Envisioning Imperial Space: P. I. Rychkov’s Narratives of Orenburg, 1730s–70s

Abstract: This article analyzes the construction of cultural identity in the 18th-century Volga-Ural region through the works of the historian and geographer Petr Ivanovich Rychkov (1712–77). Rychkov produced a variety of works that collectively offer a valuable perspective on the interplay of provincial and imperial narratives on Russia’s southeastern frontier. Central to the analysis are his three major works: Orenburg History (1744); Orenburg Topography (1762); and Chronicle of the Siege of Orenburg (1774). This article examines Rychkov as a settler, whose close involvement and vested interest in the colony’s success inspired local loyalties that coexisted alongside his imperial sentiments.