Konstantin Anatol’evich Semenchuk,
Omsk State University named after F.M. Dostoevsky, Omsk, Russia, e‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Church Periodicals and “Inorodtsy” of the Far East: The Rhetoric of Stereotypes at the Turn of the 19th−20th Centuries
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-3-10
This study analyzes the stereotypical images of indigenous people in the eastern frontiers of the Russian Empire as they were formed and reinforced in church periodicals of the time. The author, relying on a corpus of texts comprising 610 publications in the Kamchatka’s, Blagoveshchensk’s, Vladivostok’s, Transbaikal’s, and Yakutsk’s diocesan seal from 1894 to 1907, identifies key patterns systematically used to describe indigenous people. Among the most common stereotypes are the following: “Uncleanliness of Inorodtsy” − Indigenous people were often portrayed as savages, disregarding basic hygiene and living in unsanitary conditions. This served as a justification for missionary activities and the imposition of Russian standards of living. “Drunkenness and deliberate intoxication of Inorodtsy” − A common technique was to depict indigenous people as prone to alcoholism and easily susceptible to harmful habits instilled in them by non-indigenous groups. “Low moral character of Inorodtsy” − Indigenous people were attributed qualities such as laziness, deceit, and a propensity for theft and violence. “Unequal exchange and exploitation of Inorodtsy” − Church publications often described cases of deception and exploitation of indigenous people in trade deals. Russian and non-Russian merchants were portrayed as predators who exchanged valuable goods for furs and other resources at low prices, enslaving the indigenous people. As a result of the study, the author concludes that the active use of stereotypical images of indigenous people was driven not so much by objective facts as by political and ideological considerations. The stereotypical images of indigenous people created in these texts not only reflected existing perceptions of “others” but also contributed to the consolidation of dominant ideologies and justified the policies of the empire.
Publishing: 28/06/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 25/10/2024
How to cite: Semenchuk K.A. Church Periodicals and “Inorodtsy” of the Far East: The Rhetoric of Stereotypes at the Turn of the 19th−20th Centuries // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 3 (41), pp. 158−170. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-3-10.pdf]
Links: Issue 3 2025
Keywords: imperial discourse; orientalism; foreigners; stereotypes about foreigners; Far East