Ideology in the mailman's bags: towards the pragmatics of the postage stamp
- DOI
- 10.5922/2225-5346-2025-3-8
- Pages
- 117-133
Abstract
The article explores the semiotic potential of a postage stamp as a social communication tool. Despite the fact that a postage stamp is initially a utilitarian means of payment, it is capable of implementing many functions, and its pragmatics are directly related to the representation and transmission of cultural and ideological meanings, which makes the stamp an important means of forming cultural identity. Collectable practices make stamps semiotic artefacts that lose their utilitarian meaning and acquire new cultural connotations. The analysis of the series of postage stamps dedicated to the anniversaries of Alexander Pushkin, proposed in the article, illustrates the changes in cultural symbols during the period from 1937 to 2024. The specifics of the commemorative stamps show how not only the approach to depicting Pushkin himself is changing, but also the symbolic context in which they are included: from endowing Pushkin with the features of an ideal example of poetry to forming detailed personal representations. The dynamics of the ‘philatelic plot’ building around the anniversaries of Pushkin's work shows that, being a ‘strong sign’ immersed in the structure of everyday practices as a means of mass influence, the postage stamp is a powerful socio-semiotic resource that has a direct impact on the formation, transmission and representation of cultural meanings and values. The study demonstrates that in modern society, stamps are becoming not only attributes of postal correspondence, but also elements of a cultural narrative that are actively used to form and convey ideological and aesthetic messages.