Representations of the Syrian conflict in official Syrian and Russian discourses: a bilingual study of the role of mediatisation in contemporary warfare
The purpose of my research is to explore the way that the daily reality of the Syrian revolution and its repression is described and then disseminated by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally in media outlets since 2011. By understanding the mechanisms at stake, I aim to understand the role that strategic official narratives and counter-narratives and their mediatisation are playing in “winning the communication war”. To do so, I will deliver a bilingual content analysis of the speeches of Bashar al-Assad, Vladimir Putin and minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov to highlight the most recurring frames. Those frames will then be tracked in space and time through selected Syrian and Russian media outlets, bloggers and public figures to understand how narratives travel, evolve or disappear.
