Diversity of learning psychoanalysis and analytical psychology

As the subject of this Conference is 'Diversity and its Limits: New Directions in Analytical Psychology and Psychoanalysis', I would like to investigate some aspects of education at our Institute--the East European Institute of Psychoanalysis--from the point of view of the meeting of West and East. I will look at the influence of this diversity on the formation and development of psychoanalysis and analytical psychology in Russia.     

Political Economy of Conflict and Conflict Resolution Between Islam,the Arab World,and the West

The problem studied in respect to politico-economic turmoil in an uneasy world centers around conflicts in the Arab world and between Islam and the West. In this respect, the Arab political economy is deeply embroiled in a quagmire of complex factors that have deepened and are confounded by Western political, strategic, and economic interests in the region. To study the topic of the politico-economic future of the Arab world is to delve into the study of complex factors. The present scenario of war, dissensions, power conflict, and Western belligerence with elitist self interest in the region is an example of a more permanent representation of the complexity of power, Western belligerence, regional interests, and religious conflicts. With respect to the political economy of conflict and conflict resolution concerning the West there is the uneasy alliance that has been unjustifiably established between the Arab world and the West. The conflict in this case rages around the spectre of political power and governance within which the cultural, religious, and economic forces tie in to generate the global political economic disorder. Conflict resolution in this arena requires an understanding based on acceptance of epistemological perspectives that wrap up the diverse oppositional factors into a discursive and consensual learning global social contract. This article studies this case of Arab political economy as a study of conflict and conflict resolution between contending forces and reconstructive politico-economic possibilities between the Arab world and the West and between Islam, the Arab world, and Occidentalism.     

Marx and Russia

I present the scope andcharacteristics of Marx's interest in Russiaand review its evolution. Initially, Marx'sattitudes were marked by russophobia,pronounced anti-panslavism, assessments ofRussia as an outpost of European reaction andcounterrevolution, and even as the head of aconspiracy to block the world revolution. Withtime, however, Marx came to consider Russia asthe country in which the outbreak of theRevolution was most likely. In his research forsucessive volumes of Capital, he readRussian theoretical works by, among others, V.Bervi-Flerovskij and A. Koshelev. Marx'sattitudes to the anticipated peasant revolutionin Russia remained ambivalent; to a certaindegree he feared its occurrence suspecting thatit could take on an `asiatic' hue.     

Hooked on a Feeling: Russia's Annexation of Crimea Through the Lens of Emotion

This article tests the plausibility of an affect-centered framework for foreign policy analysis, using the 2014 annexation of Crimea as an illustrative case. It identifies questions left open by prevailing accounts based on international relations theory and shows how a supplementary conceptual lens can improve existing explanations. The affective perspective suggests that the Russian president deemed intervention in Ukraine without alternative. Otherwise, Russia would have surrendered any claim to relevance in European security. More saliently, the ouster of Yanukovych, as a possible precedent for Russia, frightened Putin and increased his resolve to take action. Also, contrary to the interpretation of the annexation as an improvised reaction to a political crisis, evidence suggests that the Russian elite welcomed the opportunity to break free from uncomfortable partnership dynamics with the West.     

Religion,Politics and Ethics: Towards a Global Theory of Social Transformation

In this paper I set out a phenomenology of social transformation, based on an analysis of the distinctively religious form of communication which underlies the trans-generational and trans-cultural transmission of world traditions, taking Confucianism and Christianity as their representatives. A phenomenological analysis of their communicative structure allows the possibility of a better understanding of what can be learnt from them in the context of contemporary debates in both China and the West on the relations between religion, ethics and politics. This analysis suggests that the ethical consistency of belief and act, which is the necessary condition for the engendering of long-term solidarity in religious community, has significant implications for ethics in politics, and especially for the legitimacy of representational leadership as a focal point for change in society. The paper concludes that the historical experience of world religions can offer new insights into the nature of political leadership and representation in today’s globalised world and that the appropriate locus for this inquiry is the present negotiation and re-negotiation of relations between China and the West.     

