History as Therapy: Alternative History and Nationalist Imaginings in Russia, 1991-2014

This book explores the delusional imaginings of Russia's pseudo-scientific "alternative history" movement, which diligently rewrites Russia's past and "rediscovers" its hidden greatness. Alternative history has become a popular therapy for Russians still coming to terms with the reality of post-Soviet life. It is one of the forces shaping a new Russian nationalism and an important factor in the geopolitics of the twenty-first century.