The Bakhtin circle: In the master's absence

The Russian philosopher and cultural theorist Mikhail Bakhtin has traditionally been seen as the leading figure in the group of intellectuals known as the Bakhtin Circle. The writings of other members of the Circle, when not attributed to Bakhtin himself, are considered much less important than his work. However, Bakhtin's achievement has been exaggerated in proportion to the downgrading of the thinkers with whom he associated in the 1920s. This volume, which includes new translations and studies of the work of the most important members of the Bakhtin Circle, sets out to correct the distortions in the established representations of its activity. The original contributions to literary and linguistic theory made by Valentin Voloshinov and Pavel Medvedev (but frequently credited to Bakhtin) are assessed, and the distinctiveness of their approaches is highlighted. The works and careers of less well-known members of the Circle, such as Lev Pumpianskii, Matvei Kagan, Ivan Kanaev and Ivan Sollertinskii, are also introduced.The Bakhtin Circle emerges from this reconsideration not as a set of followers or disciplines of one central figure, but as a dynamic confederation of independent thinkers. The volume contains contributions by some of the leading scholars in the field of Bakhtin studies. It also makes available translations of key works by Voloshinov, Medvedev, Kagan and Pumpianskii. It should be a valuable point of reference for anyone interested in the trajectories of Russian thought and in the development of cultural theory in the 20th century.

Re-introducing the Bakhtin Circle – David Shepherd
Part One: About the Bakhtin Circle
1. The scholarly legacy of Pavel Medvedev in the light of his dialogue with Bakhtin – Iurii Medvedev and Dar'ia Medvedeva
2. Seeking a 'third way' for Soviet aesthetics: Eurasianism, Marxism, Formalism – Galin Tihanov
3. The Bakhtin Circle and problems in linguistics – Vladimir Alpatov
4. Voloshinov's dilemma: On the philosophical roots of the dialogic theory of the utterance – Craig Brandist
5. Lev Pumpianskii and the Nevel School of philosophy – Nikolai Nikolaev
6. Kanaev, vitalism and the Bakhtin Circle – Ben Taylor
7. Sollertinskii and dialogical symphonism – Pauline Fairclough
Part Two: Selected works by members of the Bakhtin Circle
8. Tolstoi's 'Diary' by P. N. Medvedev
9. Hermann Cohen (4 July 1842–4 April 1918) by M.I. Kagan
10. [On Marxism] by L.V. Pumpianskii
11. Archival materials (I. The problem of the transmission of alien discourse: An essay in sociolinguistic research; II. Report on work as a postgraduate student, 1927/28: Plan and some guiding thoughts for the work 'Marxism and the Philosophy of Language') by V. N. Voloshinov
Appendix – The Bakhtin Circle: A timeline

Craig Brandist is Senior Lecturer in the Bakhtin Centre and Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies at the University of Sheffield. David Shepherd is Professor of Russian in the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies, and founder and Director of the Bakhtin Centre, at the University of Sheffield. Galin Tihanov is Professor of Comparative Literature in the Department of European Languages and Cultures at Lancaster University