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Article Summaries
Stuart A. Umpleby Reforming socialist societies requires changes in values and beliefs in addition to institutions and skills. However, changes in values should be brought about in a democratic fashion through conversation and the comparison of perceptions. A few quite simple methods exist for comparing conceptual systems and thereby focusing discussion on the cultural foundations of economic institutions. Once a cultural system is clearly defined, more sophisticated methods can be used to provide additional understanding. Devising appropriate actions to take as a result of these conversations is left to the individuals in these societies to decide. Russian Religious Philosophy As the Basis for State Identity Olga Chistyakova For many centuries the Russian state existed in close relationship with the Russian Orthodox church and based on its values. Those values were accepted by the vast majority of the population and became not only religious values, but dominated all spheres of social life. Christianity developed the main conceptions of man, community and state that can be used for maintaining a cultural dialogue with representatives of various religions, ethnic and social groups. Identity of a contemporary state should be maintained with the help of such dialogue. The basis for this identity should be defined as an cultural and ethic paradigm reflecting the historical experience, traditions and, at the same time, realities of modern peoples and nationalities. Contours of Regional Identity: Testing Constructivism on Kaliningrad’s Ground Andrey S. Makarychev There is a need for integrated research combining both domestic issues such as elections, changes in the elite, and relations with the federal center, and international such as discussing its roles in European and/or Baltic Sea integration, and dimensions of Kaliningrad Oblast regionalism. The region is a good case study for tracing different paradigms of regionalism, each one having its own conceptual underpinnings. The author reconstructs and depicts a specific understanding of regionalism in Kaliningrad as seen from an identity perspective and explains the identity issue as related to the region through the lens of the region’s domestic politics, thus bridging the gap between domestic and international developments. According to constructivist conceptions, Kaliningrad could have been treated as one of the regions prone to incorporation into neighboring surroundings. The mission of the Kaliningrad Oblast, might be to prevent “the wall-like borders between the ‘ins’ and the ‘outs’ through the Schengen system” from being established. Such issues as regional identity, and even regional security, are socially and politically constructed phenomena in this area. By participating in international region-building projects, the Kaliningrad Oblast might contribute to elevating regionality into a core principle of constructing political space in this part of Europe. Kaliningrad Oblast was an artificial territorial unit, a Soviet trophy of the Second World War. It has to break away its historical and cultural affiliations due to geopolitical and security considerations. Kaliningrad Oblast’s initial purpose – the military outpost of the Soviet Union – has lost its former relevance. The Changing Dynamics of Language and Ethnic Identity Link by Russian Minorities: The Buryat Case Study Erjen Khilkhanova and Dorji Khilkhanov The upsurge of ethnic identity, emerging in the late 1960s, resulted in the ability of many minority movements to maintain their ethnic identities in close connection with the revitalization of minority languages. This maintenance of ethnic identity by a minority group and other ethnic identity patterns in relation to language can be identified from the perspective of a rarely discussed minority group – the Buryats. This paper found that within the Buryat minority group, the assimilation strategy that was widespread during the Soviet period has been replaced by a combination of integration strategies (economic assimilation, linguistic integration, and marital separation). The language for Buryats has more symbolic, unifying value and its abandonment does not affect the ethnic identity itself. The Buryat case shows that ethnic identity, in fact, can survive the loss of the indigenous group language. The language has been sacrificed to all of the historical challenges and pressures of the last two centuries. This ethnic identity pattern was probably the only possible way to survive and preserve the identity of the Buryat ethnic group. Criteria of Ethnic Self-identification Among Young Russian Germans Evelina Barbashina The future of the Russian Germans as a national entity depends on the possibility of solving the question of their identity. It was seriously endangered after the forced deportation from their traditional territories in Povolzhie, Ukraine and the Caucasus. The process of their assimilation was initiated by the limitation of their civic and human rights, i.e. the right to education, and freedom of religious, professional