Slavic Identity Research Articles

Putin’s Dilemma: Russia and the Slavic Dimension of NATO Enlargement

Abstract The potential weaponization of Slavdom is a poorly researched topic in the literature on hybrid warfare, despite the Slavic dimension of NATO after several rounds of enlargement. Part of the reason is the traditionally reserved attitude of Russian authorities to the Slavic idea, which runs counter to the idealized supranational character of Russia and can incite domestic ethnic populism. Even though Moscow has not used this instrument so far, the historical record shows that it could do so at a later stage if its very existence is at stake. The instrumentalization of Slavic identity therefore requires attention, not only as an impending threat, but also as a potential catalyst for change on the Russian side.

Pseudo-Mysticism in Russian Propaganda: Co-opting Slavic Identity for the Russian World Narrative

Pseudo-Mysticism in Russian Propaganda: Co-opting Slavic Identity for the Russian World Narrative

THE RECEPTION OF THE CIVILIZATION IMAGE OF THE “WEST” IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHIC HERITAGE OF VLADYMYR ANTONOVYCH

The purpose of the study is to investigate the perception of the image of the “West” in the civilizational views and ideas of Volodymyr Antonovych in the general context of the genesis of the Ukrainian civilizational thought of the 19th century. The research methodology is primarily based on the principles of historicism, systematicity, scientificity, objectivity, as well as the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special-historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic) methods. The scientific novelty lies primarily in the fact that for the first time we approach the problem of Volodymyr Antonovych's ideas about the “West” as a separate, self-sufficient problem. The article offers a clear vision of the civilizational views and ideas of this scientist. Conclusions. The article examines the views of the scientist on the issue of penetration of European influences into Ukraine.Volodymyr Antonovych’s contribution to the change in the Ukrainian intellectuals’ Slavic identity into European has been investigated. From this point of view, the main research papers and journalistic works by Volodymyr Antonovych on historical topics have been analyzed. Special attention has been paid to V. Antonovych’s diligent desire to conceal his views on civilizational identity. Therefore, a significant place in the source base of the study is occupied by the memories of students and contemporaries about the historian’s views on the European factor. Also, an important role in the article has been given to the analysis of V. Antonovych’s correspondence with his friends. As there wasn’t any cencorship in the letters, the scientist far more openly disclosed his views on the civilizational affiliation of Ukraine here, than in published scientific works or other public texts. The article proves the leading role of V. Antonovych in the process of introducing European identity to Ukrainian historians. This result has been achieved by the historian, not by directly proving the thesis of Ukraine’s European identity on the pages of historical works, but in the course of private communication with the trusted circle of his colleagues, students and followers. V. Antonovych was the first in Ukrainian historiography to overcome most Slavophile prejudices against the West and tolerantly interpreted Western European influences on the phenomena in Ukrainian history. The transition of V. Antonovych to European identity did not mean complete abandonment of Slavic identity: he considered the Slavic to be an integral part of the European tradition. It has been found that the historian unequally treated different constituents of Europe. He was especially revered by the Roman peoples (especially France), and he had considerable prejudices against the Germans.

The Same Room is No Longer Good for Each Other: The Unity and Separation of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian “Slavic” Identity

After the fall of Western Rome, the formerly widely stamped “Germans”, “Wends” (ancient Western Slavic), and “Antes” (ancient Eastern Slavic) terms that were defined by the ancient Romans began to dissipate. The brand of barbarism began to fade away, and different tribes within the same caste culture strengthened their original independent tendencies. With the emergence of modern nation-states and their accompanying establishment of state borders and sovereignty, the macroscopic perception of the “Slavs” also split, with the “East Slavs” represented by the three nation-states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus being the most The “East Slavs” represented by the three nation-states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were the most prominent. At a time of intense conflict between Russia and Ukraine, deteriorating relations between Ukraine and Belarus, and close cooperation between Russia and Belarus, a new understanding of the unity and separation of the Slavic identity between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus is important for exploring the origins of relations between the three countries.

