Entangled borderlands: mapping intra-imperial connections for a new spatial history of the late Romanov Empire

The Entangled Borderlands project aims to shed light on the intertwined histories of Romanov imperial border regions from 1860–1917 that have been neglected in traditional historical studies. It will do so by examining perceptions, ideas and concepts, and personal experiences of intra-imperial entanglements, as they were represented on maps, understood intellectually, and experienced in urban spaces. In doing so, it aims to clarify the intertwined histories of imperial border regions that have been rendered invisible in mainstream historiographies and to set a new research agenda for seeing these interconnections as constitutive of the very fabric of the Romanov Empire, rather than just a byproduct. The project also aspires to interject a Baltic perspective into ongoing discussions about the decolonisation of the imperial past in the region and methodologically advance approaches for writing a more polycentric history through uncovering various forms of horizontal entanglement.