FYS 19 Philosophy and Film: Between Moscow and Berlin
We will discuss a perspective on Eastern Europe known as “demi-Orientalism,” and consider the effects of imperialism on Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish, Lithuanian, Romani, and other inhabitants of Eastern Europe. What paths of escape have been devised by the multiplicitous and heterogeneous peoples of Eastern Europe? What ways to resist not one, but two colonial powers have they found? We will consider these questions in light of three fascinating topics: the pagan beliefs of Eastern Slavs, the creative, but also destructive power of words, and the transformative role of laughter. We will discuss the texts of Arendt, Bakhtin, Chaadaev, Gogol, Mamardashvili, Snyder, and other philosophers, historians, and writers, and watch the films of Eisenstein, Paradjanov, and Kusturica to determine what new ways of being can be found in the ambiguous lands of Eastern Europe. Open only to first year frosh.