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Russia and Iran in the Great Game

Travelogues and Orientalism

By Elena Andreeva

Published August 18th 2010 by Routledge – 274 pages

Series: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History

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Description

This book examines the Russian explorers and officials in the nineteenth and early twentieth century who came into contact with Iran as a part of the Great Game. It demonstrates the development of Russia's own form of Orientalism, a phenomenon that has previously been thought to be exclusive to the West.

Reviews

'The book gives a valuable account of a number of travelogues by Russian diplomats, military officers and a few scholars who described the country, recorded their impressions, and made largely unfavourable comments on Iran's government, culture, manners and mores.' - Slavic Review, Fall 2008, Vol. 67, No. 3

Contents

1. Setting the Stage 2. Orientalism Russian Style 3. Overview of the Russian Travelogues and their Authors 4. The Travelers’ Missions in Iran 5. The Travelers’ Self-Representation vis-à-vis the Oriental "Other" and the British "Self" 6. The ‘Travelees’: Representation of Iran and her People by the Russian Travelers 7. The ‘Travelees’: Education, Culture and Society 8. Islam as Perceived by the Russian Travelers 9. Gender and Ethnicity 10. Travelers and Travelees. Conclusion

Author Bio

Elena Andreeva is Associate Professor of History at Virginia Military Institute, where she teaches Middle Eastern Studies and World History. She has published articles on Persian and Dari literature, on Russia Orientalism, and on Russian travellers to Iran.