Russian and Slavic Identities of Contemporary Youth: Value-Sense Correlations and Political Dimensions

The study is aimed at identifying the ideological and value bases and structural and content characteristics of the Slavic identity of the youth in Russia and Eastern Europe. The aim is to identify the ideological and value bases and structural and content characteristics of the Slavic identity of the youth in Russia and Eastern Europe. The object of the study was the youth of the Slavic countries (Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia), who in their everyday life experience constantly encounter these or those images and symbols, which eventually affects their self-identification. In the course of the empirical part of the study, at the first stage formalized interviews were conducted to identify the value and semantic structure of the concept of “Slavic identity”, the system of national and European values, political, ideological and identification orientations. The second part of the empirical study was aimed at identifying the value-semantic structure and correlation of Russian and Slavic identity of Russian youth, the system of its national and European values, political, ideological and identification ones. The main research method was a questionnaire survey containing both closed and open-ended questions, using direct ranking and rating scaling techniques, as well as the method of free associations. The results of the study showed that young people in Eastern Europe are largely oriented towards European values, and despite Euroscepticism over time the EU symbolic policy is bearing fruit, especially among young people in these countries. In the understanding of Russian youth, Slavic identity is more an attribute of culture and history, which is not significant for real life. Therefore, it is obvious that the Slavic identity of both Russian and European youth correlates poorly with their political behavior. Meanwhile, in Russia there is a good potential for work in this direction due to the more pronounced cultural and historical aspects of Slavic identity.

A New Turn in Russian Ethnography

Abstract The article is based on the text analysis of previously unknown archival documents (letters, petitions) to assess the impact of Pervaa Vserossiiskaya etnographicheskaya vystavka (the first all-Russian ethnographic exhibition) had on different spheres of Russian life – ranging from reinterpreting Slavic identity and rallying Western and Southern Slavs around the empire to growing museum attendance. Demonstrating the diversity of ethnic groups in Russia, in addition to emphasising its imperial power managed to also serve the purpose of structuring and further developing academic knowledge, and presenting its results to the larger public in an easily accessible yet sophisticated way: the Ethnographic Department of the Imperial Society of Devotees of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography at Moscow University was founded in 1868, and the first ethnographic museum (Dashkov Museum) in Moscow used the items for its collection. Russian ethnography exercised this new chance of proclaiming itself as an independent and actively evolving discipline and field of knowledge.

Svoboda protiv slavyanskoj identichnosti v politicheskih razmyshleniyah A.I. Gercena

Some contradictions in A.I. Herzen’s political thought maybe explained in comparison with his contemporaries such as J.S. Mill and A. de Tocqueville, in light of a broader understanding of liberty. It can be clearly seen that the spirit of classical republicanism is implied in his ideal of federal of the liberal Slavic people. His ideological context is based on the reality of Russian empire, influenced by the empire’s thoughts, and reflects the anti-empire ideal. Herzen’s account of personal liberty and his seemingly contradictory vision of the Slavic identity can be unified with his republican ideal, which is similar to idea of “empire for liberty”, and it could be a reflection of Russia today.

러시아-우크라이나 전쟁: 의미와 영향

The purpose of this study is to explore the background and meaning of the Russian-Ukraine war, and to analyze its impact. The Russian-Ukrainian war bears a complex character, as suggested by what Russia calls ‘special military operation’. The war carries characteristics of proxy war in the geopolitical competition, identity conflicts reflecting concerns of losing Slavic identity, and thus ‘limited war’ that military victory should be limited. This multidimensional nature of the war has posed difficulties in understanding the feature of the war as well as its prospects and consequences.BR This study analyzes the nature of war from the perspectives of ‘special military operation’ as President Putin put it, geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the West/U.S., and the competition between the development models that Russia and U.S. recognize as a main source of challenges against international order, as well as their own national security. In addition, this study focuses on the possible ‘domestic renewal’ in terms of competition for development models that is likely to occur in Russia in the form of ‘social reconstruction’ and ‘restrictions on freedom’ through and after the war.BR In this war no country may claim a victory. For Russia, achieving the minimum requirement for victory may lead it to emerging Ukraine national identity and continuing economic sanctions; for U.S, a victory against Russia may lead to a closer Sino-Russian relations that constitutes a major obstacle to US strategy towards China in the Asia-Pacific rim. The war may bring us a new international order; but both strategical and practical perspectives demand us to maintain ties with Russia.

Some Usage Features of Slovenes’ Personal Names in the Italian-Slovenian Border Area (Based on Field Research Materials)

