Critical Theory in Russia and the West

The traditional view that the rise of Western theoretical thought in the 1960s and 1970s could be traced back to the Soviet 1920s, once accepted in Russia and the West alike because it directly associated the academic prestige of contemporary Western theory with the intellectual climate of post-revolutionary Russia, is increasingly challenged today. With the gradual retreat in recent years of theory from the high ground of the Western humanities, new work has emerged to suggest unexpected parallels and to undermine others.This book, with contributions from some of the most visible specialists in the field, re-examines the significant transfers, cross-fertilisations and synergies of cultural and literary theory between Russia and the West, from the 1920s through to the present day. It focuses primarily on those tendencies which have made the most significant contribution to critical theory over the last century, and looks ahead at the theoretical paradigms that are most likely to shape the future dialogue between Russia and the West in the humanities.

"Many chapters offer new perspectives on familiar phenomena, sketch new theoretical vistas or engage the reader in exciting theoretical dialogues. [This book] presents an important and gratifying attempt to place theory in the historical context and to bring it closer to the main humanistic and social concerns of the twenty-first century. It offers a thought-provoking and stimulating appraisal." - Marina Grishakova, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Tartu; Slavonic and East European Review (vol. 91, no. 2, April 2013).

Alastair Renfrew is Reader in Russian and Director of Research in the School of Modern Languages at Durham University.Galin Tihanov is Professor of Comparative Literature and Intellectual History and Co-Director of the Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures at The University of Manchester.