Introduction: Russian Colonialism, Women, and Politics in Central Asia

Russia's current foreign policy is closely linked to its imperial-colonial past.The political leadership of modern Russia views the USSR as "historical Russia", thereby openly indicating to the former national republics -now independent states -that they should be in the orbit of Russian geopolitical influence.Although it had commonalities with the British, French, and other colonial systems, Russian imperialism had its own unique features.Many Russian colonies were more integrated with the colonial center than those of the British or French.The territorial integration and geographic proximity of the metropolis to the colonies contributed greatly to this.This also helped facilitate the Tsarist government's political management of the colonies and the economic development of resources in the colonial territories.Even closer integration (including that on ideological grounds) occurred between the former metropole and the peripheries during the Soviet period.Unlike modern Russian society, the British, the French, and other nations that had colonial empires were able to establish relatively trusting and friendly relations with their former colonies.The development of democratic institutions in Western Europe has successfully contributed to this, which is not the case in today's Russia.For a certain portion of the Russian political elite, the collapse of the USSR became the "greatest catastrophe" of the 20th century.Following this event, this group viewed it as a new stage in the disintegration of the older Russian Empire, and there was a growing tendency in the policies of the post-Soviet Russian leadership to restore its imperial influence in international relations.Therefore, with regard to today, the thesis of Russia's "great imperial past" occupies an important place in the ideology of contemporary Russian society.Studying the history of Russia's colonial policy in Central Asia sheds light on some of the issues that relate to its contemporary policy in Central Asia.It also

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