Securitization of National Identity: Research Approaches and the Case Study of Discursive Securitization Practices in Tajikistan

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Abstract

The article explores theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the securitization of national identity and provides an overview of contemporary Russian research on this topic. It examines how identity securitization is addressed in the context of both domestic and foreign policy, as well as its construction across the post-Soviet space. The paper presents the results of the author’s original research into the discursive practices of national identity securitization in Tajikistan. The study is grounded in the ideas of the Copenhagen School of securitization, constructivist theory, and the concept of ontological security (D. Laing, A. Giddens), emphasizing that identity – under conditions of globalization, ideological competition, and internal conflict – becomes an object of protection, political mobilization, and institutionalization. The article focuses on the analysis of public speeches by the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, as a tool of discursive securitization. Key discursive frames are identified: threat, protection, tradition, consolidation, and modernization. It is shown how references to history, culture, religion, and national memory construct symbolic boundaries between “us” and “them”, legitimize control measures, and reinforce political authority. President Rahmon is presented as the guarantor of national identity, while the national idea is framed as the foundation of societal resilience and security. The article highlights the strategic importance of identity policy for Tajikistan’s domestic consolidation and foreign policy positioning, as well as its potential impact on Russia–Tajikistan relations and migration dynamics. The author also outlines reasons why Tajikistan’s identity policy should be of interest to Russian analysts.

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About the authors

Valentina V. Komleva

National Research Institute for the Communications Development; Center for International Strategic Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: komleva@nicrus.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5376-0984
SPIN-code: 8056-7633

Dr. Sci. (Sociol.), Professor, deputy director of Scientific Research; director

Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

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