Constructing “Russian civilisation”: A critical introduction to the National Atlas of Russia (publ. 2004–2008)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents a critical analysis of the Russian National Atlas (2004–2008), the presentation of which is based on the tradition of the Soviet school of complex atlas production, and which is the first (and so far only) Soviet and post-Soviet Russian national atlas. Following the critical cartography approach, this paper deconstructs the atlas’ structure and the range of presented maps to decode the construction of the national spatial identity and the imposed “cartographic silences”. The paper shows how the presented maps and texts aligns with the overarching image of the Russian State as strong military state, and reveals the colonial narratives toward its Northern and Eastern peripheries.