As one of the greatest empires of the world Russia is often spared out in Western perspectives on global history. In the last decades Russian politicians were most sensitive to the role of their country in world politics and economics. The demise of the Soviet Union pressed for a new orientation which makes the point to rethink the Russian past in world history. As a multiethnic empire, both Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, with numerous European and Asian minorities, four world religions within their borders, have much contributed and enriched the global mosaic of cultures. The anthology covers a huge period from 1000 to 2000 in order to dig up the dynamism of chronology. The main big question will be – in which periods did world integration succeed, in which it was hampered? What were the underlying patterns of inclusion and exclusion? Which forces within and outside the Russian and Soviet empire were active in these processes? These questions touch mentalities and mutual images: which images had the outside world on Russia and its people(s), which impact had the “discovery” of the rest of the world on the mental map of Russia’s nationalities? Russia cannot be viewed as an isolated community with unique problems and solutions, but its society was always contributing and responding to changes in the world. This publication aims to examine Russia’s world entanglements and to provide a first stage for the development of innovative and creative research on this field. Any theoretical or empirical contributions on various historical periods and world areas are welcome. Young researchers, PhD candidates and Post-Docs, are especially invited.

500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted until June 1, 2013.
The material should be sent to: EvaMaria.Stolberg@t-online.de