What Do We Mean When We Talk about Race? Methodological Reflections on the Theory and Practice of Race in Imperial Russia

Abstract

The phenomenon of race has not often figured prominently in discussions of Russian cultural, social and imperial history. In recent years, however, articles and books have appeared raising the issue and arguing for the importance of race in Russian understandings of human diversity. Insufficient attention has been paid, however, to the epistemological challenges posed by the concept of race. The present article explores these challenges and the difficulties of arriving at a clear and consistent definition. The author proposes a conceptual framework for situating the concept of race in relation to other modes of describing human diversity and determining the degree to which racial thinking shapes a given cultural milieu. On the basis of this conceptual framework, the author considers the phenomenon of race in the Russian Empire, highlighting several significant factors that may have impeded the formation of a strongly articulated discourse of race.