THE DOCTRINE OF THE “RUSSIAN WORLD” IN THE CONTEXT OF POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES

The article examines the doctrine of the «Russian World» in the context of postcolonial studies. This direction of scientific thought sets itself the task of overcoming the consequences of the colonial dependence of the countries of the «East» from the «Western» metropolises. Postcolonial theory uses an original methodology based on the study of the liberation of colonial discourse from the narratives imposed by the metropolis. The application of this theory to the context of Eastern Europe is controversial, but considering the facts of Russia's political, cultural and ideological hegemony in the specified region with a certain degree of reservations it is deemed appropriate. Being a postmodern construct, the «Russian World» doctrine absorbs two key components of the previous ideological systems – religious and linguistic identity. Relying on these components, it forms a new type of colonial dependence, in which Russia acts as a cultural and political metropolis. Changes in the sociopolitical context in the post-Soviet space which occurred after the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the doctrine of the «Russian World» as a colonial ideology.