Foundations of Russian Culture [Paperback]

At a time when tensions between Russia and “the West '' are increasing, this book is very timely, even though, its contents were first broadcast over fifty years ago. It offers a history of Russian culture and its particular trends and tendencies, which are shown to be frequently contradictory and even mutually exclusive. Schmemann argues for the supremacy of culture over political life in determining questions such as the apparent lack of political freedoms, law and order and civil rights in a Russian context.

Foreword HTM

Foreword by Maria Vasilyeva

1. THE CULTURAL DEBATE IN THE USSR: A PROTEST
2. THE DISPUTE OVER CULTURE IN THE SOVIET UNION
3. “CULTURE” IN RUSSIAN SELF-IDENTITY

PARADOXES OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

    4. MAXIMALISM

5. MINIMALISM
6. UTOPIANISM

THE “EXPLOSION” OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

7. Talk 1
8. Talk 2
9. Talk 3

10. RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF PRAGMATISM
11. RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION
12. RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF SOCIAL UTOPIA
13. TOLSTOY AND CULTURE
14. DOSTOEVSKY AND RUSSIAN CULTURE

CULTURAL IDENTITY AT “THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY”

15. Talk 1
16. Talk 2

17. ABANDONMENT OF THE MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF CULTURE
18. THE INITIAL REACTION TO THE REVOLUTION
19. THE ENSLAVEMENT OF CULTURE

CREATIVE RESISTANCE

20. Talk 1
21. Talk 2
22. Talk 3

23. THE PAST AND TRADITION
24. THE WEST
25. TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
26. SOCIAL TOPICS
27. RELIGIOUS THEMES
28. AT A CROSSROADS

ON THE PATH TO SYNTHESIS  

29. Talk 1
30. Talk 2

31. CONCLUSION

Notes

Index of Names