Alexander N. Aksakov and the domestication of 'scientific spiritualism' in Imperial Russia, 1865-1875.

Abstract

Over the past decades scholars have traced the intersections between science and spiritualism during the second half of the nineteenth century in a variety of locales around the world. This essay examines such intersections in one setting that has largely eluded their attention, Imperial Russia. It investigates the pivotal role played by Alexander N. Aksakov (1832-1903) in developing a scientific approach to 'mediumistic phenomena'. It follows Aksakov's personal journey from Swedenborgian mysticism to 'scientific spiritualism' by tracing his extensive network of contacts with like-minded individuals around the world. It details Aksakov's labours in forging close links between spiritualism and science from 1865 to 1875 and in fostering lively discussions - in Russia, Britain, France, and Germany - on the intersections of these two elements of contemporary cultures. By analysing his translating and publishing activities in multiple languages, up to the founding in 1874 of Psychische Studien, the first journal dedicated to scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena, it explores Aksakov's role in both 'domesticating' spiritualism in his homeland and 'internationalizing' Russian contributions to its development on the world stage. It argues that the particularities of social and cultural landscape in post-Crimean Russia both facilitated and hampered Aksakov's efforts to educate the Russian public and Russian scientists about 'scientific spiritualism', shaping their forms, locales, and outcomes.