Regional Hegemons or Household Despots: Discursive Patterns of Governance in Post-Soviet Space

Authors

Galina BogatovaFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

International Relations

First Advisor's Name

Susanne Zwingel

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Mohiaddin Mesbahi

Second Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Thomas Breslin

Third Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Rebecca Friedman

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Steven Sabol

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Keywords

post-soviet space, social hierarchy, postcolonial, Russian studies

Date of Defense

3-30-2023

Abstract

The growing gap between Russian self-perception and the perception of it in neighboring states has become painfully evident since 2008. With the war in Georgia in 2008, political unrest in Ukraine in 2014 and then in Belarus and Kazakhstan (2021-2022), and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian ambition to represent a protecting figure and a leader of the region seems unsustainable. These events undermine Russian influence on the political and economic development of the countries that have historically had strong ties with Moscow. The current dynamics in the post-Soviet region are in many ways a consequence of Russian imperial ambitions that became a source of grievances for the peoples of the regional periphery.

Most scholars who focus on Russia’s hegemonic policies in the region draw attention to the late imperial and Soviet eras as a foundation of Russian expansionism. I challenge that approach and state that Russia’s foundational view of its place in Eurasia requires the analysis of the language of colonial “regional household” that is traced as far back as the origination of Kievan Rus’ and early Russian Imperial era, beginning in the XVI century. Then, the Russian imperial hierarchy was imagined as a regional family where the nations were assigned the identities of “mother,” “virgin maid,”“mistress,” “child,” and other household members. Using Patricia Owens’ theory of household that frames the genealogy of the social realm, I argue that Russia’s self-depiction as the “master” of the regional “household” can provide a much-needed conceptual depth to unveil Russia’s continuity in regional policy.

Identifier

FIDC011031

Recommended Citation

Bogatova, Galina, "Regional Hegemons or Household Despots: Discursive Patterns of Governance in Post-Soviet Space" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5292.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5292