The Crossroads of Thought. Commemorating Alexander A. Zimin
https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2021-1-139-155
Abstract
The article is a kind of analytical reminiscence concerning Alexander A. Zimin, an outstanding historian whose sphere of research was medieval Rus’.
The paper combines the elements of personal reminiscences with some features of historiographic narration concerning Zimin’s analysis of the Russian 15th century feudal wars in its contrast with official Soviet historical thinking during Zimin’s life.
It deals with Zimin’s understanding of the relatively short period of Russian 15 th century feudal wars as one of the crucial periods of the civilizational as well as social, civil and cultural history of this country.
The author tries to reconstruct one of his last conversations with Alexander Zimin (summer 1978). According to prof. Zimin, the complicated collision of the two Russian socio-cultural archetypes – “landowners” and “peasants” – is one of the focal issues of Russian history as a whole.
The paper pays special attention to A.A. Zimin’s half-hidden interpretation of the whole story of the Russian intelligentsia from the Pre-Petrine as well as Post-Petrine times up till now.
About the Author
E. B. Rashkovskii
National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations named after Eu.M. Primakov of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Eugene B. Rashkovskii, Dr. of Sci. (History)
bld. 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, Russia, 117997
References
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Review
For citations:
Rashkovskii E.B. The Crossroads of Thought. Commemorating Alexander A. Zimin. History and Archives. 2021;(1):139-155. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2021-1-139-155
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