Abstract
<jats:p>The paper deals with the representation of ethnic images of Siberian space in M. F. Price's travelogue “Siberia”. The influence of the ideas of colonialism and orientalism on the author is noted, which shapes the system of assessments applied to the anthropic space in the work. In this regard, the West–East opposition is highlighted as a key organizing principle of the text. The West stands as a standard of civilization, progress, and enlightenment, whose influence diminishes as one moves eastward. Siberia, in particular, appears as a mixture of Westernness and Easternness, which are not equally expressed across its territory, where Russians are indicated as the main anthropic element. The representation of the Siberian is also influenced by Rousseau’s idea of the naive savage, which is actualized in the text through the motif of childishness, characterizing both Russian colonists and native Siberians. At the same time, the text attempts to present the Siberian as an emerging subethnos that differs from the Russians of European Russia in terms of independence, which is most characteristic of the Siberian frontiersmen. The travelogue also highlights the narratives of Siberian regionalism characteristic of the Siberian economic elite. In addition, the author’s ethnic typology of the native Siberian peoples is analyzed on the basis of Finnishness and Tartarness. Finally, the features of Russians/Siberians are described, which, according to Price, facilitate intercultural communication in Siberia. These include adaptability, the ability to assimilate foreign cultural elements, as well as fraternity towards the Other.</jats:p>