Between certainty and uncertainty--observations on psychoanalysis in Russia

'Diversity', the theme of our conference, carries a subversive sub-text in totalitarian societies. This is one of the themes presented as the current revival of psychoanalysis in the more democratic post-Communist Russia is explored. The history of psychoanalysis in Russia is summarized with a focus on its politicization, which led to initial interest in its theory (by way of a misapprehension of its tenets), and then to ultimate suppression of psychoanalytic thinking as an ideology deemed antagonistic to the totalitarian regime. In contrast, features of psychoanalysis and democracy are explored for their mutual affinities. The background of the resourceful new generation of analytic therapists is discussed, especially in regard to their experience of the parallel meanings of the word 'repression' (political, psychological). There is a persistence of some traits in patients and practitioners alike that are referable to past repression, such as the newness of verbal treatments, the inhibition of psychological curiosity, the ambivalent lure of certainty, and the pressure of authoritarian introjects. It is noted that psychoanalysis has its own history of a posture opposed to pluralism and diversity, which deepens the dialogue on the mutual engagement between psychoanalysis and the vicissitudes of its history in Russian culture.     

世界哲学图景中的《善的研究》

《善的研究》是西田几多郎发表于1911年的作品。在这部作品中,西田以"纯粹经验"概念为出发点,构建了一个从认识论到存在论、再到道德和宗教的形而上学体系。这个体系在框架结构方面与西方哲学体系高度相似,但在内容上却保持着东方思想的底色,尤其体现在西田对其同时代西方哲学传统内部对主客二元分立思维方式的批判的共鸣,以及对现代性批判的认同之上,显现出了很强的本位文化意识。作为110余年前"西学东渐"进程中东西哲学碰撞和对话的产物,《善的研究》无论在过去还是今天都是一本值得称道的哲学著作。不过在今天东西方共同建设跨文化的世界哲学的目标之下,这本著作也暴露出了在不同哲学文化之间相互学习、相互补充环节上的不足。在西田"世界主义"观的启发之下,真正有意义的世界哲学当是在消除东西方哲学的对立并互相学习的前提下,在每一种哲学充分展现自身特征的基础上共同创造出的面向未来的新哲学。     

Philosophy in Post-Soviet Russia (1992--1997)

The author argues that the decline of philosophical thought and research in Russia is over. He describes the state of present-day philosophy in Russia, its background, and prospects for development citing concrete examples and little known facts.Any survey of the state of the philosophy in post-Communist Russia is a complicated task requiring accuracy and completness. Whether I succeed in this task remains to be seen, although I shall be content if I manage to present a clear picture. It will of course be subjective and reflect my interests and preferences, remaining in this sense quite incomplete. But I aim to present a concise survey, identifying the most important trends, personalities, and topics of discussion.I shall focus on changes with respect to the following issues: 1) the state of research in philosophy, in particular noticeable shifts in problematics, geography, and management; 2) philosophical education, i.e., noticeable development in problematics, approaches, geography, and management. Moreover, I shall examine the origin of these shifts and assess whether they are of a qualitative character.     

中西文化互释与世界根源性精神

东西方文明冲突与文化融合,既不是争夺话语权及同化的问题,也不是消融各自的特色,而是基于和谐在文化差异中分享与互尊。惟有正视这一点,中华文明的精神价值和思想资源才可能通过与西方经典的相互诠释来与西方文明沟通与交流,并追寻到当今世界根源性精神;进而发现一个为人类理性所能认同的共同的真理与价值标准。恰恰是通过对中西文化元典的比较研究,我们发现不同文化的冲突不可怕;它是进化的一个条件,但是你必须共同融合才能产生新的文明。     

Magic and science in the modern western tradition of the i ching

At various periods throughout the roughly two and a half millennia of its history in China, the I Ching or Book of Changes, while generally remaining grounded in a fundamentally spiritual world‐view, served as a foundational text for both magical and scientific thinking. This bivalence is reflected in some of the responses which this divinatory and philosophical system has received following its introduction to the West in the present century. The present paper looks at two such related, but contrasting responses, one emphasizing the more conspicuously magical dimension of the I Ching, the other emphasizing some of its suggested scientific implications. Both approaches take their primary inspiration from the psychological theories of C. G. Jung who was deeply engaged with the I Ching. It is suggested that part of the contemporary appeal of the I Ching in the West may derive from its serving as a symbol for the integration of scientific, magical, and spiritual thinking.     

