The orientalism ideology in The Russian Federation
The ethnicity in the Russian Federation and its
cultural identity by the self-determination of the nations are the principal
targets in this essay. The different nationalities are limited in geographic
area and economic area known as the Caucasus.
Into the modern State the self-determination of the
nations are viewed as a dare by the civil groups from specifics regions languages
and religious communities. The separatism movement is a concept adopted by the
states to name the “self-determination of the nations”. Moreover is unfair to
judge the minorities. In order to understand the multiple differences and how
they integrate, let’s think about the Russian Federation as a huge cake, made
with one hundred thirty ingredients of different tastes, textures,
consistencies, and smells. Twenty-three ingredients from the cake are
overexposed on a base made of mass represented by the Moscow’s government. The
recipe must result in a cake mixed with all the ingredients. The problem here
is that the reality about this piece of mass is different, because the cake is
on the top the cake and it does not allow looking the rest of the ingredients.
Likewise, there are some flavors that are concentrated in a specific tart’s area,
denying the mixing whit the rest of the preparation.
Inside of a country with a rigid government and an over valuated sovereignty that has been placed overvalued human
rights, the multiethnicity Is a key piece to understand the main problems and for that reason the
subject of analyzes of this essay.
The definition of orientalism, multiculturalism and multiethnicity, will work
on the research. In the same way the statistics and economic, social, political
and cultural indexes will be featured with the ideological theory: the
orientalism.
Therefore the principal target is to analyze the
European side of Russia. This region was influenced by western political
ideologies. The orientalism as multiethnicity versus the Russian realism will
be my discussion.
Moscow has a communist dictatorial background which it
has broken down in the nineties, divided the country formed the Commonwealth of
Independent States. Surely the Kremlin keeps an authority politic against
the separatisms and any try of free self-determination. For instance the
Russian European side tries to keep joined the whole territory. The principal tools that
Moscow is using are the nationalist radical speech and the army who is working
over the entire Russia.
Russia is the biggest territory country in the world, 17,045,700 km2, it is located in the Eastern Europe, and it includes central and northern Asia, too. The former regions are the
Caucasus, Siberia, Irkutsk, Yakutsk and Kamchatka. Within Russia we can find 106 ethno-linguistic groups living
Eastern Russia is possible to find Siberia located in
northern Asia. The Siberian geography is formed by oak forests, lakes and
mineral deposits. The resources into Siberia are gold, natural gas, diamonds,
copper and oil, elements appreciated by the Kremlin and private investors.
In Siberia, and eastern regions is possible to find
Turkic tribes with Turkic common languages and Muslim religions. They are about
the 20% of the total population. On the other hand
the Siberians are people from western Russia, slaves who are more than 80% of
the population. As a result, in the past there were differences between
majorities and minorities represented by two doctrine the western and
orientalism”.
The orientalism in Russia is present, not just Asian
Russia, we also can find in Caucasus, and the European side as an answer-reaction against
western bloc formed by Europe and the United States. The principal ethnic
representations of the orientalists are their tribal structures such as Inuit
in Kamchatka or nomad way of life as Manchus in the Mongolia’s boarder.
Not only the orientalism is a way of life, also it is
an ideology which is studied in Russian universities. Academics and students argue
that the orientalism is a national movement to confront the
European Union, Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East, including
the USA.
The problematic is inside Russia due to the
difficulties to define what orientalism is. The orientalism is studied at
universities, on another hand it is bringing to pass at eastern Urals.
When is
convenient to be orientalist? This term seems to be a mask against the World
System, in the other hand At the provinces the demonstration could be dangerous
for the Kremlin, because it may occasion separatism as an northern Caucasian
region, Ingushetia and Chechnya (Denistov, 2013).
There were two important wars that defined in the Caucasus,
the first was the Chechnya’s separatist movement, then, came the second
Russian-Chechnya war. In both conflicts the federal army represses not only
separatists, also citizens and international aiders, as NGO’s and journalists,
consequently there was intolerance against Muslims specifically Chechens. Recently, Chechnya’s rebels kidnaped and
killed Russians to demonstrate disagree with Moscow’s interest. Therefore the
war in the Caucasus is an example about failed relationship between western and
orientalism ideas (Green, 2012).
We already know the orientalism is the difference
between west and east. We are studying the Russian case, and how this country
has contacted with Asian people. They extended their empire to the east, even
though European nations were western side and the powerful Asian states as
Ottoman Empire and China were southern. The difference among Russia and another
European colonials empires were their expansion evolution, because the Catherine
Great’s empire extended toward east, with the surrounding lands whereas the
transcontinental expansionism of England, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and
Holland (González, 2001).
The Russians were influenced by the European ideas,
coming from Voltaire and Rousseau, and social scientist who studied about Asia,
so they acted as European empire. That is to say, when they contacted with
Tartars, Uzbeks and Azeris, they viewed them as an exotic and uncivilized groups
who must be civilized by the Russians institutions. The Russians conquered them
not them conquered the Russians thus they were a superior race.
Nowadays, these regions were part of the Federation, instead,
other regions as Baltic, Caucasian and Central Asia nations purchase their
separation. The people who live there are viewed different than the rest of
Caucasian Russians. The globalization has been crucial to recognize a different
group who makes the whole federation.
At first sight, the orientalism is not the principal
problem, the true problematic inception comes from the Kremlin and its interest
into natural resources on the region. In spite of this idea, I think that
orientalism could be the principal trouble, the reason why the people defend
their land through political ideologies and cultural expressions as way of
life.
Russia doesn’t have a unity cause there are too many
expressions inside. Is possible to divide the country in two parts: the
European and the Asian, subsequently the east is divided in many puzzle pieces.
When Alexander Nevski won the war against the German, there weren’t more Europeans and decided to be Nestorians, (ojo aquí necesitas otro conector porque la frase "suddenly..." rompe con la coherencia) suddenly the Mongols invaded Russia.
The Russians didn’t adopt Buddhism and Confucianism brought by the Mongols, because they were defeated by Nevski (Green, 2012).
The Nestorians and then the Eastern Church, believed in the diophysite position, despite this, they lived peacefully under rules that favored religion diversity. In Central Asia, during the Mongol period, 13th century, the Eastern Church mixed with indigenous religion practices (Jennot, 2013).
The Russians keep apart for foreigner influences, in
fact Nevski, accepted the Khan dominance. They paid tribute to Golden Horde,
however they deny accepting the Mongol shamanism, Buddhism or Confucianism, the
Russians chose the Eastern Church. We can see the first slave-asian
confrontation, results a problematic relationship.
Now day the orientalism is present in the whole Russia
as an identifying alternative ideology. It may coming accompany with cultural
performances handcrafts, stories (oral tradition), books, architecture,
cinematography, music, etc., to justify its argue. Russia is on crises because
there is not a “russianism” or a Russian ideology which is not linked with
Moscow interests.
The enormous bi-continental country has more than a
hundred ethnic groups. I
think is possible to strengthen the Russian federalism by giving more
independence at the Republics and Provinces, being that they need to shove away
their ethnicity with a political structure, self-governance.
Today Russia is incurious about the history of Islam,
Tribalism, Confucianism and Buddhism, their art, peoples and learning. Russia keeps
a singular politic of integration, which will cause a division. Is possible
that it could not happen, however, tribal groups and minorities will intensify
their actions. These uprisings won’t be necessary violent, but they will use
their culture as a weapon against the Kremlin imposition.
Bibliography
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