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 is increasingly challenged. For a long time this was acceptable to Russian theorists and western specialists alike, because it directly associated the academic prestige of contemporary Western theory with the intellectual climate of post-revolutionary Russia. However, in recent years there has been a gradual retreat of theory from the high ground of the western humanities, and at the same time new work has emerged to suggest new unexpected parallels and to undermine others. This book, with contributions from some of the most provocative specialists in this field, from Russia and the West, provides an in depth examination of the processes by which ideas have been exchanged between Russia and the West, and re-examines the significant transfers, cross-fertilisations and synergies of critical theory between Russia and the West. Although the book has a retrospectiveelement, it focuses primarily on those tendencies which have the most significant contributions over the last century, and looks ahead at what is most likely to determine the dialogue between Russia and the West in the humanities going forward.