This presentation discusses the Soviet and then post-Soviet geological traditions through the analysis of a subaltern role of Indigenous minorities in a century-long geological exploration of the Russian North. The intersection between geology and power has recently been highlighted by research in the field of political geology, which examines non-Western theories of geology and the origin of the Earth, as well as the material dimension of geopolitics, and the relations between geological traditions and politics. In Russia, Indigenous people have long participated in state-sponsored geological expeditions aimed at exploring natural resources for their use and consumption. Yet Indigenous peoples’ contribution to the development of national resource-based economy and their distinct geological epistemologies have never been fully examined, recognised or acknowledged. This presentation explores how Indigenous subaltern position within state geology has evolved over the past century and how nowadays Indigenous people themselves make efforts to challenge and reconsider this position.
