The Unhealthy Wetlands: Pests and Modernization of the Ukrainian Steppe

• In Event: At the Vanguard of Modernization: The Intertwined Histories of Animals and Empire in Ukraine

Abstract

In the 1880s, two gubernias of the Russian Empire in the steppe region—Ekaterinoslav and Tauride—were engaged in a significant confrontation over control of the Dnipro wetlands. The struggle to force one gubernia to relinquish its claim to the wetlands was framed by the creation of the image of wetlands as an unhealthy place, associated with diseases and epizootics. This negative perception was largely shaped by the presence of unwanted non-humans inhabiting the wetlands, including insects, locusts, and other pests. Such perception of the wetlands was part of the Russian Empire’s broader efforts to assert control over its conquered territories and integrate them into its agricultural and economic systems. In response to the challenges posed by the wetlands, a variety of plans for their drainage and reclamation emerged, aiming to transform the “wastelands” into fertile, usable agricultural land. These efforts were accompanied by desire to eliminate the pests—seen as obstacles to development—while promoting the expansion of productive farming. In this paper, I will explore how “uncanny animals” became agents of territorialization and modernization in the Ukrainian steppe since they influenced changes in administrative borders, decision-making processes, and the “correction” of the wetlands.

Author

• Anna Olenenko, U of Alberta (Canada)