Alexandre Kojve and the Specters of Russian Philosophy

Recounts Kojves key role in the pivotal exchange of ideas between Eastern and Western European intellectuals in the early twentieth century This book shines critical new light on the story of Alexandre Kojves intellectual origins and his role in the emigration of Russian philosophy into the West in the early twentieth century. Trevor Wilson illustrates how Kojve, at once adversarial to the insular communities of migr philosophy and yet dependent on their networks and ideas for professional success, navigated the specters of the Russian tradition in pursuit of an autonomous self-definition as a philosopher and intellectual. Alexandre Kojve and the Specters of Russian Philosophy analyzes the philosophers complicated relationship to the interwar diaspora and the complex role played by the Russian tradition in his intellectual formation. Wilson examines Kojves early writings in the migr press on Russian religious philosophy, Soviet politics, and Eurasianism and argues for their enduring relevance for understanding Kojve in his mature period. Crucially, he contextualizes Kojves famed seminars on Hegel and examines how Kojves thought became embedded in the politics of the Cold War. Based on newly transcribed and translated archival material, he highlights a previously unacknowledged, transnational exchange of ideas between Eastern and Western European intellectuals and shows how it played a pivotal role in twentieth-century intellectual historyand its legacy in the twenty-first.