The following was written as a mid-term essay for an SRAS program in St. Petersburg. Students were encouraged to draw upon not only the program texts, but also on the impressions and experiences gained of Russia and Russians while on-the-ground in St. Petersburg. A select few of these essays have been chosen to be published in this issue ofย Vestnik.ย ย
The Russian culture is as vast and mysterious as Russiaโs abundant landscape and geographic reach. The subtleties of Russian culture initially enamored me during my first years of college. Now that I am experiencing it first-hand, I have the opportunity to peel back its layers and attempt to understand what makes Russians โtick.โ Russia has long held a reputation as a country โbehind the curve.โ Throughout history, rulers such as Peter the Great have announced that Russia must โcatch upโ with Western society. This led to a never-ending identity crisis that still plagues Russia to this dayโis Russia West European or simply โRussian?โ Though Russia has often tried to match its society with that of Western Europe, it has and will always have a specifically Russian flavor that can be neither replaced nor erased. Its unique values reflect Russiaโs equally unique historical development. Russian culture valuesย pravda,ย dusha, and the in-group, as well as time and money.
Pravdaยญย is most often translated as โtruth.โ Each Russian holds a certain belief in a personal โtruth.โย Pravdaย represents what is just and fair; it serves as a moral guideline by which โnon-truthsโ in the world may be evaluated and navigated. The filmย Brother 2ย addressed the cross-cultural issue ofย pravdaย between Russians and Americans, claiming the Americanย pravdaย was centered upon money. In contrast, the film claimed Russianย pravdaย to be firmly grounded in morality, friendship and honoring oneโs fellow man.
I have encountered many Russians who hold tightly to their personalย pravda, especially amoung the older generation, with whom the countryโs Soviet past continues to resonate. These elder Russians, when explaining to me their viewpoints on certain matters, claim โit is the truth and there is no other truth.โ For example, a woman at a metro newsstand informed me Sergei Bodrov (the star ofย Brother 2), on the cover of one magazine, was a โgood man,โ but a woman on the cover of a fashion magazine with a man holding her seductively was โtrash,โ garnering a dirty flick of the fingers on the cover. My Russian culture professor informed our class about what she believed to be the most famous painting in the world. When we offered differing opinions, she claimed these were incorrect and hers was the truth. It is my belief that this cultural remnant was formed through the utter loss of control Russians had in their everyday lives during Soviet times.ย Pravdaย was truth that could be counted on through those years of instability and helplessness under the communist regime of the time.
A similar concept toย pravda, though harder to translate into English, is the Russian concept ofย dusha. Most translations offer the English word โsoulโ in place ofย dusha, though some have brought up the limitations of using โsoulโ as frequently asย dushaย is used. Perhaps this is because the concept of โsoulโ is not as laden with multiple meanings nor as ever-present in English-speaking cultures asย dushaย is in Russian. The English scholar Anna Wierzbicka claims the Russian concept ofย dushaย not only refers to what we imagine โsoulโ to representโfeelings, emotions and oneโs moodโbut also to oneโs inner life and secret thoughts, their โinner being,โ health, an ever-present state subject to change; and yet also the core of oneโs being in an everlasting state. According to Wierzbicka, โsoulโ may serve as an appropriate translation, but the high frequency thatย dushaย is used in Russian is odd to the English ear.ย Dushaย is a very personal concept, with greater emphasis and priority placed upon it than on the English โsoul.โ
Russian friendship is another unique and deeply ingrained cultural value that can be defined in the exclusive title of โfriend,โ orย drug, as well as the inner complexities of the โin-group,โ orย krug. The interactions of Russian friendships live and grow within the in-group, a close circle of friends that is not easily formed, nor easily broken. In-groups may be formed over long years of growing friendship, throughย dusha-bearing moments of vulnerability and years of trust-building. Given the deep roots of these friendships, oneโs duties to a friend are taken very seriously, with many Russians willing to go far out of their way and their comfort zones and spend much time and energy to help a friend. To refer to a person as an โacquaintance,โ orย znakomi, is not an insult in Russia as it may be in some countries, but merely a truthful remark about a less-serious relationship. However, the title of โfriendโ is a title to be treasured and held up with honor, respect, loyalty and trust. This has also complimented and may be a product of the unpredictability that has plagued Russian history: the in-group offered control, comfort, safety and security among friends who could be trusted and counted upon.
Time and money seem to have a lower priority in Russian culture and society than in others. I have been told by many Russians that Russians simply work to live. There are positives and negatives to this outlook on life. Some positives stand out as obviousโa life not focused on work is a life focused on the more โimportant things,โ perhaps onย pravda,ย the well-being ofย dusha, and friendship. It can be argued, however, that emphasis on work does not mean denying the โimportant things.โ In fact, hard work and the ability to witness and reap the fruits of oneโs labors are rewards that seem to be missing in Russian society. This often results in a misunderstanding of Russian culture, such thatmany foreigners feel frustrated, angered and even depressed when dealing with Russians at work. A lack of priority placed on time and money is evident when some employees do not return after breaks, shops close earlier than their posted times, and prices are raised considerably from one day to another and sometimes simply if the customer is a foreigner. This can be a great problem for many in learning about Russian culture, as it evokes a negative feeling towards a very closed and personal culture.
I have been told by many Russians, however, that once one breaks through the harsh exterior encountered in public, formal instances of day-to-day jobs, encounters on the street and on public transportation, etc., the true warmth, humor and hospitality of the Russian culture may be experienced. I saw this once, when I was able to spend a Sunday afternoon with my friendโs parents who live in St. Petersburg. I can honestly say that I have not experienced such hospitality or generosity in my lifeโand I live in the southern US, a land famous for hospitality! There is something to be said for a culture whose members โkeep their cards closely guarded.โ While it may appear detached or uncaring, the true Russian culture, when experienced in full vulnerability and trust, is a unique phenomenon to be treasured.
Every culture has positives and negatives, but putting those aside, Russia has incredibly distinct andย Russianย cultural values derived from a unique history. Russia, being located far enough from Western Europe to avoid a meshing of cultures with most of the West (that is, until globalization exploded onto the world stage and the Iron Curtain fell), has always seemed an enigma to the outside world. Even to this day, some values such asย pravda, dusha, krug, and the Russian perspective on time and money remain a mystery to foreigners and are not always even translatable into other languages. Given its tumultuous history of occupation, expansion, and repressive empires and governments, the Russian culture can seem divided, conflicted, closely-guarded and mysterious. History defines the future, and Russians are living proof of this. However, if one is lucky enough to break through the rough exterior and be welcomed into the mystery of Russian culture, the experience itself is as unique as the culture and the country.
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