The Dialogue of “War” and “Peace” in Russian Culture

Abstract

The article is devoted to the cultural semantics and historical dynamics of the most important concepts of Russian culture related to war and peace (peace, world and war — literally and fi guratively). These concepts, entering into a dialogue with each other, converge and blur, unite and separate. As a result, intermediate concepts arise: “peace/war”, post-war, post-peace, characterized by ambiguity, syncretism and semantic uncertainty. All these unconventional concepts are a kind of simulacra of historical transformations in the understanding of modern war and peace. They find their embodiment in the texts of artistic culture and their critical interpretations.