Russian Culture Research Articles

The Method of Civil Law: Regulation, Evaluation or Modeling?

Introduction: the paper discusses the problems of reevaluating the methods of civil regulation. The author argues with the researchers who speak in favor of rejecting the use of the term “regulation” in a private law context and replacing it with modeling or evaluating public relations regarding property and non-materialized goods. The author of the paper believes that the issue of replacing the term “regulation” with “modeling” or “evaluation” is a dispute over terms. Law, as a social phenomenon, regulates public relations; however, the degree of influence of law on public relations depends on the national concept of legal regulation and the recognition of legal statuses for subjects of legal relations. Purpose: to prove the possibility of applying socio-legal methodology with attention to the social factors of the operation of legal norms, with preference over the prevailing normative and dogmatic understanding of law. Methods: the main research method used in the paper is the sociological method in jurisprudence, which allows a comprehensive assessment of the activities of the subject of legal relations, endowed with a situationally necessary civil status, and implementing this status in a specific legal context, established taking into account the interests of the subject and the existing legal order. Results: the author investigates the problem of exhausting the scientific and regulatory resources of the dogmatic understanding of law with its inherent metaphysical constructions of “method” and “subject” in favor of “revitalizing” the legal matter and overcoming the isolation of law on itself, to the detriment of the interests of society and the individual. Conclusions: as a result of the research, the author has developed a point of view on the need for a critical revision of the views prevailing in modern Russian civil law on how law operates in society, which generates legal “fetishism” that contradicts the principles of civil law. Russian civil law has sufficient potential to grant freedom to its subjects; in order to implement it, it is necessary to ensure the harmonious functioning of substantive and procedural law, convincing the judicial community of the value of the subjects of civil relations but not the forms of their participation in them.

Nikolai Leskov’s Eccentric Wanderers and the Tradition of Religious Wandering in Russia

The motif of travel has always been popular, and the metaphor of life as a path remains extremely powerful. Both seem to be especially important within Christian culture because of the image of Christ the Wanderer, who “has no place to lay his head”, an image that influenced the growing popularity of pilgrimages and religiously motivated wandering. The latter became particularly widespread in Russian culture and resulted in numerous representations of wandering people in Russian art and literature. In my article, I focus on literary representations of wanderers in the oeuvre of Nikolai Leskov, whose works are abundant with these types of characters. I argue that the writer portrays his wanderers as ambivalent eccentrics who combine elements characteristic of diverse types of travelers, both religious and secular. To prove my hypothesis, I combine traditional literary analysis of Leskov’s texts with the examination of cultural and religious practices of Russian wandering. As I demonstrate, the complexity and multifacetedness of the writer’s wanderers correspond with Russian reality, where the boundary between pilgrims and vagrants was also blurred.

RUSSIAN PAINTING OF THE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY AS A REFLECTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY (REVIEW OF A MONOGRAPH BY KOPTSEVA N.P., KOLESNIK M.A., LESHCHINSKAYA N.M., SAMARINA D.N. “RUSSIAN CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE FINE ARTS OF THE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURIES.

The article is a review of the collective monograph authored by the Siberian Federal University scholars — Koptseva N.P., Kolesnik M.A., Leshchinskaya N.M., Samarina D.N. “Russian cultural identity in the Fine Arts of the 19th — early 20th century”. The researchers examined the features of Russian cultural identity construction in the works by V.G. Perov, I.Ya. Bilibin, M.V. Nesterov and B.M. Kustodiev. The relevance of the book lies in the fact that it is the first of its kind in the series of scientific art criticism and cultural literature “Russian Culture”. The scientific novelty of the monograph consists in the philosophical and art criticism analysis of religious philosophy as a source of cultural identity, in the substantiation of new theoretical concepts such as area-critical and area-romantic styles. The results of the presented work contribute to the study of the process of constructing Russian cultural identity from the standpoint of God-seeking in works of fine art of the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The practical value of the book lies in the systematization of the basic content of Russian cultural identity and the establishment of a connection with the key concepts of Russian religious philosophy, including the ideas of Russian Orthodoxy, Slavophilism, the concept of Sophia — the Wisdom of God in the interpretation of V.S. Solovyov, the application of the sociology of imagination in the study of mythology, symbolism, semiotics of signs, visual perception of painting. The results of the research outlined in the book can be used in teaching courses on the history and theory of Russian culture as well as in the creation of special courses and programmes based on the relationship between culture, philosophy, Religious Studies and literature.