Response to Filatov and Stepina on Lutheranism in Russia

I have been reading the book Religiya i obshchestvo: ocherki religioznoi zhizni sovremennoi Rossii recently published by Letny Sad. If my understanding is correct, the publication of this book was financed by Keston Institute and it claims to be an ‘Encyclopedia of religious life in Russia today’. Most of the chapters are by the editor of the book, the Moscow sociologist Sergei Filatov. I was particularly interested in the chapter ‘Katoliki i katolitsizm v Rossii’, having a longstanding concern with Catholic-Protestant relations, and also of course the chapter ‘Rossiiskoye lyuteranstvo’. For the last 25 years I have been closely involved in church life in Latvia and, through the will of Providence, with the regeneration of the Lutheran Church in Russia. Any information about Lutheranism, including scholarly work on the subject, is of course extremely important for me, especially when it deals not just with practical aspects of the revival of a traditional confession in the Russian Federation, but also with individual personalities and their involvement in bringing this revival about. The chapter ‘Rosiiskoye lyuteranstvo’ describes the complex process of the revival of Lutheranism in Russia, but also deals with the identity of Lutheranism in the difficult and troubled conditions in Russia today. It is true that there are three, five, perhaps more types of Lutheranism involved, including the Finno-Scandinavian type (supported by some of the American Lutherans), the very liberal West German type, and the ‘new Russian’ (‘novorossiiskoye’) Lutheranism (as I call it), which is asserting its independence both from narrow nationalism and from western superliberalism, while at the same time working out a new synthesis of the Reformation heritage in the difficult conditions in our country. Here I agree with the sociologists who wrote this chapter: for Russian Lutheranism to achieve theological independence it will need more trained theologians from amongst the Russian Lutherans themselves.     

In Search for the Many Faces of Community Resilience Among LGBT Individuals

Many countries (e.g., Egypt, Russia, and Uganda) have very draconian laws against LGBT individuals. Despite facing such adversity or hostility many LGBT individuals do strive and maintain their sense of self‐worth. How do they do it? The collection of papers in this special issue attempts to provide some answers to this question. I will attempt to analyze two overlapping issues in these papers, and how they might inform LGBT research using a resilience lens.     

The rise and fall of Hugo Münsterberg

This article addresses the turbulent life of the German-American philosopher and psychologist Hugo Miinsterberg in Germany and his role in founding the psychological laboratories at Freiburg and Harvard. He is best known for his contributions to forensic, industrial, and the “new” experimental psychology. Over a span of twenty years (1897–1916), Miinsterberg rose to become the leading psychologist in the US. When he turned his attention to cultural and political issues, particulary his efforts on behalf of a mutual understanding between Germany and America, he had a serious break with the Harvard administration and later, his colleagues. An advocate for world peace, his final years were marred by World War I which left him embittered and socially isolated. Judged harshly at the time, he is now receiving the recognition that posterity did not tender him.     

Tradition,morality and community: elaborating Orthodox identity in Putin’s Russia

This paper draws upon a number of official, semi-official and other public texts related to the current views of the Russian Church on social and political issues. Overall, in spite of a variety of opinions and nuances, a certain mainstream becomes apparent, as expressed through this body of texts. The most discussed topics include moral values related to the human body (such as abortion, euthanasia, reproductive technologies and sexuality) and issues such as blasphemy, juvenile courts and new technologies of personal registration for Russian citizens. ‘Traditional morality’ has become the signature discourse of the Russian Orthodox Church which is attempting to construct ‘tradition’ by drawing upon a partly imagined ethos of imperial Russia and the late Soviet Union. Traditional family values are central to the church’s rhetoric. The authors of these texts see a presumed decay of traditional values as the main danger that must be opposed. They usually trace the source of this danger directly to the contemporary West. By contrast, they see Russia as a protective shield against these global influences. Either consciously or involuntarily, they translate their religious language of traditional morality into a political rhetoric of solidarity and patriotism. Such ideological rhetoric has direct political implications and analogies in the agenda of Putin’s regime. This Russian appeal to ‘traditional values’, both religious and political, has recently acquired an extraordinary international relevance.     

