Focusing on the concept of borderlands and peripheries, this course examines the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional nature of the lands of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union, spanning chronologically from the XVIII century until the early 1990s. Geographically, the course will cover a diverse array of regions that lie between the Baltic and the Black Seas in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the East. Topics include current theoretical and methodological debates about the new imperial history, mapping and cartography, nationality policies and ethnic and religious minorities, economic development and the exploitation of environmental resources, and the treatment of cultures, languages, and religions.