The author examines the data collected during field studies of the Slovenian ethnic minority in Italy, in order to retrace the use of anthroponyms (names and surnames) formed in this region in the 20th–21st centuries. The processes of Italianization at its various stages, including the period of fascism with the strictest prohibitions on Slavic identity in general, have had a huge impact on the modern composition of the Slovenes’ personal names in Italy. As a result of Italianization, surnames have been changed graphically (written according to the Italian orthography rules), as well as structurally (final letters were added or truncated, Slovenian suffixes were omitted) and semantically (translation was used, the internal form was destroyed while maintaining an approximate phonetic appearance). The names were either translated or used in their Italianized versions. As a result, there is a situation of two names being used in parallel in which the “home name” differs from the one used for the same person in official documents. Currently, the name choice is influenced by other factors, both linguistic and extralinguistic, depending on the life of Slovenes in a non-ethnic (Romanic) environment. On the one hand, there is a desire to regain Slovene names and surnames that has arisen in response to Italianization. On the other hand, this trend is opposed by various kinds of extralinguistic factors: bureaucratic difficulties faced by a person who wants to change documents; low level of national consciousness among some representatives of the national minority; the desire to provide their children with a more comfortable life in a Romanic environment, established traditions (especially for mixed families). When choosing a name for a child, Slovenes have to bear in mind that the name should be euphonious in both Slovenian and Italian (taking into account Italian phonetics). As an alternative, the option of having two names remains very common, nicknames derived from “house names” are still in use and they are opposed to surnames in official documents.

American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation Imagination

American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation Imagination

The Polish problem in Russian conservative political thought in mid-19th century

Liberal reforms of Tsar Alexander II after Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War gave the Poles great hopes for satisfying their state-building aspirations. Russians also demanded reformation of all spheres of life of the empire. But from the middle of 1862, the Russian press succeeded to rouse pro-imperial sentiments among the Russian public, using anti-Polish rhetoric. This so-called “Polish threat” became a means of mobilizing Russians to defend their «motherland», which was identical in their understanding to the concept of empire. Reputable Russian publicists stated the conviction that allowing the Poles to create a state is equivalent to provoking a collapse of the Russian state. Thus, the Poles should be left in the Russian Empire, but at the same time, they should become Slavs again, that is, to “awake” in them the specific Slavic culture they had lost, becoming Catholics and cultivating their gentry noble values. Polish peasantry was considered being the basis of the «re-education» of Polish society, and, according to the Russians, preserved a specific Slavic identity, therefore had allegedly “pro-Russian” sentiments that only need to be supported with the correct reforms.

The Contribution of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to Culture and Religion

The Byzantine mission of saint brothers Cyril and Methodius had a major impact on the spiritual history of Great Moravia. In the centuries that followed, their works paved the way for the political and historical development of the Slavic nations, mainly in South-East and East Europe. The mission, which reached Great Moravia in 863, had several dimensions. The most important were evangelism and the cultural and civilizational dimensions. Translations of the Gospel and liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic intensified the religious life of our ancestors and laid the foundations of literature and culture for almost the entire Slavic world. From this point of view, research should be focused on the role and reflection of this historical and cultural heritage in the ecclesiastical and spiritual, national and cultural life of the Slavic nations. The aim of this article is to assess the significance of Christian and Byzantine cultural values in terms of the collective Slavic identity. The Cyrillo-Methodian idea manifests itself in the history of the Slavic world as a complex but solid foundation, capable of renewing the sleeping or inhibited energy and values in the areas of faith, culture, literature, arts, education, upbringing, as well as national consciousness.

Problems of Slavic identity on the pages of the Slovak journal «Konštantínove listy / Constantine’s Letters»

The author provides an overview of articles on the topic of Slavic identity and the development of common Slavic self-consciousness published in the international scientific journal «Konštantínove listy / Constantine’s Letters», published by the Institute for Research of the Cultural Heritage of Constantine and Methodius of the Faculty of Philosophy named after Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra (Slovakia). The main goal of the journal, founded in 2008, is to present the actual results of research on the problems and topics related to the cultural and political history of Great Moravia, as well as the functioning of the Cyril and Methodius tradition in the Slavic world in later times, right up to the present day. Analyzing the results of research published on the pages of the journal, the author comes to the conclusion that most of the authors are looking for and find the initial impulse of common Slavic self-consciousness in Great Moravia. It is the ideological and cultural heritage of the Great Moravian Cyril and Methodius tradition, primarily the Slavic alphabet, literature and Church Slavonic language, that became the basis for the formation of the Slavic world as an ethnic, cultural and historical integrity.

