“Russian Prestige” vs “Charm of the British”: Categories of Perception of Russian-British Rivalry in Qajar Iran

Abstract

The article is devoted to the categories of description of the Russian-British rivalry in Qajar Iran in the Russian socio-political discourse of the 19th — early 20th century. Attention is focused on the use of such categories as “prestige”, “charm”, “dignity”, “Russian/British name” in different contexts of describing the competition of powers and making comparisons between them. Using a variety of materials, including diplomatic correspondence, reports, personal materials, press, it is shown that these concepts, although very abstract, played an important role in formulating the agenda and developing motivation for political decisions.