The Category of Good Faith in Modern Russian Civil Law

The paper considers the main approaches to understanding the essence of the category of good faith in modern civil law of the Russian Federation. The emphasis is placed on the problem of the lack of a unified approach to understanding this category in modern civil law science. The author analyzes the historical course of the development and formation of good faith: it takes its origins from the category of bona fides of Roman private law, which clearly had a moral significance. The conclusion is formulated about the borrowing of such a meaning by the modern category of conscientiousness. Explaining the provisions of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on the category of good faith, the Plenum of the Supreme Court applied a broad interpretation and determined that its key feature is the coordination of its interests with the interests of other subjects of civil turnover. The paper examines the approaches of various scientists to understanding the category in question. Thus, according to E. E. Bogdanova, conscientiousness is a purely moral category and can be assessed only from the standpoint of the rules of morality. E. A. Sukhanov’s approach, on the contrary, considers good faith as the condition of a person who is unaware of facts entailing certain legal consequences and defines this category as «ethically indifferent». The position of I. B. Novitsky, who for the first time divided conscientiousness into objective and subjective categories, is noteworthy. Objective conscientiousness acts as an external measure of civil legal relations, while subjective conscientiousness is a person’s ignorance of circumstances important to the law. The author concludes on the flexibility of the category of good faith due to its ambiguous and ambivalent nature.

Custom as a Source of Russian Civil Law

In this paper, the author explores the historical significance and complexity of legal customs in the formation of legal systems. The paper analyzes the evolution of a custom from the primary sources of law in ancient societies to its modern status, where their role, although important, is subject to certain limitations, is analyzed.The paper highlights the understanding and application of the term «custom» in the context of modern civil legislation of the Russian Federation with an emphasis on the changes that occurred after the legislative reform of 2012. The study examines various fields of application of customs. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the role and place of international trade custom in civil law relations in the Russian Federation. Based on the opinions of experts and considering in detail the judicial practice of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the author concludes that international trade custom is a source of law, and it also falls under the concept of «custom» within the framework of Article 5 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The study emphasizes the oral nature of a custom as a source of law, while not neglecting the importance of informal written forms such as Incoterms and UNIDROIT, as well as standard contracts Special attention is paid to the debatable topic of the relationship of customs with imperative and dispositive norms of legislation, as well as their place in the structure of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The author highlights the problem of insufficient legislative regulation of customs and calls for their further research and systematization as a critically important element of the legal system.

«Литература в кавычках». Наследие Козьмы Пруткова и акционизм XX века

Kozma Prutkov is a collective pseudonym used by four writers: Alexey, Alexander, and Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov, along with their cousin Alexei Tolstoy. In the 1850s and 1860s, they published humorous works under this name, creating a versatile character who parodied an official writer through fables, poems, plays, and aphorisms. Prutkov’s works first appeared in 1854 in the magazine Sovremennik, and later in Razvlechenije, Iskra, and Svistok. His fictional biography, elaborated in the book Biographical Information about Kozma Prutkov, included relatives and a position at the Ministry of Finance. After A.K. Tolstoy’s death, The Complete Works of Kozma Prutkov with a Portrait, Facsimile, and Biographical Information was published in 1884, quickly selling out and necessitating a second edition in 1885. The collection has been reprinted multiple times, with the 12th edition appearing in 1916. Prutkov’s persona created a broad literary universe, influencing a wide range of followers and imitators. This began with the satire of the 1860s, influencing figures like Shchedrin, Dostoevsky, and Vladimir Solovyov. Prutkov’s impact persisted through the Silver Age, the Oberiutes, and even into the cultural thaw and conceptualist movements of the 1980s-2000s, though these later periods are less documented. Prutkov's lasting presence in Russian culture is anchored by his body of work and the surrounding interpretations and commentary. His canonical texts are complemented by performative practices involving writers and academics, solidifying Prutkov’s satirical legacy.

