The Culture of Nothingness in Russian Religious-Philosophical and Artistic Traditions

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

The philosophy of “nothingness” has played a dual role in Russian culture. In the nineteenth and early twentieth-century Russian religious philosophy and art, it was seen as the foundation of mysticism and of creativity, a way of escaping the entrapment of “existence,” especially in a modern world enthralled by ideology and the scientific control and manipulation of nature and being, whether socialist or capitalist. This roundtable will consider how Sergei Bulgakov (via Gregory Palamas), Nikolai Berdyaev, and Kazimir Malevich all sought true creativity and mysticism in the freedom of “nothing.” But the roundtable will view “nothingness” as a double-edged sword, especially as it pertains to cultural memory. On the one hand, it will look at how movements like “necrorealism” use negation and absurdity to try to liberate Russian culture from “the spectres of the past,” including Soviet imperialism and Russian nationalism. On the other hand, the roundtable will discuss the dangers of worshipping “nothingness,” including the danger of creating what Mikhail Epstein has called an “anti-world,” in which “destruction” becomes a value for its own sake.

Sub Unit

• Religion, Philosophy

Chair

• Ana Siljak, U of Florida

Roundtable Speakers

• James Birk

• Bradley Underwood, Northwestern U

• Christopher Eybergen, Queen's U (Canada)