Reminiscences about James Scanlan

Abstract

Recollections here published are dedicated to posthumous tribute memory of James Scanlan, an American historian of Russian philosophy who became famous for his writing on the philosophical views of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky as well as for masterful English translations of the works of Russian philosophers. Scanlan also wrote extensively on the history of Marxism in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Among Scanlans accomplishments a multi-volume anthology of Russian Philosophy he co-authored with James Edie, Mary-Barbara Zeldin and George Kline deserves special mention. It still remains an indispensable reference work in university courses throughout America. Scanlan had been among the pioneers of what came to be known as 'philosophical Sovietology'. Authors of the essays composing this section explore Scanlan's biography and the evolution of his scholarship in connection with the events of his life. A special place is given to personal impressions from meeting Scanlan, the memories of witnessing his reaction to historical developments, in particular to the changes that occurred in Russia in 1990s.