Russian Cosmism: Boris Groys Curates MIT Press Volume

A new collection of essays on Russian Cosmism, edited by Boris Groys and published by The MIT Press and e-flux, has emerged as a key reference in international cultural debate. The volume examines the early 20th-century movement founded by Nikolai Fedorov, centered on the concept of a 'common task'—a project of human immortality achieved through technology, including the resurrection of all ancestors and the colonization of the cosmos. Groys frames Cosmism as a biopolitical idea that harnesses technology as a public, non-consumptive force. The book distinguishes Russian Cosmism from contemporary techno-utopianism in Silicon Valley, noting its spiritual and egalitarian ethos rooted in post-revolutionary socialist ideals. The movement was suppressed in the early 1930s under Stalin, with many of its proponents imprisoned or executed. The publication aims to illuminate the deep motivations behind today's techno-futurist trends.