Siberian Federal University

Issue

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2016 9 (10)

Authors

Bazanov, Varfolomey A.

Contact information

Bazanov, Varfolomey A.: Moscow State Institute of International Relations Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (Germany) 1 Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, München, 80539, Deutschland; E-mail :

Keywords

migrants; cultural space; symbol; state holiday; “Russian abroad”; soft power

Abstract

The article compares on the basis of a qualitative case study in Germany the formation and comparison of migrants groups’ settings towards the state and to state holidays. Based on the analysis performed 75 thematically structured interviews the article compares the resettlement features of the two migrants groups, their behaviour and their attitude to the state authorities and state events. On the one hand, the representatives of the “Russian abroad” have distanced themselves for a long time from the state, which was located on the territory of origin, whereas the representatives of the “new wave” associates themselves with (post) soviet cultural system. As a result one can see in the “new wave” migrants a combination of Soviet and Russian identities. On the other hand, the state itself is not perceived by the “Russian world” in a hostile way. The “new wave” migrants often just transferred their cautious attitude to the origin state to the local state. For example the police for the fourth wave migrant associated more with the threat, with negative feelings, while for the “old migration” the policeman is uniquely defender. Common holiday promotes cultural practices and standardized behaviours, but under conditions of existence of migrants with different interpretations of historical events it is difficult to talk about the presence of general holidays. The study tested also the differences in the holiday’s symbolic regulation. Interpretation of historical events is heir more an area of disagreement. One of the most remarkable in recent years the symbol of the victory Ribbon of St. George, for example, is not perceived so unequivocally positive, as among “new migrants”. This description confirms the thesis about the existence of the two cultural groups within the Russian-speaking space. The selection of specific cultural groups can increase the efficiency of the work with compatriots abroad

Pages

2328-2341

Paper at repository of SibFU

https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/26363

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).