Abstract
This paper seeks to address the urgent issue of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the resultant energy crisis through an examination of Russian conceptions of power—spiritual, military, and nuclear—and their political and literary expression from the medieval period to the present day. This paper examines the entanglement of church and state and the weaponization of spiritual figures and forces. This historical framework, in turn, informs the analysis of the energy sector in both the Soviet Union and former SSRs, with special focus on nuclear power, to demonstrate how various conceptions of energy have long been a tool of Russian chauvinism and colonialism.
Presenters
Elaine WilsonVisiting Scholar, Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, NYU, New York, United States Daniel Esparza
Associate Professor, Observatori Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Russia, Ukraine, Military, Energy, Climate, Environmentalism, Theology, Nationalism