Sobornost as a non-sociological category

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of the concept “conciliarity” (“sobornost”) and is motivated by its incorrect, in the author’s opinion, use in modern sociological literature. Having put forward the understanding of sobornost as a transcendent / socially loaded category as the main dilemma, the author gives an ambiguous solution to it. It is shown that the concept of sobornost, the appearance of which in Russian religious philosophy and, more broadly, Russian culture, is traditionally associated with the name of A. S. Khomyakov, is deeply rooted in the religious-mystical experience of the latter and requires careful handling. Sobornost, in its authentic understanding, is the divine grace that descended upon the meeting of believers and mystically transformed it. This concept belongs to the theological picture of the world; bringing it into sociological analysis is incorrect, and its use in socio-political discourse is unwholesome, since it sets false guidelines and values. At the same time, the vulgarization of the notion of “sobornost” present in many works can be explained not only by a superficial and / or tendentious reading, but also by the inherent deep ambivalence of this concept, the obvious gaps between its authentic content and latent mental constructs embedded in it and analytically revealed by a certain research perspective. “Sobornost” was born as a social, in its basic intuitions, category, and in its historical development it returns to these intuitions. The presence of a certain connection between the deeply mystical authentic content of “conciliarity” and its social projections, as well as its subsequent sociologically inevitable secularization, turns the concept under consideration into an extremely curious object of terminological analysis.

The experimental study of the image of russian color term white in the consciousness of russian culture bearers

The experimental study of the image of russian color term white in the consciousness of russian culture bearers

Exploring changes in attitudes towards doping in sport in different groups of the russian population: a mixed methods study with policy recommendations

Introduction: This article examines the evolution of anti-doping culture in Russia through a comparative analysis of sociological surveys conducted in 2019, 2020, and 2021. It focuses on the changing attitudes of Russian citizens towards doping in sports, their awareness of anti-doping regulations, and the underlying causes and motivations for violations of anti-doping rules. The significance of understanding public opinion on doping and countermeasures is highlighted, underscoring its value for specialists, researchers, and executive authorities in addressing and mitigating the issue. Materials and Methods: The study employed sociological surveys across various categories and groups within the Russian population, spanning three consecutive years. These surveys aimed to gather comprehensive insights into the public's perception of doping, knowledge of anti-doping efforts, and attitudes towards the effectiveness of existing anti-doping measures. The methodology was designed to enable a detailed comparative analysis, shedding light on trends and shifts in public opinion over time. Results: Findings from the surveys reveal a noticeable development in the anti-doping culture among the Russian population, marked by changes in attitudes towards doping use and a growing awareness of anti-doping rules. The research identified specific causes and motives behind anti-doping rule violations, illustrating the complex nature of the issue. Additionally, the study provided an objective assessment of the problem's scale, based on the attitudes of various social groups towards the use of banned substances, whether of natural, narcotic, or synthetic origin. Conclusions: The paper concludes with up-to-date data on the anti-doping situation in the Russian Federation and perspectives from scientists on enhancing anti-doping efforts. Based on the analysis, the authors propose a set of measures aimed at improving anti-doping activities in Russia. These recommendations are intended to bolster the fight against doping, reflecting the study's contribution to forming a comprehensive understanding of societal attitudes towards this challenge and paving the way for more effective countermeasures. Keywords: doping, sports, anti-doping rules, anti-doping measures, anti-doping culture, attitudes toward doping in sports, opinion poll.

PERCEPTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN THE MINDS OF TEACHERS OF RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (Based on a Psycholinguistic Experiment)

