Studies in Mysticism and Mystical Experience in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

The paper examines how Soviet and Post-Soviet religious studies understood mysticism. Because the term 'mystical' was vague, Soviet scholars defined it as belief in communication with supernatural powers. They viewed mysticism as a multicomponent entity comprising mystical experiences, mystical beliefs, and mysticism as a false ideology. This framework arose from the epistemological assumptions of dialectical materialism, where mystical experiences and beliefs were seen as distorted reflections of objective reality in the human mind, shaped by individual and social factors. This perspective continues to influence academic interpretations of the mystical in Russia today.

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Abstract

The paper highlights the key perspectives on mysticism typical for Soviet and Post-Soviet religious studies. Recognizing the vagueness of the ‘mystical’, Soviet scholars interpreted it as a belief in ‘communication’ with ‘supernatural powers’. Furthermore, ‘mysticism’ was thought of as a multicomponent entity composed of (1) mystical experiences, (2) mystical beliefs, and (3) ‘mysticism’ as a ‘false ideology’. Such an understanding resulted from their epistemological settings, i.e. the reflection theory of dialectical materialism. In this light, mystical experiences and beliefs were distorted ‘reflections’ of objective reality in the human mind caused by factors both of an individual and a social nature. This understanding still defines the academic interpretations of the ‘mystical’ in Russia today.