The image and reality of Russia in the civilizational geopolitics by V.L. Tsymbursky

Abstract

The article deals with Vadim L. Tsymbursky's criticism of geopolitics as a field of knowledge, analyzes his attempt to justify a model of civilizational geopolitics which would take into account geographical, historical, and dynamical peculiarities of the development of Russian civilization as an open system. Tsymbursky's views are systematized and analyzed through the articulation of such concepts as matter (the totality of ethnic groups and territory), form (spirituality and sociality), movement and purpose of civilization. From his point of view, Russia is a geopolitical embodiment of civilization, small and rather late, with the Russian populational core, and the pattern "island of Russia" emphasizes the integrity, complexity and systematic nature of the reflected historical and geographic reality as a unity of matter and form. It is shown that Tsymbursky describes the double oscillating movements of civilization matter in the system "Europe–Russia", explaining the inclusion of Russia in the long military cycles and in the cycles of high cultures. According to Tsymbursky, civilization is a vertical and hierarchically organized entity. He claims that the purpose of civilization is to be the Basic Humanity on the Basic Earth. The interaction of Russia as an open changing system with a dynamic external environment, or with the changing Great Limitrophe, allows him to reach the level of the system "Russia–Eurasia". Tsymbursky believes that civilization paradigm should include a special kind of cultural studies and be a scientific research program. It is concluded that the model of Russia-civilization proposed by Tsymbursky is of great theoretical importance, since it corresponds to the historical and cultural reality, performs explanatory and prognostic functions.