Rysk balaclava- fobi : En kritisk diskursanalys av Rysslands säkerhetisering av Pussy Riot

This essay examines how to understand the security logic that prevails in authoritarian states, where political art becomes a matter of security. The study uses the framework prescribed by securitization theory to create an understanding of how authoritarian states apply security logic as a tool to frame political art as a security threat. By applying Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model for critical discourse analysis, the study tackles the empirical case of Pussy Riot within the Russian context. The study focuses on Pussy Riot's performance ‘Punk Prayer’, which led to legal proceedings and a conviction. The empirical case is illustrated by analyzing news articles published by the Russian state news agency TASS after the verdict was announced. The Russian state discourse is contextualized by including a press release issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which addresses the Russian verdict in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights. The analysis concluded that the Russian state discourse, and the security logic adopted in connection with ‘Punk Prayer’, can be understood in relation to securitization theory. The study finds explanatory power in showing how morality functions as a substitute for security within the Russian state context, and securitization thus functions as a governance tool in an authoritarian system.