Igor Alexandrovich Smirnov and his constructivist concept of Soviet culture

Abstract

The paper presents a new book published by the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen in 2020, belonging to the pen of one of the most talented culturologists of their first generation in Russia — Igor Alexandrovich Smirnov. The book was written during the work of I.A. Smirnov at the Department of Theory and History of Culture of Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen in 1993, but published for the first time. It is extremely relevant today both in the subject of research and in the method. It presents the original concept of Soviet literature and culture, based on the constructivist methodology. I.A. Smirnov convincingly shows that Soviet culture is a structure created according to the model of classical culture, but not spontaneously, that is, as a result of free creativity or traditions that existed for a long time, but by state order. The paper demonstrates the deformations that inevitably arise as a result of the implementation of such projects.