Teodor Shanin: “Let’s stand on the Side of the Light against the Forces of Darkness”!

Abstract

The conversation between Boris Doktorov and Alexander Nikulin is devoted to the discussion of the intelligent and existential heritage of the British and Russian sociologist Teodor Shanin (10.29.1930 – 02.04.2020), who passed away this year on the eve of his 90th birthday. Particular attention in the conversation is paid to the ethical basis of Shanin’s intellectual and social activities. On examples from the biography of Teodor Shanin, from childhood memories spent in Stalin’s Siberian exile, to Shanin speeches at the symposium “Where is Russia Going” of the post-Soviet period, the most important milestones of the sociopolitical development of Russia are reconstructed, connected by the theme of the people, intelligentsia and power. A kind of ethical paradox in Shanin’s worldview and actions is emphasized, on the one hand, being guided by the principles of ethical relativism, on the other hand, who always insisted on an uncompromising and activist choice of a person in favor of good in the fight against the forces of evil. In conclusion, the ways of further study and development of Teodor Shanin’s heritage are discussed.

Keywords

• teodor shanin
• russia
• ethics
• peasantry
• intelligentsia
• power
• agrarian sociology
• alternatives to history