- Entertainment & Pop Culture
- Geography & Travel
- Health & Medicine
- Lifestyles & Social Issues
- Literature
- Philosophy & Religion
- Politics, Law & Government
- Science
- Sports & Recreation
- Technology
- Visual Arts
- World History
- On This Day in History
- Quizzes
- Podcasts
- Dictionary
- Biographies
- Summaries
- Top Questions
- Week In Review
- Infographics
- Demystified
- Lists
- #WTFact
- Companions
- Image Galleries
- Spotlight
- The Forum
- One Good Fact
- Entertainment & Pop Culture
- Geography & Travel
- Health & Medicine
- Lifestyles & Social Issues
- Literature
- Philosophy & Religion
- Politics, Law & Government
- Science
- Sports & Recreation
- Technology
- Visual Arts
- World History
- Britannica Classics
Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives. - Demystified Videos
In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions. - #WTFact Videos
In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find. - This Time in History
In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history. - Britannica Explains
In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.
- Buying Guide
Expert buying advice. From tech to household and wellness products. - Student Portal
Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more. - COVID-19 Portal
While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today. - 100 Women
Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians. - Britannica Beyond
We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning. Go ahead. Ask. We won’t mind. - Saving Earth
Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century. Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! - SpaceNext50
Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!
journal article
The Russian Geographical Society, the "Amur Epoch," and the Great Siberian Expedition 1855-1863Annals of the Association of American Geographers
Vol. 73, No. 2 (Jun., 1983)
, pp. 240-256 (17 pages)
Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
//www.jstor.org/stable/2562661
Read and download
Log in through your school or library
Subscribe to JPASS
Unlimited reading + 10 downloads
Monthly Plan
- Access everything in the JPASS collection
- Read the full-text of every article
- Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep
Yearly Plan
- Access everything in the JPASS collection
- Read the full-text of every article
- Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep
Abstract
The history of exploration has hitherto focused largely on the description of the explorations themselves and on an analysis of their scientific-geographical findings. The fact that such exploration often is intrinsically related to political and social factors characterizing the society out of which it originates is consequently obscured, if not entirely neglected. This paper attempts to demonstrate that the genesis and the very purpose of the Great Siberian Expedition cannot be understood apart from the political and ideological climate of the 1840s and 1850s in Russia. It shows that the rapid and powerful growth of nationalist sentiment at this time was the main inspiration for the work of the young Russian Geographical Society. This sentiment dictated the exclusive task for geographers to study the Russian fatherland and, more specifically, it lent a special imperative to the study of Russian Asia. Members of the Society came to see this latter endeavor as a means for them to fulfill their patriotic responsibilities. Russia's acquisition of the Amur and Ussuri regions in the 1850s became closely associated with the general nationalist movement for Russia's renovation and resurrection, and thus geographical exploration of the terra incognita of southeastern Siberia offered a perfect opportunity for the members of the Geographical Society, in their unique capacity as geographers, to consummate actively their devotion to this cause. It is further suggested that the Great Siberian Expedition is not unique in its responsiveness to prevailing political sentiments and needs, but rather that this pattern is characteristic for much of geographical exploration, both in Russia and elsewhere. A more detailed consideration of these interrelationships in the history of exploration will lead to a deeper and more nearly complete understanding of the subject.
Journal Information
The Annals of the American Association of Geographers is one of the world’s foremost geography journals. It has been published since 1911 and currently has an Impact Factor of 2.799, ranking 8th out of 79 geography journals worldwide. The Annals contains original, timely, and innovative articles that advance knowledge in all facets of the discipline. Articles are divided into four major areas: Geographic Methods; Human Geography; Nature and Society; and Physical Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. There are Editors responsible for each these themes. The Annals is published six times a year (January, March, May, July, September and November). One issue per year is a dedicated Special Issue drawing a diversity of papers from across the discipline under a single theme. Following tradition, the annual Presidential Address is published in Annals; Memorials for former AAG Presidents and exceptionally distinguished geographers are also published.
Publisher Information
Building on two centuries' experience, Taylor & Francis has grown rapidlyover the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher.The Group publishes over 800 journals and over 1,800 new books each year, coveringa wide variety of subject areas and incorporating the journal imprints of Routledge,Carfax, Spon Press, Psychology Press, Martin Dunitz, and Taylor & Francis.Taylor & Francis is fully committed to the publication and dissemination of scholarly information of the highest quality, and today this remains the primary goal.
Rights & Usage
This item is part of a JSTOR
Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
Annals of the Association of American Geographers © 1983 Association of American Geographers
Request Permissions