Interethnic Relations in Russian Publicism by M. E. Zdziechowski

Abstract

The article analyzes the subject of interethnic relations in the interpretation of the Russian citizen of Polish origin Marian Edmundovich Zdziechowski — linguist, theorist of Russian literature, religious thinker, philosopher, publicist, and public figure. Researchers from many Slavic countries turn to the study of the ideological heritage by Zdziechowski, since his sphere of research interests, as he claimed it himself, was centred at “the study of Slavs”. While we acknowledge the extensive work done in this field, we must admit that works by Zdziechowsk published in Russian periodicals of the pre-revolutionary period are still insufficiently introduced by modern scholars into their studies. That is the gap which this article seeks to fill. The article presents and analyzes the Zdziechowski’s opinions on the current system of interethnic relations in Imperial Russia and the cultural policy of that epoch regarding national minorities. is the authors show that, in presenting his views, Zdziechowski relied on the authoritative opinions on this issue of well-known Russian cultural figures of the time: Leo Tolstoy, B. N. Chicherin, G. N. Trubetskoy, A. N. Pypin, and V. D. Spasovich. Although Zdziechowski considered the problems of interethnic relations mainly at the example of the analysis of Russian state policy towards Poles living in the country, his views are regarded as important for understanding the nature of the imperial ethnic policy, in general. The editors of Moskovsky Ezhenedelnik, and Novoe Zveno, where his texts were published, give their appraisals of the activity of Zdziechowski. The evolution of the thinker’s views from the expressions of hope for a beneficial solution of the Polish question to the emergence of a sense of disappointment and pessimism is traced in the article. The coverage of this problem in the historical perspective reveals the ambiguity of its interpretations and solutions in the past and might help to improve the national policy in modern Russia.