Oriental Afterimages: The Reproduction of Postcolonial Discourse in Polish Exiles’ Ethnographic Texts on Siberia

Abstract

The expansion of the Russian Empire created new possibilities for transcultural interactions within the colonial system. The strategies employed by nineteenth-century ethnographers – both professional and amateurs – to collect and systematize information on social organization, mythology, folklore, history, and traditions of its “foreign” subjects served as practical tools for improving colonial administration and control, thus helping to maintain dominance over subjugated territories. In my study, I will examine the research methods used by Polish exiles in the service of the Russian Empire, as well as their cognitive mechanisms and strategies for depicting their experiences during expeditions to the Central Asian steppe in personal journals, correspondence, and official reports. My focus will be on ethnographic private documents and printed texts created by three Polish exiles: Adolf Januszkiewicz, Bronisław Zaleski, and Seweryn Gross. By analyzing selected texts, I aim to demonstrate how writing itself and various writing practices acted as crucial tools for exercising imperial power by Russian authorities in Central Asia, while also facilitating the region’s scientific and discursive subordination.