DOSTOYEVSKİ’NİN İSTANBUL’U KAÇINCI ROMA? - WHICH ROME IS DOSTOEVSKY’S ISTANBUL?

After the fall of Constantinople, it became a crucial point for Russians to determine their new role in universal history and redefine their relationships with the old capital of the Orthodox Empire. The discourse of Third Rome and Russian Messianism which formed a basis for a universal mission for Russians was also one of the products of this search of identity. For Dostoevsky, Constantinople was a sacred city which is to be saved by Russia, but the capture of Constantinople would save Russians as well. In this respect, Constantinople was a target designed as a solution to the identity problems and social alienation caused by Russian westernization.