Post-Imperial Reckonings: Decolonization, Memory, and Russian Influence

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has accelerated critical reassessments of its imperial legacy, prompting deeper scrutiny of Soviet and Russian rule across non-Russian nations. This panel examines the intersections of historical memory, contemporary geopolitical shifts, and emerging decolonial movements in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Central Asia. The first paper analyzes the rise of decolonial activism among non-Slavic groups within Russia, particularly within diaspora communities. It highlights how these movements, rooted in historical grievances and cultural suppression, seek autonomy or independence and are forging new alliances with former Russian colonial subjects in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe. The second paper explores the landscape of Kazakh memory work, focusing on how historical frameworks continue to shape perceptions of Russian and Soviet rule. It interrogates Soviet-era claims of anti-imperialism, modernization narratives, and the lasting impact of Russian imperial structures on contemporary historical discourse in Kazakhstan. The third paper examines how the war in Ukraine has resurfaced long-standing questions about Soviet rule among ethnic Qazaqs. Drawing from in-depth interviews conducted in Almaty, it finds that attitudes toward Russia’s invasion strongly correlate with views on Soviet governance. Older Russian-speaking Qazaqs tend to hold more positive views of the Soviet era, while younger and Qazaq-speaking individuals are more critical, particularly regarding the suppression of the Qazaq language. Together, these papers explore how historical narratives are reinterpreted amid Russia’s ongoing war, shaping contemporary political debates and national identity formation.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Raushan Zhandayeva, George Washington U

Papers

• Post-Imperial Imaginaries of Russia among Non-Russian Nations - Erica Marat, National Defense U

• The Landscape of Kazakh Memory Work: Three Historical Frameworks (still) Shaping Perception of Russian and Soviet Eras - Erich Steinman, Pitzer College

• In the Shadow of War: Exploring Perceptions of Soviet Rule in Central Asia among Ethnic Qazaqs - Azamat Junisbai, Pitzer College

Discussant

• Nari Shelekpayev, Yale U