Chasing Greatness

About the talk

"Chasing Greatness” presents an extensive exploration of the complex dynamics of Russian political identity and its historical interplay with the Western world. Drawing upon meticulous discourse analysis Reshetnikov offers a detailed examination of the concept of 'great power' velikaya derzhava throughout various epochs, spanning from the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire to Early Modern Muscovy and Kyivan Rus'. Viewed in all its complexity, the conceptual evolution of velikaya derzhava helps contextualize the discursive pitfalls and traps of contemporary Putinism driving the current international crises involving Russia".

About the speaker and author

Anatoly Reshetnikov is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Webster University in Vienna. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Central European University (CEU). Before joining Webster University, he was a visiting researcher at University College London and Lund University, as well as a visiting lecturer at CEU. His research was published in the European Journal of International Relations, Security Dialogue, and Demokratizatsiya among other journals. Reshetnikov also serves as an associate editor of New Perspectives, an interdisciplinary academic journal with the focus on Central and Eastern Europe.