Russian Emigration Research Articles

Russian emigrants in multilingual Constantinople

The article is devoted to the issue of the cultural life of the Russian emigration of the post-revolutionary period in Constantinople (Istanbul) and its contribution to the Europeanization of everyday life in Turkey of that period.

Ольга и Борис Морозовы через Монголию в Китай (из семейного архива)

The publication is dedicated to the archival collection of Olga Alexandrovna (nee Kolosova, 1877–1968, Los Angeles) and Boris Ivanovich / Ioanovich (1902–1960, Lakewood, USA), who from Russia came to Mongolia,then emigrated to China (Tianjin and Shanghai), where they published their literary (autobiographical novel "Fate", "Irreversible" and "Nora") and scientific and educational works. In recent years they lived in the USA. An excerpt from the book by B.I. Morozov is published. "Mongolia: from a traveler’s notebook" (Tianjin: Knowledge, 1935). The last unpublished works of O.A. are noted. Morozova: "Notes about Tubabao" and "Cultural forces of Russian emigration." Materials for publication were identified from the personal collection of O.A. Morozova (3 boxes and an album of photographs. Inventory compiled by A. Shmelev), stored in the Museum of Russian Culture (MRC) in San Francisco and the Russian collection of the University of Hawaii. Illustrations from the author's personal collection were used.

Exit as voice, for the economically mobile: Russian migration to Central Asia & the Caucasus

ABSTRACT Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the immediate outmigration of its citizens, hundreds of thousands of whom fled to the Caucasus and Central Asia. Yet, extant theories of conflict-based migration offer limited insight into why so many Russians left suddenly in response to the war. Nor can they account for the reversal of flows of skilled labor migration, which had previously gone to the metropole. Drawing on in-depth interviews and focus groups with first-wave Russian emigres, we find that the domestic support for the invasion intensified opposition-minded Russians' sense of political alienation, while legal repression motivated their immediate exit. However, the globalization of white-collar labor shaped who left. Finally, migration policy and a lower cost of living, in conjunction with other colonial legacies, shaped legal and economic mobility in ways that drew Russians to Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Феномен релокации (Модели экономического поведения российских мигрантов после февраля 2022 г.)

The events of February 2022 became the starting point of a new wave of Russian emigration. On the one hand, this phenomenon can be considered within a series of previous migration waves, on the other hand, the modern context leaves its imprint on the current migration process, making it very special from the economic and sociocultural perspectives. The article presents an attempt to analyze this specificity with an emphasis on the characteristics of the economic behavior of emigrants. Empirically, the study is based on a series of in-depth interviews with people who left Russia after February 2022. On the basis of these interviews, the authors built idealized cognitive models of possible options for the economic behavior of migrants. The authors considered a total of four models: relocation, which involves searching for a job in the host country; relocation, which involves remote work for a Russian company; relocation, which involves creating or moving one’s own business; relocation to a branch of a Russian company. Since the economic strategies of migrants are influenced by signals broadcast by the Russian government structures, the article analyzed the statements of representatives of these structures using the method of network cognitive mapping, which made it possible to reveal two types of official discourse in relation to those who left Russia, which differed in the extent of their criticism towards them. In general, the study showed that migrants of the latest wave are internally heterogeneous and fall into several groups that differ markedly in their motivation and patterns of economic behavior. At the same time, a significant part of them continues to cooperate with Russia in one way or another and, in principle, is ready to return to Russia. For them, migration is driven largely by security and/or economic reasons. Only a minority of emigrants left the country due to their disagreement with the current political course and consider the possibility of coming back only if the political course changes radically.

Fr. Cyprian (Kern, 1899–1960), His Diaries and Memoirs

Abstract The article is devoted to Fr. Cyprian (Kern, 1899–1960), evaluating his Diaries and Memoirs, edited it 2021 by the author. One of the eminent theologians of the Russian Emigration, professor of Saint Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, Fr. Cyprian was born and brought up in Russia, took part in the Russian Civil war, and lived as a young Russian emigrant in Yugoslavia in 1920–1930. In 1928–1930 he was the Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. His Memoirs and Jerusalem Diaries are a very important and in fact unique source not only on the biography of Fr. Cyprian himself, but for the religious and cultural life of the Russian Emigration in the Balkans and in the Holy Land during the first half of the 20th century. They also shed light on characteristic patterns concerning the interaction between different communities in those regions.

Разговоры на письме: эпистолярный архив Н.А. Бердяева

The essay examines the book published in 2023 “Nikolai Berdyaev: An Epistolary Conversation. Archival Materials”, containing bilateral correspondence between N.A. Berdyaev and S.L. Frank, as well as letters to Berdyaev from N.O. Lossky and Yu.M. Panebrattsev. This book covers the chronological period from 1922 to 1948, during which Berdyaev was living in exile. The main focus of the book is the correspondence between Berdyaev and Frank, which covers a wide range of topics, including the fate of Russian philosophical research abroad, educational and publishing institutions in Germany and France, as well as the daily challenges faced by Berdyaev during the 1920s and 1940s. A significant portion of the correspondence also discusses the ideas behind Berdyaev’s philosophical works, the process of preparing and publishing them, and the history of “Way” journal (1925–1940). Lossky’s letters (unfortunately, Berdyaev’s reply letters have not yet been found) are more formal and distant, but they also reflect the long-term collaboration between the philosophers, their attention to each other’s work, and their perception of the intellectual life in Soviet Russia as continuing in many ways, both in relation to the past and in connection with emigration. Of particular interest are the letters written by Yu.M. Panebrattsev (1900–1937) from Soviet Russia to Paris between 1930 and 1931, expressing the intense philosophical quest of a relatively young man seeking advice and guidance from Berdyaev. Panebrattsev’s letters provide an interesting insight into how, at the very beginning of the 1930s, he synthesized the trends of Russian idealistic philosophy from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while also appealing to the great philosophical traditions of Europe, consciously avoiding the influence of official philosophy. The reviewed publication makes a valuable contribution not only to the study of Berdyaev’s life and works, but also to the history of the Russian emigration of the first wave

Protection of children’s health in the environment of Russian emigration and the USSR in the conditions of the spread of infectious diseases in the 1920s–1930s

Introduction. The preservation of children’s health is an important state task, the success of which is largely determined by the socio-cultural context, traditions in the application of preventive measures and the provision of medical care. In this regard, it is indicative of the comparison of measures to preserve the health of schoolchildren in the “Russian schools” of the emigrant environment (on the example of schools in the Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Soviet schools in the 1920s and 1930s in the conditions of the spread of infectious diseases. Materials and methods. The data sources were published reports of Russian educational institutions in exile, which contain information about the health of schoolchildren, data on the health of Soviet schoolchildren were obtained from collections of analytical works of the specified period. Results. The prevalence of infectious diseases in children among Russian emigration and in the USSR was comparable, with the exception of measles, cases of which were not recorded in emigrant educational institutions in the Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As the main preventive measures, disinfection and examinations were carried out, vaccinations were made. The living conditions of emigrants contributed to the spread of tuberculosis, the incidence of which among children of emigrants was higher than among the European population. Soviet and emigrant doctors agreed that the fight against infectious diseases should develop at the level of organized collectives (schools, kindergartens). Conclusion. Thus, emigrant doctors largely followed the medical traditions and experience that had developed in pre-revolutionary Russia. Nevertheless, the living conditions of emigrants and the lack of funds became factors that reduced the effectiveness of preventive measures and medical care. An important difference was that the events in the Soviet Union were carried out within the framework of the state policy on health protection, and in the emigrant environment were of a local nature, determined as a rule by the capabilities of specific educational institutions.

Dissemination of the Russian emigrant literature and the literature of the Book Program in East Europe in 1950-1990

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The concept of an ideocratic state

