama are two prominent examples. Others are Russophobia, liberalism, globalisation, the LGBT question, political correctness, and the war in Ukraine.
February 27, 2021
Sure, I could make this review about the substantive merit of the book: thoughtfully engaging with each - or any - of its multidisciplinary conceptual facets, digging through its theses piecemeal, painstakingly - so as to make this even a *potentially* useful review for other readers, whose interests were similarly piqued by the title.....
but I'M NOT deadass my rating is right there you know what my verdict is.
I just want to say this man is funny as shit; the deadpan sieves through his writing with the subtlety of a brick. I'd read a cookbook by Borenstein if he wrote one.
Also I personally thank the author for reminding me of the perfect way to pronounce Barack HUSSEIN Obama. It is...truly timeless.
but I'M NOT deadass my rating is right there you know what my verdict is.
I just want to say this man is funny as shit; the deadpan sieves through his writing with the subtlety of a brick. I'd read a cookbook by Borenstein if he wrote one.
Also I personally thank the author for reminding me of the perfect way to pronounce Barack HUSSEIN Obama. It is...truly timeless.
lost-interest
March 9, 2024Краткий обзор российских конспирологических теорий. О некоторых теориях я слышал, но они всё же маргинальные. Книга как-то не зацепила.
(It's) a brief overview of Russian conspiracy theories. I have heard of some theories, but they are still marginal. The book didn't catch my eye.
(It's) a brief overview of Russian conspiracy theories. I have heard of some theories, but they are still marginal. The book didn't catch my eye.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews