Russian news outlet Lenta.ru has launched an educational media project with political analyst Alexey Chesnakov to explore the history of Russian political terminology.
The series, titled According to Concepts: Russian Political Dictionary, was produced in partnership with media channel Mash and received support from the Institute for Internet Development.
Chesnakov, who serves as the head of the scientific council at the Center for Political Conjucture, acts as the author and lead expert of the project, which will trace how key political concepts shifted in meaning from medieval Rus to modern times.
Lenta.ru is a major online news publication based in Moscow, while Mash is a prominent Russian Telegram news platform. The Center for Political Conjucture is a Moscow political research organization, and the Institute for Internet Development is a state-supported agency funding digital media.
Reasons for Studying Political Vocabulary
Chesnakov stated that while calling the project a new key to understanding Russian politics would be an exaggeration, the academic study of political terms has long been established.
He explained that linguists and humanities scholars researching society, culture, and governance have long recognized that language actively shapes reality.
He said that concepts define the boundaries of human actions and govern how social norms and institutions function.
He noted that daily language and the surrounding world are constantly changing rather than existing in a closed system, making it essential to connect everyday words with societal norms and perceptions of the future.
Chesnakov added that political science regularly redefines its own research subjects, and that public perceptions of political terms shift over time as connotations and tone evolve.
Technical Progress and Everyday Usage
Addressing why the project was launched now, Chesnakov cited expanding technical capabilities and accumulated cultural material.
He noted that digitisation and expanded text databases now allow students as well as academic specialists to access historical archives that were once difficult to reach, calling a failure to use these resources an intellectual crime.
He stated that since 1991, post-Soviet Russia has generated sufficient linguistic material to compare how new linguistic norms develop when describing political and social phenomena.
Chesnakov emphasized that the project examines informal everyday speech alongside official norms, noting that terms related to power and authority are now used not only for state institutions but also across businesses and educational organisations.
He explained that the series aims to trace the boundaries between daily life and political meanings for concepts such as traitor, court, individual, nation, and peace.
Public Relevance and Global Conflicts
Chesnakov rejected the idea that the history of concepts is merely an academic discipline for philosophers and researchers.
He remarked that political language is not theoretical physics, noting that citizens live within political language, use it daily, and contribute to its evolution.
Pointing out that linguistic standards change over time, he noted that even colloquial words like makhayu, meaning waving, have recently been recognized as standard speech.
He compared the project approach to George Orwell's 1946 essay Politics and the English Language, explaining that rather than prescribing strict rules, the initiative outlines the environment in which Russian political language developed.
Orwell's landmark essay examined how imprecise or deceptive language degrades political thought, advocating for clarity and active prose in public debate.
Chesnakov stressed that amid growing global tensions, linguistic differences have become practical tools for analysis rather than theoretical debates.
He stated that differing interpretations of basic concepts can either trigger conflict or assist in resolving it if analyzed properly, calling the understanding of other cultures a crucial objective.
Historical Impacts and Shifting Definitions
Discussing historical challenges, Chesnakov noted a scarcity of sources from the Middle Ages and pre-Petrine Russia, the period prior to Tsar Peter the Great.
He stated that the 19th century provided the strongest impetus for national identity and modern normative vocabulary, despite historical gaps, lexical removals, and shifting meanings.
To illustrate vocabulary shifts, he cited the word nachalnik, meaning chief or boss, which acquired new authority after the Russian Empire established Zemsky chiefs in 1889.
Zemsky chiefs were administrative and judicial officials introduced under Emperor Alexander III to supervise rural peasant communities and oversee land usage across the empire.
Chesnakov explained that because land usage was vital in an agrarian nation, these officials came to personify official authority for Russian peasants.
Comparing language changes to tree rings that reveal periods of severe frost, Chesnakov noted that shifts in vocabulary clearly mark major tectonic shifts in society.
He highlighted that the 19th century had an unmatched impact on socio-political vocabulary, though every major historical turning point left deep marks on the language.
Evolution of Core Political Concepts
Asked about personal insights gained while working on the project, Chesnakov remarked that as an internal observer who has taught courses on the history of political doctrines and the philosophy of science, he viewed all the concepts through an academic lens.
He suggested conducting a survey among readers to determine which political terms surprised them most.
Rejecting the view that language is artificially constructed by design, Chesnakov described language as a living organism that can be influenced but never fully tamed.
He stated that millions of native speakers created an original and complex Russian political language that differs sharply from Western and Eastern models.
Addressing concepts that underwent major transformations, Chesnakov noted that perceptions of power shifted from sacred reverence to secular understanding.
He explained that while medieval Rus viewed statehood personalistically through the power of an individual ruler, modern Russian defines the state through a community of diverse peoples who serve as the source of authority.
He added that these transformations were driven by changes in social structures, cultural shifts, and interactions with neighboring nations.
Navigating Modern Realities and Project Future
Chesnakov stated that understanding the history of concepts helps people avoid reliance on rigid formulas and unexamined slogans.
He pointed to the French Revolutionary slogan liberty, equality, fraternity, noting that critics often argue that natural equality is impossible.
He explained that the slogan actually refers to equality before the law rather than natural equality, demonstrating why analyzing specific definitions matters.
The slogan originated during the French Revolution of 1789 and became an enduring constitutional motto emphasizing civil rights and legal parity.
Chesnakov emphasized that language forms a core part of national identity, allowing people to distinguish themselves from other nations and understand why different cultures prioritize distinct values.
He concluded that studying the Russian political dictionary can help clarify the root causes of growing international misunderstandings.
Looking ahead, Chesnakov stated that decisions regarding a continuation of the series will depend on audience reception and evaluations of the initial 24 releases.