Relevance. It is quite obvious that the modern world has entered a new stage of its development, the prospects of which are very vague. The model of the mondial world order with its ideas of faceless globalization, depopulation, universalization, de-Christianization, etc. are rejected by Russia. Recently, in political discourse and in official strategic planning documents, Russia has been called a civilization state with a pronounced identity. In the Russian conservative legal doctrine, the definition of specific features of Russia's state identity was a key topic, and the priority of intangible values was noted as the main feature of Orthodox civilization. It is no coincidence that Russian socio-political thought has always been puzzled by the search for a Russian idea. In this regard, the concept of ideocratic statehood is of particular interest, the main meaning of which was to search for a key idea or system of ideas on the basis of which the state should be built.The aim is to reconstruct and interpret the theory of the ideocratic state of the Russian conservative political and legal doctrine of the late XIX - first half of the XX centuries.Research objectives: to study the evolution of the concept of an ideocratic state, to analyze its conceptual apparatus, to comprehend the importance of state ideology for the modern stage of development.Methodology. It is based on the historical method of cognition, which contributed to the disclosure of the evolution of the theory under study, the method of diachronic and synchronous comparison, as well as a problem-theoretical one, which allows determining the degree of modern relevance of the concept under study.Results. The conducted research allowed us to establish that the concept of ideocratic statehood was mainly formed in the works of representatives of the socio-political movement of Eurasians, which originated in the 20-30 years among Russian emigration. The most significant contribution to the theoretical development of the doctrine of the ideocratic state was made by N.N. Alekseev. It was he who generalized the ideas of the Eurasians, conceptualizing them into a legally sound theory of demotic ideocracy or a guarantee state.Conclusion. Ideocracy is a concept of governance based on the postulate of idealism, based on which the definition of the state as a single super-organic entity, where the idea shared by all the people rules.

Vklad russkih emigrantov v kul'turnyj obmen mezhdu Zapadom i Vostokom v Severo-Vostochnom Kitae (1896–1959 gg.)

After the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway began in 1896, a large number of Russian emigrants appeared in Northeastern China, who were involved in cultural, educational and religious activities in settlements located along the CER. This contributed to the spread of European social and natural science, culture and religion in Northeast China. At the same time, Russian emigrants used Western methodology and philosophy of science to study Chinese politics, economics, history, geography, religion, art and philosophy, contributing to the spread of Chinese studies in Russia and in the world. This activity was aimed at demonstrating authentic Chinese culture to the world, and its representatives acted as cultural intermediaries, promoting cultural exchange between Russia and China and spreading the achievements of Western civilization among the Chinese.

The Theme of the Brotherhood of Man in the Works by I. A. Bunin

The article is devoted to the researching of the theme of the brotherhood of people man and its evolution in the works by I. A. Bunin. In the artistic world of the writer, the idea of new — evangelical, fraternal relations between people, based on Christian love, is affirmed. The key images and motives for understanding the evolution of the theme of brotherhood of people appear in the early poems, such as “In Kostyol,” “The Gravestone Scripture:” the image of Christ, the motive of faithfulness to the “covenant of love” and to a new, evangelical relationship between people. In the works of 1914–1916 I. A. Bunin creates the image of humanity, which that has forgotten about God, about Christ, about its original initial brotherhood. There is a tragic motive of destruction of the brotherhood of people man poems “Silence,” “Desperation” and in his stories “Brothers,” “The Spring Evening.” The article pays special attention to the study of the Christian text in the short story “Brothers,” the results of which allow to speak about the Gospel meaning of the word “brothers” in the epigraph and in the title of the story, which are playing the most important role in the expression of the key author’s idea, phrased in the words of Christ. I. A. Bunin’s works of the period of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and of the Civil War, namely his diary “Cursed Days” and his speech “The Mission of Russian Emigration,” are imbued with the tragic motive of fratricide and with images of Russian Cain and Russian Abel. The ideas of brotherhood of people and of the deepest interconnection of all humanity people is heardresounds again in through the works by I. A. Bunin inof the emigration period, in and in his lyrical and philosophical prose of the 1920s. The theme of the brotherhood of people in the works by I. A. Bunin, which undoubtedly has an undoubted evangelical basis, develops throughout the writer’s work, which testifies to its significance for the writer’s worldview and his concept of peace and man.

Representation of Russia in Autobiographical Prose about Childhood by A.N. Tolstoy and I.S. Shmelev

This study examines the uniqueness of representing the image of Russia as an integral part of the artistic worldview in the autobiographical prose about childhood by first-wave Russian emigrant writers. The research is based on A.N. Tolstoy’s novella “Nikita’s Childhood” and I.S. Shmelev’s novel “The Lord’s Summer.” Comparative-historical, historical-literary methods, as well as the principle of comprehensive analysis of the ideological and artistic content of the texts, are employed. It is established that the image of Russia encompasses representations of the Russian people, nature, history, and generations. Time takes on mythological features, with historical and epic time shaping the narrative movement. The spatial dynamics are constructed as a contrast between city and village, where nature is animated and spiritualized. The concept of home emerges as a significant spatial parameter. In the novel “The Lord’s Summer,” it is intricately linked with the image of the church and sacralized. The central spiritual component of the world is embodied in the living image of Christ. The image of Russia is intertwined with themes of loss, with Moscow symbolized as the heart of the Motherland — Holy Rus’. Childhood and Russia are idealized, imbued with idyllic characteristics, while the image of a bygone era carries a nostalgic hue.

Walizka, peron, wagon… Uchodźczy los we Wspomnieniach Nadieżdy Teffi

The first-wave Russian emigrants who left the country as a result of the October Revolution in 1917 and the civil war were united by a deep awareness of the loss of their roots and the need to preserve the memory of their former homeland and the tragic historical events that contributed to the exodus. Hence the huge popularity of the so-called “memory” literature among emigre writers and its diversity. The aim of this article is to include Memoirs of Nadezhda Teffi in the memoirs of the first wave of Russian emigration, dealing with the subject of the civil war and escape from Sovdepia. Typical distinguishing features of the reggee fate related to the category of memory were analysed, which include a suitcase, a platform and a wagon (similarly: a trunk, a harbor, a cabin). These attributes (except for a suitcase) did not attract the attention of researchers, although the plot of the work, which is the author’s subjective account, is largely focused around them. As a result, it was proved that they played various roles in the biographies of emigrants, reflecting new realities and social moods, often going far beyond their usual purpose or becoming symbols. This allows us to conclude that in her memoirs, Teffi combines the individual and collective dimension of remembering, because she shows a breakthrough moment in the history of the homeland from the narrator’s individual perspective through the details of everyday life, and is also part of the mission of Russian émigré literature by co-shaping the memory of the recent past.

Tekst favierski literatury rosyjskiej emigracji pierwszej fali: Arkadia wygnańców

The article is dedicated to representations of a French village of La Favière in the first-wave Russian émigré literature and painting. The objects of study include S. Chernyy’s poetry, A. Kuprin’s Gouron Headland and M. Tsvetaeva’s poems. Emphasis has also been placed on the epistolography, memoiristics and paintings of Russian emigrants visiting the village. Various Favière’s images are treated – by analogy with Toporov’s St. Petersburg text –as a Favière text: an integrated system of texts, created within a specific time frame and within the boundaries of the semiosphere, characterized by a high degree of consistency in terms of code, context and addressee, understandable to a specific population and containing a detailed baggage of meanings. The way in which Favière is presented as locus amoenus, makes the Favière text unique. In the system of local texts of Russian émigré literature, connected by the motif of foreignness as locus horribilis, Favière is a rare example of Arcadia found in exile.

Образ Польши в русской эмигрантской прессе: по материалам «Иллюстрированной России» («La Russie illustrée», 1924-1939)

The author made an attempt to consider the image of Poland, presented in the pages of the Russian émigré press. The source of the study was the publication of the illustrated Russian émigré journal “Illyustrirovannaya Rossiya” (“Illustrated Russia”); 1924-1939, Paris), which closely followed international events, including coverage of Polish events. The use of the content analysis method helped to get an idea of the formation of the image of Poland in the Russian emigrant press from various aspects of public life: political, cultural and literary. The study of the media image was carried out on two main types of data: textual and visual. As part of our study, thematic typing of the collected material and tagging of text were carried out, the necessary selection of articles by topic, headings and genres was made, and a content analysis of the frequency of occurrence of tags in the time period was carried out. In the process of identifying key categories, the following elements of the media message were taken into account: the number of publications, their positioning and volume, the type of illustrations, the type of publication, the message contained in the headlines.

