Slavophile Thought and the Politics of Cultural Nationalism (Suny Series in National Identities)

Susanna Rabow-edling Examines The First Theory Of The Russian Nation, Formulated By The Slavophiles In The Second Quarter Of The Nineteenth Century, And Its Relationship To The West. Using Cultural Nationalism As A Tool For Understanding Slavophile Thinking, She Argues That A Russian National Identity Was Not Shaped In Opposition To Europe In Order To Separate Russia From The West. Rather, It Originated As An Attempt To Counter The Feeling Of Cultural Backwardness Among Russian Intellectuals By Making It Possible For Russian Culture To Assume A Leading Role In The Universal Progress Of Humanity. This Reinterpretation Of Slavophile Ideas About The Russian Nation Offers A More Complex Image Of The Role Of Europe And The West In Shaping A Russian National Identity.--book Jacket. Introduction -- A Dual Crisis Of Identity -- The Problem Of Imitation -- Conceptions Of The Nation -- The Russian Enlightenment And The Westernizers -- The Slavophile Notion Of A Russian Enlightenment -- Cultural Nationalism As A Project For Social Change -- The Slavophile Project For Social Change -- Conclusion. Susanna Rabow-edling. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 171-180) And Index.

susanna Rabow-edling Examines The First Theory Of The Russian Nation, Formulated By The Slavophiles In The Second Quarter Of The Nineteenth Century, And Its Relationship To The West. Using Cultural Nationalism As A Tool For Understanding Slavophile Thinking, She Argues That A Russian National Identity Was Not Shaped In Opposition To Europe In Order To Separate Russia From The West. Rather, It Originated As An Attempt To Counter The Feeling Of Cultural Backwardness Among Russian Intellectuals By Making It Possible For Russian Culture To Assume A Leading Role In The Universal Progress Of Humanity. This Reinterpretation Of Slavophile Ideas About The Russian Nation Offers A More Complex Image Of The Role Of Europe And The West In Shaping A Russian National Identity.

about The Author:
susanna Rabow-edling Is Lecturer At The Department Of East European Studies At Uppsala University In Sweden

Slavophile Thought and the Politics of Cultural Nationalism......Page 3 Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgments......Page 7 Introduction......Page 9 1. A Dual Crisis of Identity......Page 23 2. The Problem of Imitation......Page 43 3. Conceptions of the Nation......Page 67 4. The Russian Enlightenment and the Westernizers......Page 81 5. The Slavophile Notion of a Russian Enlightenment......Page 93 6. Cultural Nationalism as a Project for Social Change......Page 109 7. The Slavophile Project for Social Change......Page 125 Conclusion......Page 143 Notes......Page 153 Bibliography......Page 179 G......Page 189 S......Page 190 Z......Page 191 Introduction A dual crisis of identity The problem of imitation Conceptions of the nation The Russian enlightenment and the Westernisers The Slavophile notion of a Russian enlightenment Cultural nationalism as a project for social change The Slavophile project for social change Conclusion.