Slavophils, “Slavophilism” and V.V. Rozanov. Notes on the Subject

Abstract

Slavophilism and Slavophils were the issue of V.V. Rozanov’s reflections and comments practically during the whole period of his publicistic activity from the end of the 1880-ies till 1918. At the same time his opinions differed diametrically, - from acceptance to denial. It would be too easy to interpret this fact as the thinker’s “paradoxism” and “changeability” especially because outwardly contradictory opinions can be found in the texts of one and the same period, while the key characteristics are repeated in the texts dated dozens years apart and for the outward look could seem to give different evaluations to the described phenomenon. The author of the article tries to show, on the one hand, the internal unity not only of the characteristics, but also of certain evaluations that may seem to sound oppositely, and on the other hand, to reveal the grounds of Rozanov’s understanding of Slavophilism, while paying special attention to the multiplicity of meanings that he attributed to this notion. Taking into account this multiplicity, it would be correct to say that, on the one hand, Rozanow was very far from most Slavophil themes and subjects, and on the other hand, he referred most of the authors in his circle and practically himself to Slavophils, interpreting Slavophilism in this case as one of the two parts of dichotomy (with “Westernization”).