National Identity and the Perception of Geographical Space in Contemporary Russian Political Thought

Politics. Rivista di Studi Politici (Италия). 2020. Vol. 1. No. 13. P. 129–148.

Pizzolo P., Quarta E.

This paper investigates the evolution of the concept of Russian identity in relation to the geographical and cultural features of Russian political thought. It observes the liaison between Russian national identity and the concept of Russian-Eurasian space. Despite the regime changes of the last century, it is argued, Russia has often perceived itself as a unique political entity whose identity and mindset is closely intertwined with its large spaces. The paper examines the main features of Russian political theory from the nineteenth century to nowadays. In a first part, we focus on the Slavophiles-Westernizers debate and classical Eurasianist doctrine. Then, we discuss the concept of space in Soviet times, confronting the official discourse with Nikolai Berdayev’s and Lev Gumilyov’s theoretical paradigm. Finally, we analyse the development of neo-Eurasianist thought in post-Soviet Russia, focusing specifically on Aleksandr Panarin’s and Aleksandr Dugin’s works.

Keywords: Russian nationalism, Eurasianism, Russian Idea, Russian political thought, neo-Eurasianism