From Theravada to tantra: the making of an American tantric Buddhism?

This paper examines recent innovations in the American vipassana or insight community, specifically a current I identify as ‘West Coast Vipassana’ that has revisioned the Theravadin Buddhist goal of liberation, from a transcendental condition that demands a renunciation of the world, to an ‘embodied enlightenment’ that affirms everyday householder life as a site for awakening. I draw on Jeffrey J. Kripal's tantric transmission thesis to advance an essentially tantric hermeneutic of West Coast Vipassana. I argue that while West Coast Vipassana is originally based in Theravada Buddhism, an Asian renouncer tradition that sharply differentiates between the immanent and transcendent, it has taken a markedly tantric turn in America. I also note, however, that it considerably differs from traditional Buddhist tantric traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism or esoteric Japanese Buddhism in being distinctively modern and American.     

Spiritual growth through care of the dying

One of the most difficult issues with which clergy must deal is that of theodicy, the reconciliation of a good God with evil in this world. The case of L.R. is that of a good thirty-nine-year-old man dying of cancer. This paper examines the role of the clergy in working with the dying patient, traditional responses to the questions of theodicy, and a proposal for an adequate contemporary solution to the issue of theodicy. One key factor in caring for the dying is the mutual spiritual growth of the dying patient and the clergy care giver.     

Buddhism in Russia: challenges and choices in the post-Soviet period

This paper considers the position of Buddhism in contemporary Russia, with a focus on the three national republics where Buddhism is historically practised: Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva. I provide a brief overview of the history of Buddhism in each of the three regions. Turning to the current situation, I then review religion–state and intrafaith relations within Russia’s Buddhist republics. Of particular interest are the politics surrounding the pastoral visits of the 14th Dalai Lama to Russia. Since his last visit in 2004, the Russian government has consistently denied solicitations for visas for the Dalai Lama. I draw on interviews and focus groups conducted in Kalmykia and surveys from both Kalmykia and Buryatia to underscore the importance of such a visit both to Buddhists in these republics and to the larger Buddhist community in the Russian Federation. The paper concludes by reiterating the Dalai Lama’s opinion that Russia and Russia’s Buddhists will play a pivotal role in the development and preservation of Buddhism as a religious tradition.     

“Putin,You Suck”: Affective Sticking Points in the Czech Narrative on “Russian Hybrid Warfare”

Using the case of the Czech narrative on “Russian hybrid warfare” (RHW), this article contributes to the broader question of why narratives succeed. Building on Lacanian psychoanalysis, narrative scholarship, and affect/emotions research in International Relations, we suggest that narrative success is facilitated also by two interrelated factors: embedding in broader cultural contexts and the ability to incorporate and reproduce collectively circulating affects. We develop a methodological framework for encircling unobservable affects within discourse via “sticking points”—linguistic phenomena infused with affective investment. We outline three categories of sticking points—valued signifiers, fantasies, and biographical narratives. Utilizing the approach in our case study, we focus on a narrative based around the notion that Russia waged a “hybrid war” against “the West” and that this should be faced with quasi‐military measures, which was successful in changing the language of Czech national security. We show that this narrative incorporated a range of sticking points, which contributed to its relative success. It utilized valued signifiers, such as “the West,” “the Kremlin,” “agents,” and “occupation,” weaved them together into a fantasy of a threat to the nation's “Western” identity, and intertwined this with the biographical narratives of history as a lens for world politics and East/West geopolitics.     

A response to the proposed ELCA inter‐religious policy statement

In this solicited essay, an undergraduate Interfaith Scholar and Interfaith Studies minor at Concordia College responds to the ELCA proposed interreligious policy statement. In this essay, I will contend that the policy statement beautifully articulates our Lutheran commitment to accompany our neighbors by envisioning a world in which God celebrates all forms of diversity. Moreover, by framing our vocation in the context of relational theology, the document lays the groundwork for mutual understanding that prioritizes service to the neighbor over proselytization.