Russian Philosophical and Cultural Studies at the University: Concept and Model of Institutionalization

Abstract

The article presents the author’s concept of institutionalization of Russian philosophical and cultural research at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE). The peculiarities of its creation and implementation are set by the direction of development, which characterizes the process of transformation of Russian universities into world-class project-research universities. The Institute is an innovative interdisciplinary project, which comprehensively carries out both fundamental research, expert-analytical, project-educational work, and educational activities in the broad subject area of Russian humanities research. This article introduces the scientific community to the main goals and objectives of a large institutional project in the field of research on the intellectual history of Russia, modern Russian studies, philosophy of Russian history and culture, philosophy of Russian literature and art, as well as the forms and directions of work and thematic content of the planned research center. In the medium term, the projected Institute is positioned as a scientific and expert-analytical platform, forming actual knowledge about Russia and influencing the intellectual process in Russia and abroad. It acts as a significant link in the scientific and educational ecosystem of a modern university, an example of which is the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The planned theoretical result, on the one hand, is the development of new methodological approaches in the study of spiritual, cultural and intellectual heritage of Russia, on the other hand – the enrichment of the tools of philosophy and cultural studies in their interaction with the methodology of other humanities. Justifying the practical significance of the project, the author believes that such an organizational model allows combining the academic level of research in the cultural history of Russia and the history of thought with the analysis and expertise of current socio-cultural processes and value transformations taking place in Russian society.