What Is the Russian Empire? Scientific seminar “Russian Empire: a national state or a state of nationalities? (retrospective analysis)” (Rostov-on-Don, March 30, 2018)

Abstract. The article is an overview of the scientific seminar “Russian Empire: National State or a State of Nationalities? (retrospective analysis)”. The seminar was held on March 30, 2018 in Rostov-on-Don hosted by the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientific seminar became a part of the research project supported by the Russian Scientific Foundation “National outskirts in the policy of the Russian Empire and Russian social thought”. Scientists from the SSC RAS and the Southern Federal University implemented the project. Scientists attended the scientific seminar from the European University in St. Petersburg, the Russian Customs Academy and the Taganrog Institute. The seminar discussed various problems of the policy of the Russian Empire on the outskirts and its reflection in the Russian social thought. The work
was organized in three sessions, discussions and final discussion.

Keywords: Russian Empire, national outskirts, Russian public thought, Romanovs.