Dr Kostia Gorobets and Dr Yuliya Hilevych awarded Incentive Fund for Interdisciplinary Projects

Kostia Gorobets, associate professor of international law at our faculty, was awarded the Incentive Fund for Interdisciplinary Projects on 1 June 2022 for his research proposal ‘Challenging Russian Imperialism: De-Colonising Post-Soviet Past and Present’. It will provide him with €4,000 to use for the project.

Collaboration between two faculties

Gorobets submitted the application together with Dr Yuliya Hilevych. She also works at the UG, as an associate professor of social history at the Faculty of Arts. Gorobets' and Hilevych's application was made from both faculties and is specifically linked to the Agricola School of Sustainable Development.

Research goal

The purpose of Gorobets and Hilevych's project is to examine contemporary Russian imperialism to identify how it is contested in post-Soviet contexts. A debate has emerged about how to conceptualize the roots and nature of Russian imperialism, especially from a decolonial perspective.

Gorobets and Hilevych raise several questions within that debate. How is Russian imperialism constructed and narrated through history and law? How can decolonial approaches be applied to post-Soviet spaces in light of Russia's imperial ambitions? Could reconciling the region with its history through a decolonial lens contribute to social inclusion and justice?

Case study, literature review and workshop

In answering these questions, the most recent and profound manifestation of Russian imperialism, the invasion of Ukraine, constitutes the main case study. The duo will also conduct a literature review of how academic scholarship on/from Eastern Europe and Central Asia has applied decolonial approaches and critiques to specific manifestations of Russian imperialism. The research will conclude with an academic workshop on decolonial approaches to imperialism.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.