Imperial Knowledge by Ewa M. Thompson

Imperial Knowledge by Ewa M. Thompson – russian Literature and Colonialism – is a book recommended by a friend. I’m glad he did recommend it because it’s so good. We all hear about the so-called “great russian culture”, which, for the most part is an apology for imperialism. Their literature is not engaged with as the one produced by western former empires. From my point of view, this is why the russian empire might have changed its name to the ussr and now the russian federation, but it never changed its way of looking at others. russia was and still is a colonial power.

I will share some quotes, as hopefully these will make my readers more keen on picking up this book.

“The gracefulness with which Pushkin created the consolidating vision of russian imperialism has served the nation well. He conjured up an image that had never before existed in russian literature: a proud russia destined to rule over the “miserable Finns” and other races it had conquered; a russia replete with humble and admirable patriots who discharged their duty faithfully in the faraway Caucasus; a russia whose upper classes equalled in sophistication and education the most refined circles in the West.”

“The “Turks” are not capable of providing creature comforts; it took the russians to bring them in. “Asian poverty” has appropriately become a set expression, remarks Pushkin.”

“While many russian readers took a skeptical stance, their disapproval of Pechorin centered around his lack of goals in life rather than the more specific crime of having raped an underage, non-Russian girl and destroyed her family.”
[Mikhail Lermontov A Hero of Our Time]

“As retold by Tolstoy, the French invasion consolidated the myth of russian imperial innocence and helped to legitimize russia’s imperialist activities. War and Peace treats the main theatre of war against Napoleon —Eastern Europe—as rightfully russian.”

“Tolstoy put the finishing touches on the perception, first articulated by Pushkin, that russia defeated the emperor of the French single-handedly and paid with its own blood for Europe’s freedom; an inchoate belief that russia is capable not only of defending itself but also of saving Europe has lingered in russian national memory ever since.”

“For all its admirable concern with the evils of communism, Cancer Ward is also an artistic expression of the compulsion to conquer and retain the colonies that has so marred russian history.” [by Solzhenitsyn]

“It should be emphasized that American interpretations of that period of russian history have generally eschewed issues of colonialism and nationalism. The Soviet occupation of the three’ Baltic republics, parts of Finland (eventually annexed to the “russian” Federation), of Poland’s western Ukraine and western Belarus (as well as parts of ethnic Poland), and parts of Romania (Romanian Bessarabia was eventually annexed by the USSR) have not been viewed in colonialist terms; rather, they have been considered the actions of a communist state desirous to spread communism beyond its borders.”

“In September and October 1939, there appeared in the Soviet Russian press an inordinate number of articles praising things Russian and reminding Russians of the Polish-Russian wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In articles, poems, and stories, suggestions were made that Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus shared the same nationhood.”

What I found fascinating is that, even in this book, about russian imperialism, the names of Ukrainian cities are spelled wrong, either using russian or Polish versions.