Empire in the representation of the theory of nation and nationalism

The article analyzes the approaches to the definition of empire developed in the framework of the theory of nation and nationalism, and their correlation with the theoretical and methodological foundations of understanding the phenomenon of empire in modern political science. The empire and the nation became the main actors in the policies of the modern era, but their interrelationships rarely became the subject of a special study. It is possible to talk about the problematic nature of the “imperial center” as a concept arising in the course of research on imperial topics. In the modern political scientific literature, when analyzing the development of imperial statehood, the center-peripheral approach prevails considering this type of state from the standpoint of functional analysis. The center-peripheral approach focuses on the heterogeneity of the imperial space, the complexity of the governance of the empire, the importance of the imperial bureaucracy, the forms and methods of administration and control in relation to the imperial periphery. Modern research increasingly separates this concept from other terms with which the designation of the imperial power concentration is connected. The empire and the center become abstractions that have lost their institutional value and practical expression. In this connection, the reflection of the imperial problems in the studies of the leading representatives of the theory of nation and nationalism, mainly conducting research in the framework of the constructivist approach, was analyzed. When considering the Russian Empire, it is noted that for Russian researchers, who, as a rule, adhere to the constructivist approach, the conclusion about the inauthentic nature of “official nationalism” in the case of the Russian Eempire is not confirmed. Research argumentation is based on the analysis of the socio-political thought, imperial politics, features of colonial expansion and other factors. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the opposition of empire and nation does not have sufficient grounds. In the era of modernization, the development of these political forms was largely parallel. It is possible to speak about imperial nationalism as a special form of ideology and political movement opposed to ethnic nationalism. Imperial policy is largely associated with ensuring the exceptional political status, the developing national core in the metropolis of the empire. In terms of methodology, the analysis carried out makes it possible to better distinguish an empire from other types of states with a complex national-ethnic composition.

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