The Origin of the Orientalist Discourse of Russophobia

Abstract

The Russophobic ideology articulated by many Western countries today actualizes the question of the essence and origins of this phenomenon. This topic becomes an object of study for representatives of the humanities. Due to the fact that Russophobia has not been sufficiently studied, the problem in this formulation has not received sufficient coverage in the scientific literature. The purpose of this study is to identify the origins of the orientalist discourse of Russophobia. As a result of the study, the factors that contributed to the West's perception of Russia as part of the eastern ecumene, the barbaric world, were identified. Having been baptized by Byzantium, Russia begins to be characterized in the minds of Europeans as a country of schismatics and apostates and, consequently, is being pushed beyond the borders of Europe. Historical factors, primarily related to long-term dependence on the Horde, also contributed to the orientalization of the image of Russia in the European consciousness. The displacement of Russia from the single European Christian space and its localization in the East leads to a transformation of its perception. If until the middle of the XV century Russia was perceived by the West as Different, then by the end of the XV century it was treated as a Stranger. The results obtained complement the existing research on Russophobia and expand the range of research areas of this phenomenon.