Прищеплена етногенетична пам’ять, або як руси усвідомили свою слов’янськість

Background: The idea of the origin of the Slavic peoples from a single genetic root originated in the early Middle Ages and in all subsequent historical periods it served as a starting point for various mythologemes, ideologemes, theories and concepts. Even now, despite numerous attempts at deconstruction, they continue to function, producing “necessary” meanings and fueling established stereotypes. The later stages of their development are generally well studied, but the origin and initial establishment still remain a mystery. The greatest difficulty lies not so much in the small number and fragmentation of written reports on the early Slavs but in the absence of radically new, comprehensive interpretations. Purpose: The proposed investigation aims to initiate the filling of this gap by comprehensively considering the problem of forming the Slavic identity of Rus, through the prism not only of the original close interaction of Slavic peoples, but also the unique conditions and experience of their own Christian cultures, their remoteness, differences and alienations - perspectives still unexplored in the scientific literature. Results: Analysis of the episodes of the introductory part and Article dated 898 of the Tale of Bygone Years, which contain fragments of the oldest Slavic ethnogenetic ideas, shows their non-native origin. The image of the ancient Slavic community developed in the bosom of the Cyril and Methodius tradition. It penetrated Rus, apparently, in line with Western and South Slavic religious and cultural influences. At the same time, there was no single, more or less integral narrative. Rus chroniclers were forced to synthesize texts of different content and ideological direction and even genre, adapting them to their own historiographical concept. Although the term “Slavs” in Rus was actively used in the days before the writing of the Tale of Bygone Years, its functional potential was fully used only in the early XII century – thanks to the inculcation of the Rus identity – one of the pivotal and most deeply rooted structures of the collective historical consciousness. Key words: Rus, ethnogenetic notions, Slavic identity, The Tale of Bygone Years, Slavs, Cyril and Methodius tradition.

Metamorphoses of "Slavic identity": what allows us to talk about it and study it?

Metamorphoses of "Slavic identity": what allows us to talk about it and study it?

«THOUGHTS ON UNIVERSAL HISTORY» BY ALEKSEY KHOMYAKOV IN THE SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE SERBIAN TRADITION

The article considers the work of the Russian Slavophil thinker Aleksey Khomyakov (1804-1860) «Semiramis, or Thoughts on Universal History». Despite the fact that in recent years there have been many works in the fi eld of literary criticism devoted to this work of the philosopher, it still remains unraveled in full. However, much in the worldview and creative work of Aleksey Khomyakov and Slavophil philosophers are revealed in a new light as a result of the ideological and thematic correlation of «Semiramis» with the broad historical and spiritual and cultural context of the Serbian national tradition (on the example of the philosophical works of Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, Archimandrite Justin (Popović), poet Jovan Dučić and other authors). What is the main subject of Aleksey Khomyakov’s study in «Semiramis», is history and ways of development of the whole human race. The vector of basic refl ections of the philosopher, who focused his attention on the fate of Europe and Slavics as its integral and essential constituent, can be seen against this background. The consonance and «intersection» of the thinker’s reasoning with the Serbian cultural and literary tradition makes it possible to draw a conclusion about the unity of the Orthodox Slavic identity of Russians and Serbs - despite all the unique cultural and historical features of the nations. Realisation of this fact becomes possible due to the scale of themes stated by Aleksey Khomyakov in his work, as well as due to the organic connection of the author’s deep historical knowledge and artistic vision.

Slavyanskaya identichnost' v kontekste mental'noy geografii u A. S. Budilovicha

The problem of Russia’s cultural and civilizational identity has been in the limelight for intellectuals for a long time and still remains rather relevant. A number of mythological patterns reproduced in our day in attempts to solve this problem by means of pseudo-scientific and propagandistic constructions were formed within the slavophile mythology of the turn of 19–20 centuries. The concepts characteristic of Russian slavophilic nationalism were used and developed in the works of A. S. Budilovich. The subject of this article is the Slavic identity, its peculiarities and the images the Other which constitutes this identity in the context of the mental geography in Budilovich’s national discourse. The research of his scientific and journalistic works proposed in the article was done by means of discourse analysis. It is shown that the Slavic identity, identified by Budilovich with the East, is determined by the coexistence of the two binary oppositions: East–West and East–Asia. The West is considered in three aspects: as an active threat to the East, its antipode and the object of salvation. Asia is regarded as an antipode of the civilization, a threat to its existence and an object of the civilizational expansion. The East is interpreted by Budilovich as the bearer of Christian truth, the source of civilization (for both signifiers) and the protector of the West and Asia from each other. In such a messianic project is expressed the dream of establishing a discursive hegemony within the framework of a universal Christian Empire, the core of which is Russia.

