THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN THE NATIONAL-BOLSHEVIK ORGANIZATION: A WEB-BASED ANALYSIS

Year 2011, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 95 - 104, 01.12.2011

Chiara Pierobon

Abstract

The paper investigates the use of music on behalf of the Russian National-Bolshevik
organization as captured through an analysis of its Webpage.
The starting point of the analysis is Eyerman and Jamison’s (1998) definition of
music as central element in the construction of social movements’ meanings and
in the making and organizing of their collective identity. Moreover, as pointed out
by Zuev (2010), the Internet represents an expressive equipment used by the
organizations for the successful presentation of the self, allowing the construction
of an attractive public profile and assuring them a permanent performance visible
to the audience.
Through a Web analysis of the music content and links and their positioning in the
internal structure of the group’s Webpage, the paper provides insights into the
political communication style of the National Bolsheviks and, more specifically,
on the contribution of music to their online self-presentation.

Keywords

National-Bolsheviks, Internet, Music, SMOs self-presentation and identity

References

• Diani, Mario (2001), Social movement networks: Virtual and real. In Webster, F. (Ed), Culture and politics in the Information Age, pp.117-128
• Chadwick, Andrew (2007), “Digital Network Repertoires and Organizational Hybridity”, Political Communication, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp.283-301
• Eyerman, Ron and Jamison, Andrew (1998) Music and Social Movements. Cambridge University Press
• Eyerman, Ron (2002), “Music and Movement: Cultural politics and Old and New Movements”, Qualitative Sociology, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.443-458
• Herring, S.C. 2010. “Web Content Analysis: Expanding the Paradigm”, (in press). To appear in J. Hunsinger, M. Allen, & L. Klastrup (Eds.), The International Handbook of Internet Research. Springer Verlag
• Hsu, Chuan Yang. The Internet and Social Movements: An Exploratory Study of a
• http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/2/0/0/pages1 12008/p112008-1.php [Accessed 11.08.2011]
• Mobilization, Lonkila, Markku (2008), “The Internet and Anti-Military Activism in Russia”, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 60, No. 7, pp. 1125-1149
• Pierobon, Chiara (2011), “Music and youth political organizations in contemporary Russia: the case of St. Petersburg”, Working Paper Centre for German and European Studies 1, Bielefeld / St. Petersburg
• Roscigno, V.J., Danaher, W.F. and Summers-Effler, E. (2002), “Music , Culture, and Social Movements: Song and Southern Textile Worker Mobilization, 1929- 1934”, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 22, No. 1/2/3/, pp.141-173 Semetko, Holli and Krasnoboka, Natalya (2003), “The Political role of the Internet in Societies in Transition: Russia and the Ukraine compared”, Party Politics, Vol.9, pp.77-104
• Wall, Melissa A. 2007. “Social Movements and email: expression of online identity in the globalization protests”, New Media Society, Vol. 9, pp.258-277
• Weare, Christopher and Wan-Hing, Lin (2000), “Content Analysis of the World wide Web: Opportunities and Challenges”, Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 18, pp.272-292
• Wedig, Timothy E. (2007), The Internet and political organizations: force, tool or wildcard?, Doctoral thesis, University of Maryland
• Zuev, Dennis (2010), “The movement against illegal immigration: analysis of the central node in the Russian extreme-right movement”, Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 16, No.2, pp.261–284