Authors

Ksenia Butuzova¹;  ¹ Oxford University, UK

Discussion

The origins of Russian rebuses lie in the gradual process of cultural transfer from France. Through the early stages of this process, the first rebus-makers attempted to ‘nationalise’ the rebus, presenting it to readers as an element of Russian folk culture. Rebuses reached the height of their popularity in the middle of the 19th century when mass media became a tool for the circulation of both spiritualist ideas, and rebuses in Russian culture. Through the work of the first Russian spiritualist journal ‘Rebus’ picture riddles became an instrument of public education and, simultaneously, a means of promoting the specific political views of the Russian spiritualist movement. The paper will cover the process of cultural adaptation of rebuses among the other genres of newly developed popular culture and among other projects of the first Russian spiritualist movement. The analysis of the functions rebuses gained during the second half of the 19th century allows us to reveal the connection between the views of Russian spiritualists and the political projects of the second wave of Slavophilism and thus demonstrates a paradoxical ideological genealogy, which becomes evident only on the basis of visual culture.