The household logic of empire: Familial discourse and hierarchy in contemporary Russian foreign policy

Abstract

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine reignited scholarly debates on Russian expansionism, highlighting overlooked colonial tendencies in its foreign policy. This invasion catalysed a postcolonial shift in Eurasian studies, prompting a re-evaluation of Russia’s colonial posture and fostering dialogue between postsocialist and postcolonial scholars. Traditional postcolonial studies, focused on Western colonialism, often miss the unique aspects of Russian colonialism. This research emphasizes the need to understand Russian imperial ideology, which legitimizes regional aggression and obscures colonial history. It explores how Russia’s “household” narrative masks power imbalances, justifies intervention, and perpetuates imperial aspirations under the guise of protection and kinship.