The Continuity of Foreignness Russia as the "Other" in Historical Perspective

Despite the growing preoccupation with Russia since the early modern era, the Western public still sees the country as deeply alien. Media coverage is not solely responsible for this; so is academia. This view is based in part on real differences in spatiality, politics, and the history of ideas and in part on stubborn stereotypes in perceptions at home and abroad. Only critical examination of such cliches and essentialist attributions opens our eyes to what in fact lies hidden behind the alleged large "other".