ABSTRACT
This edited volume presents new research on Russian-Asian connections by historians, art historians, literary scholars, and linguists. Of particular interest are imagined communities, social networks, and the legacy of colonialism in this important arena of global exchanges within the imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras. Individual chapters investigate how Russians imagined Asia and its inhabitants, how these different populations interacted across political and cultural divides, and how people in Siberia, China, and other parts of Asia reacted to Russian imperialism, both in its formal and informal manifestations. A key strength of this volume is its interdisciplinary approach to the topic, challenging readers to synthesize multiple analytical lenses to better understand the multivalent connections binding Russia and Asia together.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|66 pages
Imaginations
chapter 1|15 pages
“These plains of Great Russia were once the bottom of the sea”
chapter 2|21 pages
The view of the golden mountains
chapter 3|16 pages
Imaginary travel to imaginary Constantinople
chapter 4|12 pages
Chinese roads in the Russian imagination and in reality
part II|86 pages
Interactions
chapter 5|21 pages
Captivity and empire
chapter 6|25 pages
Imperial dreams and the Russo-Japanese War
chapter 8|23 pages
Heroism or colonialism?
part III|60 pages
Realities