The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: Seeking Meaning at the Soviet Collapse, with Joseph Kellner
Nov 6, 2025
Joseph Kellner, an assistant professor of history at the University of Georgia, explores the chaotic quest for meaning during the Soviet collapse. He dives into the diverse spiritual movements that emerged, including astrologers and Hare Krishnas, as people grappled with identity and authority. Kellner discusses how these eclectic searches gave way to Putinism, reshaping Russia’s historical narrative. He even draws parallels between the past and today's political movements, pondering whether modern technology could reignite similar crises of belief.
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Collapse Fueled A Frenetic Search For Meaning
- The Soviet collapse triggered a mass, public search for new meaning as people lost familiar anchors of past and future.
- Severe material and moral crises created deep disorientation that drove the seeking phenomenon.
Berkeley Talk Sparked The Research
- Joseph Kellner traced his interest to a Berkeley talk where a charismatic Revolutionary Communist Party speaker captivated a crowd.
- That moment convinced him belief and political sect-like dynamics deserved historical study.
Four Currents Defined The Seeking Phenomenon
- The seekers formed an eclectic, esoteric public culture blending science, faith, and alternative histories.
- Kellner studies four currents: astrology, Hare Krishnas, apocalyptic sects, and New Chronology.
