Eurasianism: From a Bookish Philosophy to the Official Ideology of Putin’s Russia

Eurasianism, Russia’s superiority and exceptionalism are the cornerstones of Putin's official ideology and, more generally, of Russian identity. In this presentation I will show how, starting as the philosophical duel between "Slavophiles" and "Westernisers" in the mid-19th century, the

ideas of Russian uniqueness, anti-Westernism, and anti-modernity resulted in Eurasianism, the concept that defines Putin’s ideology and ultimately the present Russia’s policy. I will primarily focus not on the Eurasianist doctrines themselves but on the way they have been twisted and manipulated in the works of today’s Russian ideologists. As I will show, Eurasianism is not just a philosophical school of thought anymore - it is the core ideological background that defines Putin's foreign policy and justifies Russian expansionism. I shall also explain why Russia’s war against Ukraine could be just the beginning.

Maria Kurbak is a Fellow with the Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund and Visiting Scholar in the Memory Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis