Russia: Europe Holding Europe?

Abstract

Amidst the complex historical juncture that Russia currently navigates, scholarly inquiry into questions of civilizational identity has grown increasingly relevant. The article examines key aspects of Alexander N. Savenkov’s monograph Philosophy of Law and the Formation of the Russian State-Civilization, which engages with this critical issue. The book presents the author's interpretation of Russian statehood, alongside with various historical and philosophical frameworks designed to elucidate the emergence of Russia as a state-civilization. Central to Savenkov’s thesis is an emphasis on Russian historical self-sufficiency and its enduring geopolitical significance. The author devotes considerable effort criticizing constructivist approaches to the formation of national-cultural and social identity. However, this critique rests upon broad, somewhat abstract conceptualizations of “traditional normative culture”. Furthermore, the book extensively surveys iterations of the “Russian idea,” predominantly rooted in Russian religious philosophy. It is worth noting that Savenkov’s study exhibits certain omissions, primarily concerning the Soviet period of Russian history. Such an insufficient examination of the Soviet era could be determined by the author’s own ideological framework. At the same time, the reader constantly encounters references to this period.