The myth promoted by the Kremlin that Ukraine is part of the Russian Empire ignores centuries of previous history.
And in the matter of what is needed to overcome the colonial influence of countries like Russia, it is necessary to have sovereignty.
This point of view was shared by an American literary scholar at the Lviv Media Forum Eva Thompson, who is a former professor of Slavic studies and head of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at Rice University (USA).
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Soft power of former empires
Talking about the legacy of colonialism and whether it can be overcome, she stated that one of the legacies of colonialism is “severe impoverishment”.
— This is what happens to all post-colonial countries. And one more thing that is very important and which we have forgotten, — This is the so-called prestige or soft power. Something that is very difficult to define, but has a huge impact, in fact. They have a huge impact on the country's position internationally. So this soft power is lost, — she says.
Giving an example, Eva Thompson points out that “if you go to a bookstore and see a book by a Russian writer… and then you will see a book by, say, a Bulgarian writer. Which book will you buy? Most likely, you will buy a book by a Russian writer, because you know that Russia — strong country”.
— Russia has created great writers. Russia — this is such and such. And where, in fact, is Bulgaria? Does anyone even know where Bulgaria is on the map? Are there any Bulgarian writers? Are there any Bulgarian deeds in history? You go and buy a Russian book. This is, to a minimum approximation, what is generally called soft power. Bulgaria lost its soft power as part of the Russian Empire or the Muscovite Empire. Russia acquired soft power by subjugating all these nations, — explains the professor.
The importance of sovereignty for post-colonial countries
Speaking about how to get out of this situation, she emphasized that, first of all, the post-colonial state needs to gain sovereignty.
— This is, again, something that is greatly underestimated by countries that have been sovereign for centuries, such as German Central Europe, Western Europe and many other countries around the world. Representatives of these societies believe that sovereignty — it's nothing. That the main thing is economic development, social interaction and so on.
But sovereignty — it is something very valuable and must be won before any action can be taken. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is regain your sovereignty, and then you can plan how to restore your prestige, how to restore your soft power and, of course, how to restore your economic and political status in the world, — she says.
The myth of Ukraine as part of Russia
Speaking about Russia’s influence on its former colonies, Eva Thompson remembered Poland and Ukraine. In her opinion, Poland is currently not as susceptible to Russian colonialism as Ukraine.
— Dissatisfaction with the presence of Russian writers in the world is less pronounced in Poland than in Ukraine… In Poland, people are beginning to recognize a history that was completely obscured by Russian colonialism, — she explains.
Thompson recalled that the territories of Ukraine were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for four centuries, and belonged to Muscovy for two centuries.
— And you have a situation where Ukrainians were part of the Western world through this unity of this large state. And only towards the end of the 18th century Ukraine completely passed into the hands of the Muscovites. With the exception, of course, of that small part that went to Austria, — she says.
Accordingly, there can be no narrative about the reunification of Ukraine and Russia, because it never happened, the professor concludes.
— This is something that I think should be brought up whenever we read Russian literature or the literature of local writers. This destroys the big lie that Moscow has perpetuated, namely that “Ukraine is part of Russia because it has always been Russian”. This is not true at all. It was wrested from the hands of the Mongols by the Lithuanians, and then it became part of this large country. So this is something that I really want to promote, and I really want people to understand that you don’t need other arguments in favor of Ukrainians belonging to Europe, — Thompson emphasized.
For reference. Ava Thompson is a former faculty member at Indiana, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Virginia. She has also lectured in Princeton, Witwatersrand (South Africa), Toronto (Canada) and Bremen (Germany). Received her bachelor's degree from the University of Warsaw and her doctorate from Vanderbilt University.
Thompson is the author of five books, several dozen scientific articles, hundreds of media publications and reviews. Her books and articles have been translated into Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Chinese and other languages.
Eva Thompson's book Troubadours of the Empire. Russian literature and colonialism resonated in Ukraine.
