What does it mean to be a Slav in today’s world? The problem of modern Slavic identity

Abstract

The article deals with the question of Slavic identity in the modern globalizing world. The fact that intercultural communication as well as the influence of cultures on each other have increased causes competition and even leads to confrontation between cultures. The article raises the question of how we could sustain the cultural identity taking into consideration that cultures are intensively developing and exceeding their national bounds. The adaptation capabilities of the Slavic culture are proved by the diversity of languages, religions, political institutes, by the ability of the Slavs to create various systems of state (from large empires to small mono-ethnic countries). The article describes the “cultural archetypes” of the Slavs: the priority of emotional attitude to the world and man (philosophy of heart); immediacy behaviour; “the spirit of sobornost” (conciliarity) which opposes to hypertrophied subjectivism and individualism; mystical, contemplative attitude to the world and pantheistic perception of nature and space; maintaining a balance between nature and material civilization; romanticism which contrasts with the Western pragmatism. The foundations of the Slavic cultural community are facing inexorable pressure in the modern world, which leads to their destruction. The preservation of the Slavic “cultural archetypes” can make the modern world more humane, trusted and solidary. The author assesses the contribution of the Slavs to the world culture, in particular to philosophy, because it is in philosophy where national values which can have universal significance are most fully expressed.