and political activities. It resulted in the reduction of communicative functions of their native language, loss of traditions, transformation of family relations, the break up of generational links. Research shows that young Russian Germans face serious challenges when assimilating into German culture and acquiring German language. Creating the necessary conditions for building up their national identity could seriously improve the socio-ethnic situation among Russian Germans. Moldavians: Myths and Reality (A Search for the Post-soviet Identity in the Republic of Moldova) Oleg Galushenko The unique characteristic of Moldova as an independent state is that its state language is Romanian. This leads to the debate of whether the population of the country is Moldavian or Romanian. Research reflected in this article showed that the people of Moldavia have sufficient historic and cultural background to be considered an independent from any of its neighboring entities. Moldova does not have any inner identity conflicts that could not be solved in a democratic, peaceful way. Development of Moldavian identity should unite efforts of politicians, writers, educators and other citizens. National Identity in Soviet/Post-Soviet Georgian Poetry Bela Tsipuria National identity as a cultural norm was not oriented toward the political system, but toward the nation. As Georgia did not exist as a state under the Soviet regime, it could confirm its existence only through culture. Georgian national identity was strongly manifested in culture and in the preservation of the Georgian language. Serious changes in post-Soviet Georgian poetry have occurred, but they were associated with the self-identification of young poets (Dato Barbakadze, Davit Chikhladze, Zviad Ratiani). Georgia has attained state independence, but political and economic challenges have made it difficult for the independent state to protect its society and culture. In post-Soviet times, the concept of national identity needs to be reinforced not only by individuals and culture, but also now by the state. Seeing Ukraine Through Others’ Eyes: Cognitive Approach to National Identity Studies Natalia Chaban The dissolution of the Soviet Union triggered a reshaping of the political space and a reforging of collective identities within the boundaries of the new successor states. For centuries Ukraine was fighting its status as a ‘dependent partner.’ Russia and Ukraine surly have shared history and culture, but the ‘relations’ frame seems to place constraints on how the identity of Ukraine is understood externally, since it is continuously introduced as part of the Russian ‘family’ without underscoring Ukraine’s distinctiveness from Russia. Now, when a fundamental societal change is happening in the country and a newly independent nation opposes old clichés, it seems that the media perpetuates old thinking. The sheer frequency with which these particular metaphors (which are useful but nonfactual statements) are used seems to be worthy of concern — initial categorizations highlighting the dependent status of Ukraine will leave their mark on reality, obscuring and obfuscating the external image of sovereign Ukraine as an equal partner in the international arena. Teaching Cultural Identity through Modern Language: Discourse as a Marker of an Individual’s Cultural Identity Pavel V. Sysoyev and Lyn R. Donelson This paper has examined one of the possible ways of teaching cultural diversity – teaching discourse as a reflection of the speakers’ cultural identity. Identity is understood as an individual’s realization of his or her place in the spectrum of cultures and purposeful behavior directed on his or her enrollment and acceptance into a particular group, as well as certain characteristic features of a particular group that automatically assign an individual’s group membership. The authors have demonstrated that in communication, speakers attempt to establish and construct the salient facet of their cultural identity through discourse. They have also argued that awareness of how discourse varies between representatives of different ethnic, social class, gender, and age groups, and how the discourse of an individual varies depending on the role that he or she plays, will enable language learners to see people and societies polyculturally, aiding them in perceiving diversity as a norm in modern polycultural societies. Gender Aspects of National Identity in Russian Electoral Discourse Elena Gritsenko The article discusses various aspects of gender-oriented communicative behavior in the Russian electoral discourse. Gender assumptions have an ethnic origin, as do most stereotypes. The article argues that typical common sense stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are used in constructing gender aspects of national identity in Russian electoral discourse. Analyzed in the article language strategies, mechanisms and images, dominating over cultural concepts “man” and “woman” in the Russian mentality are salient constructive elements for national identity.
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