All along Russia’s border, in former Soviet republics, the Ukrainian war has prompted a new, more assertive sense of national identity. They’re asking whether – despite independence – they’ve really overcome the legacy of 'Russian colonialism.'
Meanwhile activists from the many ethnic minorities inside Russia are increasingly describing themselves as victims of colonialism too - and demanding self-determination. The debate about the 'imperial' nature of Russia has now also been taken up by strategists, politicians and scholars in the West. Many are questioning their own previous 'Russocentric' assumptions, and asking whether 'decolonising' Russia is the only way to stop the country threatening its neighbours - and world peace.
But some also wonder whether the term 'decolonisation' is really relevant to Russia – and what it means. Is it about challenging the '0imperial mindset' of its rulers – and perhaps of every ordinary Russian? Or perhaps it means dismembering the country itself? Or, as some claim, is the very idea of 'decolonising Russia' just part of an attempt by the West to extend its own neo-colonialist influence? Tim Whewell dissects a new and vital controversy with the help of historians, thinkers and activists from Russia and its neighbours, the West and the Global South.
Sound mixing by Hal Haines Production coordinators: Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele, Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Fenton Smith Extract from "Winnie-the-Pooh" by A A Milne, read by Alan Bennett
How Wars End
Taiwan: Hyper-democracy
Why Coups Fail
The Boat Smugglers
First Contact
The Crowning of Everest - Episode 5
The Crowning of Everest - Episode 4
The Crowning of Everest - Episode 3
The Crowning of Everest - Episode 2
The Crowning of Everest - Episode 1
Bad Blood - 6. Newgenics
Bad Blood - 5. The Curse of Mendel
Bad Blood - 4. Rassenhygiene
Bad Blood - 3. Birth Controlled
Bad Blood - 2. You Will Not Replace Us
Bad Blood - 1. You’ve Got Good Genes
The Susurrations of the Sea
A Bad Guy with a Gun
Falling Stars
When Reality Breaks: Demystifying Paranoid Schizophrenia
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins