Anatolii Remnev and the Regions of the Russian Empire

Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History. 2015. Vol. 16. No. 4. P. 901–916.

Leonid Gorizontov

A regional perspective was the central point of well-known all over the world studies of Anatoly V. Remnev (1955-2012) on the Russian Empire, though professor of Omsk State University started his research activity not with the regional approach, but rather with all-Russian institutional history. Having concentrated on Siberia-related subjects later he continued to take into account a wide imperial context. The central archives, especially those in Saint-Petersburg, were always of great importance for him. Turning to the field of spatial images A. Remnev preserved a focus on administrative practices and governmental officials. He paid a special attention to the background of particular officials who normally had rich administrative experience based on their previous service in several regions. It was the way to his fruitful idea of the imperial geography of power. A. Remnev demonstrated how the vast Siberian space was divided into Western and Eastern Siberia, Far East and the Steppe area. On the other hand he traced the key mental opposition "Siberia - Russia". The peculiarities of Siberian history stimulated his interest in migration processes that had linked Asian regions with the rest of the empire. The article discusses a number of creative ideas of Anatoly Remnev and uses his unpublished letters.

Keywords: Сибирь, region, Российская империя, регион, the Russian Empire, Siberia, Remnev, geography of power, Ремнев, география власти