The role of the “frontier” in conceptualising the Russian imperial identity: a study based on Polish political prisoners

Authors

  • Karina Gaibulina Opole University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/HYBRIDA.6.26243

Keywords:

Siberia and Central Asia / Polish exiles / Polish “Siberian triangle”, Russian imperialism / postcolonialism

Abstract

This article explores the intricacies of constructing and defining the identity of individuals residing at the southern and eastern frontiers of the Russian Empire. The inhabitants of these imperial cities and fortifications, nestled between two cultures, primarily consisted of forcibly displaced individuals and their progeny, apart from those in military or administrative service. The presence of Polish exiles in the eastern and southern peripheries of the Russian Empire was a direct consequence of its expansionist policy. Through the diaries, correspondence, and published works of three Polish political prisoners – Adolf Januszkiewicz, Bronis?aw Zaleski, and Seweryn Gross – we delve into the complex, ambiguous, and multifaceted identities of their oppressors, the steppe dwellers, and the political exiles themselves, all intertwined in complex colonial relations. This investigation challenges simplistic distinctions such as “us” versus “them” and “here” versus “there”.

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Published

2023-06-29

How to Cite

Gaibulina, K. (2023). The role of the “frontier” in conceptualising the Russian imperial identity: a study based on Polish political prisoners. HYBRIDA, (6), 179–198. https://doi.org/10.7203/HYBRIDA.6.26243
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