Russian Culture and War
Interview with Mikhail Epstein, a Russian philosopher and university professor living in the United States.
Could the war have been avoided?
The war could have been avoided if society hadn't been drenched in propaganda and if the people in power could have been replaced. History has its laws, which are often more transparent than those of physics. Looking at the course of Russian history, the intent to expand does not seem new. This war traces back to the very foundation of Russian history and culture: it reveals the history of the Mongol Golden Horde. The constant territorial expansion of the nomadic peoples at that time, the indeterminate nature of borders. Chernyshevsky wrote about this in 1829: "We are all nomads, we love our cities less than the nomads love their settlements; we cannot stay anywhere for long." In the words of Gogol's "Dead Souls" hero, Nozdrev: "This is my estate, and beyond it, everything else is my domain as well."
How has your life changed since the outbreak of the war?
The period since the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 has been a depressive time for both societies and the world, marking the end of the postmodern era. Today, every day could be our last, as Putin constantly threatens to launch the atomic bomb. Oddly, alongside this, there has also been a resurgence of life-affirmation, repressed joy, and a "we live only once" mentality.
What does the concept of "anti-world" mean to you?
Russia has always built itself in opposition to something or someone. Initially, it was in opposition to the free nomads, then the Golden Horde, and later the West. Standing against Western principles, the country grew, expanded, and developed through denial. The October Revolution was also a rejection of the Western world. It was the fruit of sincere Orthodoxy, which resisted Western Protestantism and Catholicism. Today's Russian world stands against all of humanity. The illusion that internationalism would unite people is gone. Putin stirs hatred, scorns, and despises everyone. The country is surrounded by enemies, and it must reckon with them. There is no longer any point of contact with humanity. The "anti" runs through all of Russian history, but now it fully manifests. They threaten with the atomic bomb and the destruction of the world. The idea of "nothing" does not mean non-existence, but existence within nothingness.
Do you see similarities to the events of the late 1930s?
When people read Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag," they were astonished, asking how could this happen? How did people allow themselves to be destroyed? How could society live in constant paranoia? Now we see how this works. The state of social madness can easily spread through such thorough propaganda. The virus of madness spreads quickly. Even the younger generation has been reached. The atmosphere of fear that was established during the Leninist-Stalinist era is now back. We seek revenge for our suffering, for the defeat in the Cold War. There are too many similarities with that time.
What does the term "schizofascism" mean?
Schizofascism can describe both the state of society and individuals. While the leading propagandists speak of the superiority of Russian life and look down on the West, they have their vacation homes, yachts, and children studying there. The term was coined in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea. What was said to justify this annexation echoed Hitler. There is no talk of pure fascism; the Putin elite is not interested in the purity of races, but in wealth accumulation.
What would be the word of the year for 2023?
The word of the year for 2022 was war. If we were to choose a word for 2023, it would be the words most used by propaganda, as they have the most impact: "foreign agent," "hostile countries." "Hopelessness" could also be considered.
Do you see a change in Russian culture?
Until now, the epochs have followed one another: socialist realism, postmodernism, metamodernism. Now we are living the culture of the end. This is the culture of the end of humanity, the atomic bomb. The previous classical Russian culture was in vain: it produced people who now go to kill. This is the direction Putin has taken culture. Today, the Russian state no longer stands behind true culture.
What would be the best scenario for ending the war?
Ukraine's unconditional and undeniable victory, recovering all of its lost territories. The fall of the current regime in Russia. The birth of new states within the country. A return to a multi-polar country, and the creation of a union of Russian states, united by the identity of their language.
Война обнажила дно русской культуры и истории / Михаил Эпштейн