The article describes the results of a psycholinguistic experiment aimed at identifying the perceptions of the Russian language in the minds of teachers of Russian as a foreign language. The specifi city of the experi-ment consists of the explicit professionally oriented character of the stimulus Russian language; during planning the experiment, the experience of similar studies with respondents-physicians was generalized of similar studies with respondents-philologists. One of the hypotheses, that preceded the experiment was the assumption that the teachers’ linguistic consciousness combines naive and scientifi c ideas about the Russian language in the teachers’ linguistic consciousness language. The experiment, built according to the free-chain model, was conducted in March–April 2023. The described material was extracted from 177 questionnaires, the total number of analyzed reactions is 1,185. In the fi rst stage of the analysis, the reactions were characterized in structural and grammati-cal aspect (predominantly one-word associations expressed by nouns), and at the second stage — in the semantic aspect. Semantic analysis of the associates allowed us to distinguish three semantic fi elds: “Russian language as an object of evaluation”, “Russian language as the basis of national Russian language as an object of evaluation”, “Russian language as the basis of national self-consciousness”, and “Russian language as an academic subject”. While analyzing the reactions that made up the fi rst fi eld, it proved expedient to refer to the typology of evalua-tive meanings proposed by N. D. Arutyunova. As a result, the predominance of private evaluative meanings in the fi eld was established of a wide spectrum. The second fi eld combines reactions based on their linguocultural potential: thus, the fi eld includes ethnonyms, culturally signifi cant toponyms, precedent phenomena, and symbol-ic words. The third fi eld most clearly represents the results of the work of professional linguistic consciousness and includes reactions of mainly terminological nature, correlated with linguistic concepts, sections of the course “Russian Language”, etc. The interpretation of the empirical material testifi es to the professionalization of the concept “Russian language” in the cognitive space of philologists and confi rms the hypothesis that associations refl ect the specifi cs of teaching Russian as a fo reign language, combining language teaching with immersion in Russian culture and intercultural communication. The respondents’ everyday perceptions include positive asso-ciative and evaluative meanings

ОСОБЕННОСТИ СВАДЕБНЫХ АССОЦИАЦИЙ РУССКОГО НАРОДА

Features of wedding associations of the Russian people Summary The article is devoted to the analysis of the concept of "wedding" in Russian. Dictionaries of V.I. Dal are used as sources for analysis. Today these dictionaries are monuments of Russian culture. They reflect not only the Russian language, but also Russian culture, the worldview of the people, their assessment of the most important events in human life. The analysis shows that wedding associations occupy one of the central places in the minds of the Russian people. Key words: wedding, Russian people, dictionaries of V.I.Dal, life, key events

Digital currency, digital ruble and electronic money in Russian Civil Law: problems of correlation

The article compares digital currency with the digital ruble and other non-cash funds (on bank accounts as well as electronic money) and justifies their different civil law nature that, due to the use of the common digital characteristic in their names, leads to their confusion, but not to the clear distinction among them. In order to ensure digital currency with the necessary civil law treatment, it is concluded that it be recognized as property in civil law. By analogy with intellectual property, it is argued to distinguish between an intangible object – a digital sign (digital code, token) and a civil legal right to be acknowledged in law for it. From this point of view, given the absence of a debtor in an obligation, digital currency in Russian Civil Law should be treated as an absolute digital right and regulated in details in the current civil legislation regarding the order of its appearance, implementation (disposal), transfer, lien, termination, and protection.

On the issue of discovering new names of major cultural figures of the 17th century: master Karp Ivanovich Zolotarev

The 17th century is a century that preserved in the memory of the history of Russian culture vivid monuments, the authors of which were innovative masters, artists, and creators. This article examines the creative life in the historiography of the 17th century icon painter, student of Bogdan Saltanov – Karp Ivanovich Zolotarev, a court master during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich and the regency of Princess Sophia. Biography of K.I. Zolotarev is presented in the historiography of researchers, historians, restorers in chronology from the 18th century. Only in the late 1970s, thanks to the work of Soviet restorers, were works created by K.I. Zolotarev. Before this, only brief mentions of this multifaceted master were found in historical literature. Part of the research confirms that in a number of works the name of K.I. Zolotarev is listed among the artists of the Armory Chamber and the Gold-Painting Workshop of the Ambassadorial Prikaz. In addition, researchers of Russian book culture spoke about K.I. Zolotarev as a major organizer who headed the workshop of the above-mentioned order. The research made it possible to summarize all the materials about the master and identify the stylistic features of this master, suggesting that the iconographic sources of the works of K.I. Zolotarev could have been works by Dutch and German artists. Biography of K.I. Zolotarev still needs further study and clarification today.

