Evolution of the imperial essence of Russia: on the concept of “empireness,” of V. Inozemtsev and A. Abalov

Abstract

This article is a review to the new book by V. Inozemtsev and A. Abalov “The Everlasting Empire: Russia in Pursuit of Itself". The author reflects on the imperial nature of Russian statehood through the prism of the concept of “empireness” described in the book. Lining up with the thesis on the everlasting existence of Russia as an empire, the author focuses on the factors that predetermined the imperial nature of the Russian State and the historically established trajectories of its development: first and foremost in pertains to Byzantine, Mongolian and Western European receptions that infiltrated the Russian mentality and continue to reproduce the imperial attributes of world perception therein. The thesis is advanced that these factors alongside the revealed in the book fuzziness of boundaries between the colonial power and colonial territories on the example of Russia, absolutize the imperial principle in the Russian politics and substantiate the formation of various ideological movements of the XIX – XX centuries. The authors of this article also polemicize with the authors of the book on the issues affecting the stability of imperial structures in Russian statehood. Criticism is levelled at certain statements on the possibility of development of adequate forms of post-imperial political existence of Russia. The book is remarkable for the profound analysis, original universalistic view of the authors on the problem, and can be highly recommended to vast audience.