Intellectuals and Power in Russian Culture: The History of the "Escape" from the State

The article examines how the idea of distancing from the state has been revealed in various texts of Russian culture. Due to a number of circumstances, Russian culture has always been under strong pressure from the state apparatus throughout historical processes, which is why creativity served as an opportunity for intellectuals to remain alone with themselves and their conscience. The object of the study is intellectual freedom in the history of Russia. The subject of the research is the practices of minimizing contacts with the state, with Russian and Soviet intellectuals as the subjects. Power has always sought to achieve the loyalty of intellectuals and attract them to its side, making them loyal and useful for itself. The authors of this article pay special attention to how the legitimacy of power was established through forms of culture, the production of which was precisely a function of creative individuals. The authors used a historical method that allowed the conceptualization of the problem of the "flight" of the intellectual to the periphery of the state. Such an exit testified to different views on political governance and civilizational prospects of the state. The autobiographical method allowed for the description of personal stories of intellectual "flight" of prominent Russian and Soviet intellectuals. This method involved turning to diaries, letters, and other ego-documents. The dialogue between power and intellectuals was not always compromise-oriented. Many cultural figures were reluctant to collaborate with the authorities. The "escape" from the state took various forms, methods, and means, sometimes exotic. The authors show how the forgotten Russian province was permeated with intellectual energy. The scientific novelty is revealed through the conceptualization of notions such as "ketman," "seclusion," "internal emigration," and "garage economy," which are ways of distancing oneself from the state in Russian culture. The practices of escaping from the state are explained in the images of heroes of Russian culture, who are typically positioned as "shut-in" individuals. The authors illustrate this with the examples of Chekhov’s "case-bound" people and Dostoevsky’s "underground" individuals. The practices of "escaping" from the state in the case of Russia are historically conditioned. The authors note their timeless nature. Historically, the Russian intellectual has not found himself alone in the context of the challenges to his own freedom. In one way or another, similar issues could also be relevant for his foreign counterparts.