The geopolitics of the «Kirghiz steppe» in the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky: from the «zone of undeveloped wilderness» to the new Heartland

Abstract

The article aims to explore the geopolitics of the Kirghiz steppe in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s sociopolitical works and novels. The paper is based on a collection of biographical, historical-cultural and historical-literary sources. When considering the representation of the geopolitical position of the Kirghiz steppe, several periods in the work of Dostoevsky have been distinguished. Initially, Dostoevsky considered the region to be a periphery of the Russian Empire, a so-called «zone of undeveloped wilderness» with «being on the frontier» as its defining characteristic. As the concept of a unified Orthodox-Slavic world developed in the writer's work, Dostoevsky’s idea of reorienting Russia's development from Europe towards a so-called «land zone» became more prominent. The shift corresponds to Sir Halford John Mackinder’s notion of land power in classical geopolitics. As a result, Dostoevsky recognises the significance of the Kirghiz steppe and its potential to become the new Heartland.