In mid-May an old debate with deep roots surfaced during a meeting of the Russian-Kyrgyz Expert-Advisory Council on History. The Russian scholars present, after having examined Kyrgyz history textbooks for 8th, 9th, and 10th-grade students, complained about the portrayal of the Soviet Union and the use of the term “colonialism” in reference to both the Russian Empire and the USSR that followed it.
“Using the term ‘colonialism’ is a fashion statement,” Andrei Bykov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences said, as reported by Azattyk. “The younger generation perceives this term emotionally, as it has a negative connotation. If we replace ‘colonialism’ or ‘colonial policy’ with ‘administration’ and ‘administrative measures,’ then the negative connotation will no longer be present.”
It’s not only “the younger generation” that perceives the term “colonialism” emotionally. Since the Russian Empire’s first forays into Central Asia in the 19th century and all the way through the Soviet Union’s rule of the region, Moscow has wrestled with discomfort over the term “colonialism.”
“There is a very long tradition of Russians thinking that their empire was completely different from that of the British,” Adeeb Khalid, a professor of Asian Studies and History at Carleton College, told The Diplomat. “The Soviet self-understanding was that they are revolutionary, they’re not imperialists, and they are actually helping the people of Central Asia overcome the legacy of colonialism.”
