Introduction

In this introductory essay the guest editors provide a critical account of the concepts of patriotism and consumption. Whilst nationalism is on the rise in many countries in the world, there has been little research on citizen participation outside the conventional politics of the nation-state. There is even less scholarship on consumption and patriotism and digital media; and finally, there has been little work emerging in relation to the countries of the region. Therefore, the authors explain how this special issue of Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media aims to fill in these gaps. They also present their own theoretical framework for thinking about patriotic (non)consumption. They argue that patriotism thrives in human agency, especially emotions, and can play a central role in mobilization processes and identity construction. It produces attachments located in the fantasies of the societal cohesion, unity and a sense of belonging.