Russian Intellectual Antisemitism in the Post-Communist Era (Studies in Antisemitism) [Hardcover]

Vadim Rossman (Author), Sidney Monas (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Antisemitism | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Antisemitism has had a long and complex history in Russian intellectual life and has revived in the post-Communist era. In their concept of the identity of the Jewish people, many academics and other thinkers in Russia continue to cast Jews in a negative or ambivalent role. An inherent rivalry exists between "Russia" and "the Jews" because Russians have often viewed themselves-whether through the lens of atheistic communism or that of the most conservative elements of the Orthodox Church-as a chosen people whose destiny is to lead the way to world salvation.

In this book, Vadim Rossman presents the foundations and present influence of intellectual antisemitism in Russia. He examines the antisemitic roots of some major trends in Russian intellectual thought that emerged in earlier decades of the twentieth century and are still significant in the post-Communist era: neo-Eurasianism, Eurasian historiography, National Bolshevism, neo-Slavophilism, National Orthodoxy, and various forms of racism. Such extreme right-wing ideology continues to appeal to a certain segment of the Russian population and seems unlikely to disappear soon. Rossman confronts and challenges a range of disturbing, sometimes contradictory, but often quite sophisticated antisemitic ideas posed by Russian sociologists, historians, philosophers, theologians, political analysts, anthropologists, and literary critics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If one wants to understand the deep crisis of Russian national self-identification, or the problems of self-identification inflicted on Russian Jews. . . . Rossman''s book is essential and invigorating reading."—Sidney Monas

(Sidney Monas )

About the Author

Vadim Rossman is an independent scholar who lives in Austin, Texas. Sidney Monas is a professor emeritus of Slavic languages and history at the University of Texas at Austin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803239483
• ISBN-13: 978-0803239487
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,215,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important critique of Russian anti-Semitic discourse, November 5, 2006

By 

Andreas Umland "SPPS" (ZIMOS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Russian Intellectual Antisemitism in the Post-Communist Era (Studies in Antisemitism) (Hardcover)

The book is divided according to the taxonomy Rossman has developed to group the varieties of ultra-nationalist thought: "neo-Eurasianism" (conceptualized by Rossman as geopolitical antisemitism); Gumilev's theory; "National Bolshevism;" "neo-Slavophilism;" "National Orthodoxy;" and biological racism referring to the "Aryan" myth. Though terminologically somewhat confusing, for the purpose of Rossman's investigation, this conceptualization of the ideological spectrum seems to lead him to a rather useful classificatory scheme. It allows Rossman to systematically describe, analyze and criticize each major school in Russian post-Soviet ultra-nationalist thought neither ignoring any relevant approach, nor drowning in the hundreds of articles, brochures, periodicals, and books that constitute potential objects of his study. The ideas, theories and concepts introduced and criticized by Rossman are far too sophisticated and numerous to do them justice here. I shall mention thus only the few minor quarrels I have with the study.
Rossman's extensive discussion of the philo- and antisemitic tendencies in pre-revolutionary Russian religious philosophy and Sergei Nilus is interesting, but, in this context, ultimately unnecessary. A short summary would have been sufficient.
Some of the relevant secondary literature is missing in Rossman's bibliography (Matthias Messmer, Semyon Reznik, Michael Hagemeister, John B. Dunlop, Yitzhak Brudny, Wayne Allensworth, Hildegard Kochanek, Viacheslav Likhachėv, etc.). Also, in the last part of his study, Rossman makes a statement that I found debatable. Rossman writes:
"Russia is a very heterogeneous country in terms of its racial composition, and thus, the use of racist rhetoric can compromise even the most well-established political parties. In addition, the historical memory of the Second World War makes citizens of the former Soviet Union hostile to any fascist ideology [...]." (p. 256)
Though this is, perhaps at a first glance, a correct assessment, it might be misleading in two ways. First, it could be possible to classify Lev Gumilev's theory of ethnogenesis conceptualizing ethnic or supra-ethnic groups as biological entities, and Russia-Eurasia as such a super-ethnos as a novel variety of racism. If so, racism - though certainly not its Nazi version - constitutes, as Rossman shows in his second chapter, a major intellectual movement in post-Soviet Russia.
Second, it seems too optimistic to assume a Russian hostility to "any kind" of fascist ideology. Certainly, Nazi ideas and symbols are rejected by most Russians; Italian Fascist ideology seems also discredited. However, new post-war ultra-nationalist ideologies avoiding Nazi rhetoric, and posing under such headings as "ethnic pluralism," "Third Way," or "traditionalism" may still qualify to be categorized as varieties of fascism (understood as a generic concept). All of the above critique is, however, ultimately inconsequential, and in no way questions the significance of Rossman's contribution.
The one serious remark to be made concerns the publishers editorial work: There are dozens of misprints (especially in the endnotes), and an embarrassing succession of two versions of the same paragraph in the conclusions (p. 283).
Otherwise, however, this is an informative summary and critique of the most relevant anti-Semitic ideologies in Russia today, and excellent introduction to the subject. One hopes that it finds a wide readership not only among students of antisemitism and the history of ideas, but also among experts on international right-wing extremism and contemporary Russian politics and society.