К вопросу о прошлом как основе регламентации настоящего и эталоне будущего: «мобилизация Средневековья» в современном российском общественном сознании

The article is a homage to the outstanding philosopher and political analyst V.P. Makarenko, timed to coincide with his two anniversaries – the “questionnaire” (eightieth birthday) and the creative one – the half-century anniversary of the hero of the day’s research in the field of “Weberian studies”. Nominated by V.P. Makarenko’s interpretation of the sociological concept of Max Weber as a “special case of pseudo-historicism” – a form of conscious (“ideological”) traditionalism that arises in a situation of total collapse of social foundations, the author proposes to use as an analytical framework for understanding such a modern (including Russian) phenomenon, as “retrotopia”, which most clearly appears in the form of “medievalism” – a utilitarian reception of the ideological heritage of the Middle Ages in relation to the needs of current politics, ideology and culture. From the author’s point of view, medievalism, in the Russian version of which Byzantine images and motifs clearly predominate, is by no means an invention of our time: in fact, it is a secondary form of reception of the ideological heritage of the Middle Ages, characteristic of the 19th century. Thus, modern Russian medievalism in a broader sense represents one of the manifestations of the basic cultural metaplot of the “lost paradise” – nostalgia for the century traditionally considered the “golden age of Russian culture” and the pinnacle of imperial power.

Philosophical understanding of Russian-language poetry of Central Asia and the East

Introduction: The cultures of Central Asia have been intertwined with Russian culture for many centuries. Many Russian-speaking poets of this region have left a serious contribution to the development of several cultures at the same time. Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify the main philosophical meanings and contexts that unite the creative heritage of Russian-speaking poets of Central Asia and the Far East.Methods: To achieve this goal, the historical method, comparative method, and hermeneutic analysis are used. The authors of the article also refer to the concept of archetypes, introduced into literary studies from the psychoanalytical approach.Results: In the course of the study, it is determined that many Russian-speaking poets of these regions adopted the Asian cultural code, in connection with which the themes of “the call of the Motherland”, “metaphysics of the Great Steppe”, “Eastern City”, nomadic way of life, as well as a special, close to Asian, perception of time and eternity appear in their texts. These archetypes were added to Russian culture mainly under the influence of Eastern trends and the activities of emigrant and bilingual poets.Conclusions: The study contributes to the study of Russian-language poetry, as well as the poetic field of Central Asia and the Far East. It also touches upon the theme of the peculiarities of the formation of the writer’s identity in a bilingual environment and the theme of the dialogue of cultures, interethnic exchange of cultural code

A Just Englishman in Russia: The Ethical Self in Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Beginning of Spring

ABSTRACT In her historical novel, The Beginning of Spring, Penelope Fitzgerald explores English identity in pre-revolutionary Russia by putting her expatriate hero Frank Reid to the test in ethical situations. Engaging with critical attention to the novel’s moral meaning, this article offers an ethical reading alongside Paul Ricoeur’s study on ethical intention and Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics of the face of the other. Frank’s ethical self can be imputed from his aim of becoming a just man in the Moscow business community. To achieve that aim, he must make ethical deliberations based on his practical wisdom and the moral injunction that regulates the intersubjective relationship between the self and the other. He ultimately fails his ethical aim because of the unjust institution – he is othered in/by Russia. I conclude with a gesture that the novel is Fitzgerald’s ethical intention of giving a voice to the other Russian culture.

The Entente’s Support for the White Armies in Southern Russia (Late 1918–1919)

