Russia: a blend of cultures and religions

A multinational state is a sovereign state which is viewed as comprising two or more nations. Such a state contrasts with a nation-state where a single nation comprises the bulk of the population. The United Kingdom, the Russian Federation and Canada are viewed as present-day examples of multinational states, while Austria-Hungary, the USSR and Yugoslavia are examples of historical multinational states which have since split into a number of sovereign states.

The Russian experience of state development is unique. Historically, Russia has been neither a mono-ethnic state nor a US-style "melting pot," where most people are, in some way, migrants. Russia developed over centuries as a multinational state, in which different ethnic groups have had to mingle, interact and connect with each other - in domestic and professional environments, and in society as friends.

The expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and later of the Russian Empire throughout the 15th to 20th centuries created a unique country with its rich diversity of languages, traditions, ethnicities and cultures. Though the majority of Russians had Slavic ancestry, different ethnicities were assimilated into the Russian melting pot through the period of expansion. Assimilation was a way for ethnic minorities to advance their standing within the Russian society and state - as individuals or groups. It required adoption of Russian as a day-to-day language and Orthodox Christianity as religion of choice. The Roman Catholics (as in Poland and Lithuania) generally resisted assimilation. Throughout the centuries of eastward expansion of Russia Finno-Ugric and Turkic peoples were assimilated and included into the emerging Russian nation. This includes Mordvin, Udmurt, Mari, Tartar, Chuvash, Bashkir, and others. Surnames of many of Russia's nobility (including Suvorov, Kutuzov, Yusupov, etc.) suggest their Turkic origin.

Groups of later, 18th and 19th century migrants to Russia, from Europe (Germans, French, Italians, Poles, Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, Jews, etc.) or the Caucasus (Georgians, Armenians, Ossetians, Chechens among them) also assimilated within several generations after settling among Russians in the expanding Russian Empire.

The present-day federal state of Russia has over a hundred and sixty different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. The largest population is the ethnic Russians, who are Slavs with Orthodox traditions, while the Tatars and Bashkirs have a Muslim culture. Russia also has Buddhist populations, such as the nomadic Buryats and Kalmyks, and the Shamanistic peoples of Siberia and the Extreme North, as well as the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Russian North West and the Volga Region and the peoples of the Northern Caucasus, all contributing to the extreme cultural and national diversity of the country.

Out of a total of more than a hundred languages which are spoken in the Russian Federation, the country has twenty-seven official languages.

Each city in Russia is unique and exhibits its own culture. For example, Kazan has a strong Tatar heritage and is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Siberian cities reflect the realities of living in the far east of Russia with its bitterly cold winters and ethnic communities. Cities along important trade routes, like the Volga, preserve elements of ancient Russia.

Russia still experiences a constant flow of immigration. On average, close to 300,000 legal immigrants from the other republics of the former Soviet Union enter the country every year.

Russia has always been famed for and proud of its cultural diversity, and this has always been the source of its strength. Together, we were victorious in the most terrible of wars. It is crucially important that we have managed to preserve this diversity through the centuries. And we will continue to exist side by side.

Task 5.3 What do these words and expressions mean? Use the context and your dictionary to help you decide.

migrants; indigenous peoples; ancestry; nomadic peoples; assimilation; Shamanistic peoples; religion of choice; heritage.

Task 5.4 Answer these questions about the text.

1. What is a multinational state?

2. Can you give examples of multinational states?

3. What makes the Russian experience of state development unique?

4. What do you know about the history of the emerging of the Russian nation?

5. How many different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples live on the territory of the present-day Russia? How many languages do they speak?

Task 5.5 Due to its history and geographical situation Orenburg has always been a multi-national city. Do you know:

1. How many languages are spoken in your city? What are they?

2. How many different kinds of churches, houses of worship or religions are there? What are they?

3. How many different ethnic groups (or nationalities) are there? What are they?

4. Which are the restaurants, dance, music or theater groups, or other community organizations that reflect this diversity? What are the foods or other special features of each group?

5. Think of your own ancestors. How long have your families been living in Orenburg (another part of Russia)? What ethnic groups did they belong to? When and why did they come?

Task 5.6 Overview of Russia's geographical position on a world map and how its size and location have resulted in its ethnic diversity.

1. Study select cultural groups and their special significance in Russian historical developments.

2. Research into separate ethnic communities by class groups.

3. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of diversity in Russia, U.S. and other countries.

Task 5.7 Of course no sampling of a different culture is complete without a taste of its cuisine. Search the Internet to find a recipe of a dish peculiar to some ethnic group. Make a presentation to speak about the events it is traditionally cooked for.

Task 5.8 Translate from Russian into English.

Основанный как город-крепость на перекрестке знаменитого «шелкового пути», Оренбург на долгие годы стал средоточием меновой торговли со странами Средней Азии, проводником евразийской политики российского государства и центром хозяйственно-экономического общения с народами востока. По Великому Шелковому пути везли чай из Китая в ханства Средней Азии, а оттуда, в свою очередь, часть этого чая попадала в царскую Россию – через Оренбург.

С тех пор прошло много времени, но Оренбург так и остается соединением между городами, странами и народами. И дорога «шелкового пути» до сих пор пролегает через наш город.

Так, в 2007 году в Оренбурге был подписан протокол взаимодействия о строительстве транспортного коридора, который соединит Западный Китай и Западную Европу.

В 2009 году состоялось ралли «Шёлковый путь». Международный ралли-рейд по территории России (Татарстан и Оренбургская область), Казахстана и Туркмении, этап Серии Дакар 2009 года.

В январе 2010 года под эгидой Международного Фестивального движения «Надежды Европы» прошел первый Международный фестиваль-конкурс «Шелковый путь».

Task 5.9 Do you know that…

No gestures have universal meanings across cultures; meanings are culture specific. For example, the U.S. “V” for victory gesture (the index and middle fingers held upright with palm and fingers faced outward) is recognized as positive in many countries. In England, however, the gesture has a crude connotation when the palm is turned inward.

Another related gesture with a positive connotation is the thumbs-up signal. Although this gesture means “good going” or “everything is great” to people of most European countries and North America, it has a rude connotation in Australia and West Africa.

Likewise, the OK sign (thumb and forefinger joined to form a circle) is positive to U.S. persons but considered obscene in Brazil. In France and Belgium, the gesture should be avoided as it means “worthless” or “zero.” The meaning of the gesture is completely different in Japan - it signifies money.

Even shaking the head to mean “yes” or “no” differs according to the culture. Shaking the head from side to side in the United States means “no,” but in Bulgaria the gesture signifies “yes.”

UNIT 6

Task 6.1 Warming-Up Activity

It’s been said: “You can buy in any language, but if you want to sell you better speak the language of your customer.” How do you understand the saying? Discuss it in class.

Task 6.2 Read the text