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Why don't Russians fear the Chinese? The Chinese factor in the self-identification process of Russia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Alicja Curanović
Alicja Curanović*
Affiliation:
Institute of International Relations, University of Warsaw, Poland
*
*Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Historically speaking, the self-identification process of Russia has revolved around the West–East axis. However, there has been a considerable asymmetry in the impact of these two poles. In this article I will argue that “the West” was a dominating concept in the self-narration of Russians and “the East” was mostly a function of the interaction between Russia and the West. The difference in the level of attention and emotions which Russia manifests towards the West and the East has been caused by the religious factor, which was crucial for shaping Russia's identity and her sense of uniqueness. While the West and Western Christianity presented a challenge to the Orthodox fundamentals of Russia's self-image, China was neutral in terms of religious identity. The negligible importance of the religious factor added to rationality in Russian policy towards China. In the article I analyze the Chinese factor in Russia's self-identification process in the context of Moscow's attitude towards the West and the East by using two main elements: identity and fear. Comparing the historical pattern with the present one, I attempt to determine the consequences of these two factors for the Russian Federation.

Keywords

Chinese-Russian relationsrussian perception of Chinaidentity of Russiafearmisperception
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , March 2012 , pp. 221 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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