This article examines a previously underexplored aspect of the Russian Civil War during its critical phase in late 1918–1919: the logistical support provided by the Entente to the White armies in the South, set against the backdrop of the final military interventions. The authors concentrate on the interactions between General A.I. Denikin's regime and the British authorities, who were the primary proponents of the Entente's intervention in Russia, as well as the conditions surrounding the involvement of the French armed forces.The research primarily draws on documents from the Russian State Military Archive, created by officers of the White armies of Southern Russia, and the National Archives of Great Britain. This comprehensive source base enables a reassessment of some long-held views in Russian historiography regarding the Entente's intervention in the Black Sea region. The study aims to delineate the scope and nature of the Entente’s support and to understand why this assistance failed to secure a victory for the White forces.Post-Soviet historiography commonly posits that the Red Army enjoyed an economic advantage in terms of weapons and ammunition supply for most of the Civil War. This article, however, reveals that the support from Entente countries was substantial and that the use of foreign weapons and equipment significantly influenced the late 1918-1919 period. Nonetheless, the critical factor, as argued by the authors, was the timing of deliveries. The peak of the Entente’s military-technical support to the Armed Forces of Southern Russia occurred after the Red Army had already fortified its positions with adequate firepower. The lengthy strategic decision-making processes of the British Cabinet, characteristic of British democratic and bureaucratic systems, resulted in delayed assistance to Denikin’s troops, ultimately undermining its effectiveness.

On some aspects of studying the topic «Russia: trials and heroes» within the framework of the discipline «Fundamentals of Russian Statehood»

The article considers the issue of teaching the new course «Fundamentals of Russian Statehood», which has been introduced everywhere into the programs of universities in the country only since 2023, which determines its relevance. The authors are trying to solve the problem: how to awaken a sense of patriotism in young people, convey to them the values of Russian civilization and do this in a way that does not cause rejection or resistance?The goal of the research is to find a theoretical and methodological basis for sensitive, but at the same time effective teaching of the discipline «Fundamentals of Russian Statehood» and to demonstrate the chosen pedagogical strategy using the example of studying the topic «Russia: Trials and Heroes».The authors of the article, using methods of semantic and structural analysis, have formed an ideological framework and set the logic for selecting material, which allows them to provide the necessary information within the chosen topic in a targeted and orderly manner.The result of the research was methodological recommendations and materials for studying the topic «Russia: trials and heroes». In order to avoid a moralizing tone and excessive pathos, it has been proposed to adhere to such pedagogical principles and techniques as focusing on dialogue, relying on previously formed knowledge and ideas, searching for connections between this topic and modernity and professional interests that are relevant for certain groups of students.The Conclusions. The article has a clear practical focus. It presents methodological developments, including, among other things, a logically structured plan and specific tasks on the topic «Russia: trials and heroes».

Preserving Ukrainian Identity: Ethical Cataloging of Ukrainian Music in Soviet Publications

ABSTRACT The ongoing war of aggression by Russia in Ukraine has brought international attention to the conflation of Ukrainian and Russian cultures and identities. Such conflation exists in various forms, at its most dangerous in weaponized distortions of history and pretexts for violence. These two distinct cultures can also be misunderstood unintentionally in ways that appear harmless, even in music libraries. Cataloging the Ukrainian music materials contained within the Margarita Mazo Collection at Indiana University has necessitated an examination of the historical relationships between Ukraine and Russia in general and the influence of the Soviet Union on music publications in particular. Best practices for catalogers, such as appropriate use of controlled vocabularies and accurate transcription of text, are expanded upon to promote understanding and appreciation of Ukrainian music and to ensure access to users who search in the Ukrainian language – perhaps the users for whom these materials are most vital. Librarians must be critical and well-informed to understand Soviet publications of Ukrainian music, intrinsic to which are state control, censorship, and the manipulation of cultural expression for ideological purposes. Here lies a crucial opportunity for reparative cataloging, in which music catalogers can provide authentic representation in bibliographic and authority records.

The civilization state in the war against Ukraine

ABSTRACT Do considerations of civilization play a role in the Russian aggression against Ukraine? This study starts from the assumption that the conflict in Ukraine cannot be fully explained by the arguments of John Mearsheimer, the main representative of the so-called offensive realist school of international relations theory, who argues that the Russian invasion is driven by fear of NATO’s eastward expansion. The author challenges this dominant explanatory framework, arguing that we need to dig deeper to understand Putin’s intentions. The paper focuses on the role of the “civilizational state” created by the Putin regime and analyzes the role of its guiding ideology, Eurasianism. The author concludes that the war in Ukraine must be interpreted in the context of the confrontation between the West and Russia, and that this development cannot be understood without taking into account the specific logic and offensive nature of the Russian civilization state.