JRL NEWSWATCH: “It’s High Time to Decolonize Western Russia Studies” – Foreign Policy/ Artem Shaipov, Yuliia Shaipova
“Why has it taken a war of conquest for experts to recognize Russia’s nature as a vast imperial enterprise?”
“… Russia’s nature as an imperial power is [historically and geopolitically] incontrovertible. After World War I, the Russian Empire avoided the permanent dismemberment that befell other multi-ethnic land empires …. The Soviet Union … reconquered most of the non-Russian lands … declar[ing] independence … in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution (including Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) — … [It] expanded the empire … [during] World War II, annexing Moldova, the western part of Ukraine, and other lands. … [T]he Soviet Union [did not] participate in the [postwar] decolonization era. … [A]s the French and British empires were … dissolved, the Soviet Union … expand[ed] its colonial reach … into Eastern and Central Europe with bloody crackdowns and military actions. Shortly after the [1991 Soviet] breakup … Russia set about reestablishing its empire … includ[ing] [with] Russian-instigated separatist movements in neighboring countries, military invasions, illegal annexations, mercenary deployments, cyberattacks, manipulated elections, the poisoning of politicians, and massive disinformation campaigns. Inside Russia, … a tapestry of lands and peoples conquered and colonized under tsars and communists, these efforts have included warfare and mass atrocities …. What should be done in practice to decolonize Western studies of Russia and the region? First, universities and think tanks … should strike ‘Eurasia’ out of … program names, … a geopolitical concept straight out of Russian far-right nationalism. … Second, existing centers of Russian studies should refocus their attention to reflect the history and contemporary experiences of Indigenous peoples … [inside] today’s Russian Federation. … Third, … establish and strengthen institutions … study[ing] Russia’s former colonies. These efforts … can only be the beginning in removing Russian imperial narratives from the Western academy and mental space. …”
Click here for: “It’s High Time to Decolonize Western Russia Studies; Why has it taken a war of conquest for experts to recognize Russia’s nature as a vast imperial enterprise?” – Foreign Policy/ Artem Shaipov, Yuliia Shaipova