Revisiting Russian Vostokovedenie and Russia’s Complex Relationship with the East

Abstract This paper aims to examine the relevance of the Russian Oriental studies ( vostokovedenie ) to the Saidian understanding of Orientalism, which suggests that academics and colonialism are intertwined. Russian vostokovedenie appears to have been influenced by European Orientalism, with its civilizing mission and scholars’ embeddedness in Russian/Soviet policies, rather than as a deviation from its European counterpart. However, it also possessed its own peculiarities and differences. For instance, there were native Orientalists in faculties in Kazan, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok, and dissenting voices were heard. Particularly during the Soviet era, these Orientalists were critical of the European approach to studying other cultures. Furthermore, this paper explores Russians’ self-perception and the issue of Russian identity since Russia’s complex relationship with Eastern peoples and its Oriental heritage contribute to its distinctiveness.