About the Group
The project aims to explore the intersections of scientific and esoteric knowledge in the intellectual culture of Russian and European modernism, to provide a commentary on several famous literary texts, and to compile a bibliography of relevant sources that could be used by Russian readers at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The main focus of our work is the study of the cultural history of astronomy and popular cosmological ideas. Observation of stars, comets, and eclipses through domestic telescopes, visits to observatories and attendance of public astronomical lectures, discussions of modern scientific and esoteric literature on the origin and structure of the universe, widespread interest in astrology and its history — all of this was an essential part of the intellectual milieu of the period, which has not yet received proper scholarly attention. The anti-Copernican sentiments that proliferated in the second half of the nineteenth century and the concomitant critique of modern cosmology is the key problem to which the collective publications of the group members are devoted.
Ksenia Butuzova’s Talk at the Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»
On December 19, the last session of the research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» took place. Ksenia Butuzova (European University at Saint Petersburg) gave an invited talk titled «Spiritualist Rebuses as an Instrument of Enlightenment».
.png "Liia Ermakova’s Report at the Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»")
Liia Ermakova’s Report at the Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»
On November 14, another session of the regular research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» took place. Liia Ermakova made a presentation titled «“The Uncreated Firmament”: Vyacheslav Ivanov and Sergius Bulgakov».
Svetlana Demidova’s Report at the Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»
On November 14, during the regular research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» Svetlana Demidova has presented a report titled «“Exacte Versuche im Bereich der Kunst”: The Theory of Art and Science in Klee’s texts».
.jpg "Group Members Discussed Texts by Carlo Ginzburg, Robert Merton, and Elinor Barber")
Group Members Discussed Texts by Carlo Ginzburg, Robert Merton, and Elinor Barber
On October 26 another research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» was held.
Varvara Kukushkina’s Report at the Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»
On September 28, the regular research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» took place. Varvara Kukushkina presented a report titled «Art and Physiognomy in the Texts of I. A. Sikorski».
Svetlana Demidova’s Report at the IX student conference NRU HSE «Text—Commentary—Interpretation»
On September 25-26, the IX Student Conference of the National Research University Higher School of Economics «Text—Commentary—Interpretation» was held. On September 26, Svetlana Demidova presented a paper «Astrology and the New Music: Contexts of the Word “Konstellation” in Chapter XXII of “Doctor Faustus”» as part of the «20th Century Prose and Poetry» section.
Pavel Yushin’s Talk at the 9th ESHS Conference
On August 31-September 3, the 9th ESHS Conference: Visual, Material and Sensory Cultures of Science took place. As part of the panel «Popular Representation / Misrepresentation of Modern Physical Theories», which was held on September 1, Pavel Yushin presented a paper «Inverted Space-Time in Pavel Florensky's Scientific Imagination: A Commentary on the Cover of the Journal “Makovets” (№3, 1923)».
.jpg "Group Members Discussed A Synopsis of Pavel Yushin’s Research Project")
Group Members Discussed A Synopsis of Pavel Yushin’s Research Project
On May 28, another session of the research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism» was held, in the course of which participants discussed the synopsis of Pavel Yushin's research project entitled «The Idea of the Fall of Man in Pavel Florensky's Scientific Imagination». The discussion took place on the Skype platform.
The Research Group Continues Its Work: Another Session of the Regular Seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism»
On May 8, as a part of the regular research seminar «Magic, Astrology, and Science in Russian Modernism», Svetlana Demidova delivered a presentation «On the Contexts of the Word “Konstellation” in chapter XXII of “Doctor Faustus”». The seminar was organized in an online form on the platform Skype.
Pavel Yushin's Report at the Seminar of the Center for the History of Ideas and Sociology of Knowledge
On February 7, Pavel Yushin presented a paper «On One Source of Pavel Florensky's Scientific Imagination: A Commentary on “Imaginaries in Geometry”» at the research seminar of the Center for the History of Ideas and Sociology of Knowledge (IGITI).