Scholars Offer Ten Perspectives about Russian Colonialism, Orlova Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 14 – In the course of a length essay on “how Russian colonialism works,” Vasilina Orlova says that discussion of Russian colonialism has exploded since Putin launched his expanded war against Ukraine in 2022 and that scholars and activists have now offered at least ten perspectives or what she calls theories  about its nature.

            The Belarusian anthropologist who now lives in New York says that it is especially important to understand the nature of Russian colonialism if one is to consider how Russia might be decolonized in the future (wschody.net/okkupacziya-i-dekonstrukcziya-kak-rabotaet-rossijskij-kolonializm/).

            The ten perspectives are:

·       The first focuses on the differences between Russia which expanded by land rather than across the ocean, making it “impossible to draw a clear line between Russia and the colonies” and prompting Russians to view their acquisitions as “’natural parts’ of Russia itself.” Among the leading advocates of this approach are Aleksandr Etkin, Andreas Cappeler and Dominique Lieven.

·       The second is the theory of internal colonialism, which holds that “Russia has been colonized not only along the periphery but also within its own Russian population. Those who hold to this theory suggest that it makes the Russian colonial model “unique among large empires. Among those who have discussed it most frequently is Aleksandr Etkind.

·       The third theory, that of settler colonialism, has grown in influence in the last decade. According to its tenets, “Russian colonization of Siberia, the North Caucasus, Crimea and parts of Ukraine shares many of the classical features of settlement colonialism elsewhere.” Among those promoting this theory are Lorenzo Veracini and Kate Brown.

·       The fourth holds that “the main difference” between the Russian empire and others is “not economic exploitation but rather Russification” and in particular the spread of the Russian language and Russian Orthodoxy.

·       The fifth holds that Russia is an empire which has developed “without a racial ideology “ although as this idea has been discussed, it has been “replaced by the understanding that instead of biological racism, civilizatioinal, religious and cultural hierarchies acted and that the ideas of ‘savagery’ and ‘backwardness’ of the colonized remained.”

·       The sixth theory focuses on the idea that the Russian empire not only was one of constant expansion but that this expansion was “perceived as a natural condition of the state” that could not dispense with this notion lest it collapse itself.

·       The seventh is that Russian colonialism has become so important to its population and elites because it has always been justified not as a form of economic benefit but as a necessary component of providing the state with security and the need for buffer zones between the core people and the rest of the world.

·       The eighth theory holds that Russia is a “hybrid” empire, one that combines elements found in each of the others and is sui generis as a result.

·       The ninth theory regarding Russian colonialism is “apophatic,” that is, it arises from the view that “Russian colonialism does not exist; and if it does, it is essentially cultural and gentle.

·       And the tenth focuses on the idea that the colonizer is the chief victim, that is has been the Russians rather than anyone else who have paid the price for having an empire and that they should be compensated for that fact.