Natural Expanse and an Empire’s View of the World
Reflections on Russian Meta-Geography
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation comprises the world’s largest state. The breadth of this space and the Russian character have merged into an inalienable premise of the “Russian idea” and have given rise to numerous metaphors. Since the dispute between the Slavophiles and the Westernisers at the latest, this has set in motion an enduring, meta-geographical discourse in Russia that involves many voices and serves primarily to further national self-assurance.
(Osteuropa 4-5/2008, pp. 81–94)