СЛОВ’ЯНСЬКА ІДЕНТИЧНІСТЬ УКРАЇНСЬКИХ ІСТОРИКІВ ХІХ ст.: КОНЦЕПТУАЛІЗАЦІЯ ОБРАЗУ “СВОЄЇ” ЦИВІЛІЗАЦІЇ

Abstract Background: Despite a significant interest of the Ukrainian scientists to the intellectual phenomena of the XIX th century, such an important worldview issue as Slavic identity was left beyond the researchers’ attention. This identity was represented by the majority of the Ukrainian intellectuals of the Romanticism (first half and middle of the XIXth century), mainly historians. Formation of the Ukrainian national movement as well as modern Ukrainian culture was in process under the conditions of spreading of this very form of civilizational self identification. This determines the actuality of our research. Purpose: The main aim of the paper is to outline the conceptual background of the Slavic identity and to analyze its genesis using the XIXth century Ukrainian historians’ scientific heritage as an example. Results: Slavic identity has been interpreted in the paper as identification of Ukraine and its historical past with the Slavic civilization, which was most often represented in the XIXth century historical texts by the notions Slavic world or Slovianshchyna. It meant to estimate historical and cultural phenomena applying the estimating scale “Slavic-nonslavic”. Anything in the Ukrainian cultural tradition estimated as “nonslavic” was automatically classified as “alien”. The Slavic identity was mainly formed as reaction to Eurocentrism of modern worldview principles. It was also an attempt of the intellectuals to overcome the cultural and civilizational inferiority complex of the Slavs. The intellectual and psychological paradox of the Slavic identity representatives’ was that they failed to completely overcome the Eurocentrism of their own worldview. The explanation of advantages of the Slavic nature was limited by the phrase “We are’nt any worse than Europe”. Being ideologically antieuropean, these intellectuals viewed Europe as a certain pattern or criterion for self estimation. Thus this identity failed to overcome the inferiority complex. Its opponents, the representatives of the European identity, were actively searching for an alternative formula for overcoming this complex. So this formula in the XXth century sounded already as following: “We, the Slavs, also belong to Europe”. The Slavic identity of the Ukrainian intellectuals of “the long XIXth century” as an intellectual and psychological phenomenon hasn’t been adequately studied, understood or popularized so far. Key words: Slavs, Slavic world, identity, historiography, civilization, orthodoxy, Europe.

Slovenian political press about the war with the Russian and other Slavic adversaries in 1914–1916

For a vast majority of Slovenians and Slovenian soldiers the Slavic opponents of the Monarchy were enemies. In the period from 1914 to 1916 such sentiments were encouraged by two Slovenian political daily newspapers catholic Slovenec and liberal Slovenski narod, whose attitude allowed no ideas about interaction between Slovenians and the other Slavic nations. Regarding the issue of Slavic identity on the fi rst place were front lines which ran between Austria-Hungary and Germany on the one side and Slavic countries fi ghting them on the other. Despite some articles in which no harsh words were shared concerning Slavic opponents, the path to considering the mutual Slavic identity was decisively closed at both newspapers. There were only the Austrian sense of self-worth and its narrow attitude towards the Slavic identity and culture. Both Slovenec and Slovenski narod signifi cantly consolidated the position that Slovenians ― just like other Slavs in the Habsburg Monarchy ― were Austrians, and those who did not feel the same came from other planet. This attitude was laid by the war, subordinated Slavic interests to the interests of the states participating in it.

The Influence of Prague’s Lusatian Seminary on the Sorbian National Revival

The Catholic Lusatian Sorbs are today the most important element of the Sorbian ethnic group and their national culture. After the Reformation, they found themselves in a minority and in a highly negative situation. For the Catholic Sorbs, the opening of the Lusatian Seminary in Prague in 1728 was a significant source of strength and encouragement. Over the nearly two centuries of its existence, the Lusatian Seminary became a national institution for Catholic Sorbs, and Prague was considered their second capital after Budyšin (Bautzen). The Sorbian seminarians, who usually attended the German grammar school in Prague’s Lesser Town before going on to study theology at the city’s university, were taught by leading figures of Czech science such as Josef Dobrovský, Václav Hanka, Karel Jaromír Erben, and the Slovak Martin Hattala. The Sorbs thus received their education not only in their native language but also expanded their knowledge of other Slavic tongues. The seminary and the Sorbian youth association Serbowka, founded in Prague in 1846, significantly helped to spread education among the Sorbs, to strengthen their Slavic identity, and to develop their efforts at a national revival. Over its nearly 200-year-existence, the Lusatian Seminary was attended by many leading figures of the Sorbian national revival, including Slavist, magazine editor, and leading figure of the Sorbian national revival Jan Pětr Jordan; priest, editor, linguist, and long-standing chairman of the Maćica Serbska Michał Hórnik; and author and editor Jakub Bart-Ćišinski, considered the most important Sorbian poet.