Representation of Soldiers’ Death: Discourse Analysis of Military Obituaries in the Context of the Special Military Operation

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Abstract

The article is dedicated to a critical analysis of military obituaries published in the context of the Special Military Operation. The focus is on how obituaries shape public perceptions of soldiers' deaths and which ideological narratives are supported through these texts. The study examines the structures and discursive affiliations of the obituaries, the narratives they represent, and the strategies of war legitimation, soldier heroization, and comforting the grieving. Using qualitative discourse analysis, 50 obituaries published by May 2024 were analyzed. The results highlight strategies for presenting and discursively measuring soldiers' deaths through the concepts of self-sacrifice, the social body, and death as symbolic exchange, as well as methods for constructing soldiers' identities and the value of their lives. The findings demonstrate that obituaries function as an important tool of dominant discourse in shaping collective memory and public opinion.

About the authors

Regina Olegovna Matveenko

HSE University

Email: romatveenko@edu.hse.ru
MA in Sociology, Master’s Programme “Complex Social Analysis” Moscow, Russia

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