TY - CHAP

T1 - Dealing with Difference: Studies on Soft Power in Russian and Global International Relations

AU - Ярыгин, Григорий Олегович

AU - Цветкова, Наталья Александровна

PY - 2023/1/6

Y1 - 2023/1/6

N2 - The studies of soft power have a significant presence in the Russian IR discipline.This presence, now over a decade old, has made important contributions to the rethinking of the agenda and the methodology of the scholarship referred to as the soft power. This chapter offers a guide to tracing studies in the Russian IR discipline. It begins with an overview of the studies of the soft power generally and then moves on to identify the work of Russian scholars in this field. It demonstrates the scope of this work and pays tribute to the scholars who broke down the traditional barriers of the discipline to reveal the issues and ways of thinking about the soft power that had been previously unexplored. It will argue that, in Russia, the study of the soft power is based on multiple interpretations of the concept based on both Western and non-Western approaches that comprise three schools: notably, the traditional school, the critical school, and the innovative (digital) school of soft power studies. Some Russian researchers follow the original definition of soft power coined by J. Nyeand explore numerous cases relative to various countries. Other scholars strongly criticizethe concept, finding its second face hidden in the policy aimed at inflaming foreign societies. Researchers produce findings entirely referring to Russian soft power and to its visible policy in terms of building the Russian world. Finally, the third innovative group of researchers examine the digital dimension of soft power in the terms of the digitalization of the world politics. This chapter also recognizes that the discipline of international relations in Russia has not always been welcoming to global insights and contributions to the studies of soft power. With this in mind, this chapter turns to the challenges and debates that face soft power studies within the IR discipline, with a focus on the dialogue between a “critical approach” and a “global and mainstream approach” to the studies on soft power.

AB - The studies of soft power have a significant presence in the Russian IR discipline.This presence, now over a decade old, has made important contributions to the rethinking of the agenda and the methodology of the scholarship referred to as the soft power. This chapter offers a guide to tracing studies in the Russian IR discipline. It begins with an overview of the studies of the soft power generally and then moves on to identify the work of Russian scholars in this field. It demonstrates the scope of this work and pays tribute to the scholars who broke down the traditional barriers of the discipline to reveal the issues and ways of thinking about the soft power that had been previously unexplored. It will argue that, in Russia, the study of the soft power is based on multiple interpretations of the concept based on both Western and non-Western approaches that comprise three schools: notably, the traditional school, the critical school, and the innovative (digital) school of soft power studies. Some Russian researchers follow the original definition of soft power coined by J. Nyeand explore numerous cases relative to various countries. Other scholars strongly criticizethe concept, finding its second face hidden in the policy aimed at inflaming foreign societies. Researchers produce findings entirely referring to Russian soft power and to its visible policy in terms of building the Russian world. Finally, the third innovative group of researchers examine the digital dimension of soft power in the terms of the digitalization of the world politics. This chapter also recognizes that the discipline of international relations in Russia has not always been welcoming to global insights and contributions to the studies of soft power. With this in mind, this chapter turns to the challenges and debates that face soft power studies within the IR discipline, with a focus on the dialogue between a “critical approach” and a “global and mainstream approach” to the studies on soft power.

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/98b0c791-6d97-324b-8ef7-28d5d84a380c/

U2 - 10.4324/9781003257264-28

DO - 10.4324/9781003257264-28

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781000831887

SP - 368

EP - 380

BT - The Routledge Handbook of Russian International Relations Studies

A2 - Лагутина, Мария

A2 - Цветкова, Наталья

A2 - Сергунин, Александр

PB - Taylor & Francis

CY - London

ER -