The paradigmatic conflict of understanding Russia new time

Objective of the study – is to analyze domestic and foreign socio–humanitarian thought regarding the understanding of Russia and its further civilizational development. The methodological basis of the research: the theory of civilizations by N. Y. Danilevsky, the paradigm of studying Russia in the works of N. Y. Danilevsky, K. N. Leontiev, N. N. Strakhov. Research results. The article examines two types of understanding of Russia in Modern times – pro-Western and pro-Russian. The situation of their confrontation became obvious in the dispute about Russia between A. S. Pushkin and P. Ya. Chaadaev. Later, their conflict manifested itself in different paradigms of studying Russia/USSR/RF in the humanities. Liberals and Marxists saw in Russia only its backwardness and the inevitability of a repetition of Western development. These ideas have been implemented in Russian reforms during the last 3 centuries. The authors of the article focus on the conservative-pro-Russian paradigm of understanding Russia, which was created by N. Ya. Danilevsky and his followers developed on the basis of the theory of civilizations. But the authorities, the upper strata ignored their ideas. It was only in the late 90s of the twentieth century that mass interest in the conservative thought of the empire, traditional religions, folk life, etc. began to grow intensively in the Russian Federation. The task is to prevent a new paradigm split in the understanding of the fatherland in society and in science of the Russian Federation. Prospects of the study are connected with the development of N. Y. Danilevsky's civilizational theory in Russian humanities, intellectual opposition to the new paradigmatic split in the understanding of Russia and its further development path.