What can mass media production tell us about the society? How has the documentary genre, that is supposed to represent the truth, been interpreted in today´s Russia? What do Russian TV documentary films mean for their creators and their audiences?
Anastasia Kriachko Roeren addresses these questions in her groundbreaking doctoral dissertation investigating the role of TV documentaries in reflecting and shaping Russian national identity. In her study, titled Documenting the Nation: How TV Documentaries Reflect and Shape Russian National Identity, she analyzes the life cycle of documentaries produced and shown on the five main Russian TV channels between 2012 and 2018.
Based upon Kriachko Roeren extensive data - including 328 TV documentaries (675 individual episodes), 24 interviews with media and film producers, and four focus group sessions with the audience - the findings highlight the critical yet often overlooked importance of TV documentaries in understanding the Russian people and their national identity. As Kriachko Roeren summarizes, "they audiovisually illustrate and transmit particular understandings of what Russian national identity has been, what it is, and perhaps what it should be."
Her dissertation illuminates how in the context of Putin’s increasing authoritarianism, Russian TV documentary production operates in an ambivalent space between Kremlin's political ideology and self-censorship. She explains that "because of the financial incentives from the state to the TV channels and production companies, TV documentaries follow a particular recipe for documenting the nation." However, even without direct financial incentives, documentarians still choose to align themselves with the “dominant political ideology.”
By exploring the perspectives of audiences, Kriachko Roeren demonstrates that documentaries have the potential to influence how national identity is embodied among viewers. She notes that films "are seen as objects that can depict ideas about the Russian nation, and thus also evoke feelings of national identity."
In summary, Kriachko Roeren’s study provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between TV documentaries, Russian national identity, and the forces shaping both.
Anastasia Kriachko Roeren successfully defended her dissertation on 16 May 2023.
Trial lecture
Designated topic: "How does the genre of tv documentary represent the cultural diversity of the Russian Federation?"
Evaluation committee
Professor Nancy Condee, University of Pittsburgh (first opponent)
Associate Professor Vlad Strukov, University of Leeds (second opponent)
Associate Professor Helge Blakkisrud, University of Oslo (committee administrator)
Chair of the defence
Professor Anne Birgitte Rønning
Supervisors
Professor Pål Kolstø, University of Oslo
Professor Stephen Norris, Miami University
Professor Ljiljana Saric, University of Oslo