"Russian" Far East? Nationalist rhetoric in the debate on free trade in the far eastern territories of the Russian empire

The article analyzes the debate on free trade in the Amur Region in 1880-1910. It places the economic debate on the porto franco system in the ideological context of a nationalizing empire. The use of the language of nationalism is seen not as a reflection of internal national mobilization, but rather as a rhetorical tool aimed at enhancing political arguments. The annexation of the Amur Region and the introduction of the Amur porto franco are put in the context of the nationalist project. An analysis of nationalist rhetoric in public and managerial discussions about porto franco demonstrates the reception, instrumentalization, and adaptation of nationalist rhetoric, as well as the search for alternative languages to describe the population and political space. Finally, the dynamics of nationalist rhetoric during the implementation of the Russian colonial project in Manchuria demonstrates, on the one hand, the active construction of the "Russianness" of the Far East and Vladivostok as opposed to the "alien" Manchuria, Port Arthur, Dalian, and, on the other, the rejection of nationalist rhetoric in cases where it conflicted with the interests of local historical actors. In general, the author demonstrates the variety of political imaginations in late imperial Russia.