| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 外國語文學研究所 === 101 === This thesis investigates the problem of situating Edward Said’s influential yet controversial theory of Orientalism in the context of Russia with a special focus on the insurgent region of Chechnya as a particular case of Russia’s Orient. It provides an overview of the history of Russian colonialism in the North Caucasus in order to focus on representations of Chechnya in literature and cinema. Alternative views of cultural production in Russian and Chechen texts are investigated in an attempt to create space for unrevealed and untouched local histories, hidden stories about colonial pasts, and valuable sources to emerge and provide a post-soviet and post-colonial critique. Chapter One underlines the issues concerning the application of Said’s theory of Orientalism and the Occident/Orient frame to the Russian case. The problems of Oriental Studies in Russia as well as Russia’s location in the Orient/Occident divided world appear as the key points to reconsider Said’s theory. Chapter Two investigates the history of Russia’s political administration and its attempted discursive control over Chechnya. In this chapter, I analyze the process of Russia’s colonization of the Chechen republic, the racialization of the Chechens, and images of Chechnya ranging from the classic portrayal of the Caucasus to contemporary representations of Chechnya by Russian poets, writers, and film directors. Chapter Three addresses the problem of the Chechen ability to see, speak, “write back,” and produce a visual, oral or written response to the hegemonic imperial policy of the Russian Federation. Chechnya’s subaltern position during the history of Russia’s subjugation is investigated against the background of the failure of Russian colonialism in Chechnya, Chechen terror attacks on Russia, the practice of suicide bombing, and through readings of selected Chechen literary texts and films. In Chapter Four, I provide a conclusion to this thesis. I suggest that Russia’s multilayered colonization patterns could help us to address contemporary realities and to explain why the Chechen subaltern has yet had little opportunity to speak or be heard.
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