Beyond The Limits: The Concept Of Space In Russian History And Cultur

From the conquests of Ivan the Terrible to the adventures of Sputnik and Gagarin, Space has been of central importance to Russian rulers, intellectuals and citizens alike. Russia's physical location and sheer size have contributed immeasurably to her unique history and national character. The state's need to control physical space has spilled over into the personal sphere, leading to peculiar approaches to the organization of work and domestic living space and a blurring of the distinctions between public and private space. Although Russian intellectuals have always recognized the centrality of Space to the Russian experience, until recently the concept of Space has received little attention in academic studies of Russia. This volume highlights and explores the relevance of Space to our understanding of Russia from a variety of different perspectives, historical, philosophical, cultural and sociological.