Уникальность концепции русского пути в ракурсе философского познания

This paper explores the influence of various philosophical movements, such as Orthodox Christianity, Slavophilism, Westernism, and Eurasianism, on the formation of the distinct path of Russian civilization. It examines the contribution of the Russian emigration after the October Revolution to the development of the national idea, as well as the role of leading Russian thinkers like Ivan A. Ilyin, Nikolai A. Berdyaev, among others, in both apologetics for and criticizing the Russian idea. The study convincingly develops the thesis that the Russian path is not merely a quest for national distinctiveness but also a messianic idea, combining idealism and pragmatism in the pursuit of a synthesis of Eastern and Western cultures. Moreover, it evaluates the concept of the Russian path through the lens of historical uniqueness, Russia's cultural calling, and in the context of contemporary issues such as globalization, political life, and cultural identity. The author of the article raises issues of criticism and realism in philosophy, focusing on debates among representatives of various philosophical movements regarding the role of science, religion and social order in the Russian idea. It centers on concepts such as conciliarity, collectivism, and Russia's messianic role, which are juxtaposed with the individualism and rationalism of Western traditions. In conclusion, the discourse surrounding the concept of the Russian path, as explored through various philosophical lenses, unveils a complex interplay between historical context, cultural heritage, and contemporary challenges. The synthesis of Eastern and Western thought, embodied in the Russian idea, reflects not only a quest for national identity but also a broader aspiration for global significance. This study underscores the ongoing relevance of philosophical inquiry in understanding the trajectory of Russian civilization, inviting further exploration into the dynamics of national identity, cultural distinctiveness, and the global mission of the Russian people.

The Yugoslav historiography of the Russian emigration of the first wave

The article examines the Yugoslav historiography of the Russian emigration of the first wave. The article highlights several main stages in the history of the study of the phenomenon of the Russian diaspora, identifies the key thematic areas of the work of Yugoslav historians on a given issue, analyzes the main issues related to individual works. The study of this topic allows us to reconstruct the change in attitude to the problems of a certain phenomenon in historical science, depending on political and social transformations. This issue is especially relevant when analyzing scientific and journalistic works within a certain political and regional community. It is important to note a certain specificity of the research literature of Yugoslavia on the history of Russian emigration. The authors of the works considered in the article mainly focused on the problems associated with the stay of Russian emigrants in Yugoslavia, since in the 1920s the kingdom was one of the main centers of emigration. The present study has a scientific novelty, since the works of Yugoslav researchers on the topic of Russian emigration were previously considered only as part of the historiography of the Russian diaspora as a whole. Most of the papers on this topic have been published in the last 30 years. However, the works of the first half and the middle of the 20th century devoted to the problems of the Russian diaspora are of particular historiographical value, since they reflect the transformation of attitudes towards Russian emigration of the first wave of the Government of Yugoslavia and its public. In turn, studies published over the past three decades highlight the vast range of activities of Russian emigration in the 1920s – 1930s. They were written using a large amount of archival data and other sources.

Uloga ruskih emigranata u kreiranju jugoslovenskog javnog mnjenja o životu u Sovjetskom Savezu tokom 1929. i 1930. godine

This paper explores the role of Russian emigration in shaping Yugoslav perceptions of Soviet life, drawing on authentic testimonials from “experts on Russian issues” in the 1929–1930 Belgrade newspaper. Adopting a cultural perspective, the analysis of these narratives unveils diverse observational positions, exemplified by the reporting of two Prague Russians: Left SR Vladimir Ivanovich Lebedev and “Krest’yanskaya Rossiya” party deputy, Sergey Semyonovich Maslov. The case study, centered on articles from Politika, Vreme, and Pravda, underscores the multifaceted nature of Yugoslav attitudes towards the Soviet Union during this period, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the impact of Russian emigration on public opinion.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE AND TYPOLOGY OF RUSSIAN EMIGRATION

The purpose of the research. One of the issues relevant to political history is the study of the political legacy of post-revolutionary Russian emigration. The purpose of the study is a theoretical and legal understanding of the political structure of Russian emigration. This is necessary because scientific research on citizens who left Russia after the revolutionary events of 1917 has not been fully studied and is often presented in a distorted form. The modern development of historical and political knowledge reveals not only the need for a deep comprehension of scientific research on the issues raised by Russian emigration, but also a traceable reception within the framework of the evolution of political changes. Conclusions. As a result of the research, the author believes that addressing the issue of studying the evolution of the political structure of the heritage of Russian emigration is justified and relevant. The role and importance of the cultural and political heritage of Russian emigrants has been evaluated and studied ambiguously by researchers. The analysis of the historiography of the issue, the allocation of periods of political transformation of post-revolutionary emigration made it possible for the author to identify the main characteristics of three periods of the evolution of cultural heritage and the structuring of political institutions in relation to a certain segment of the population, namely, Russian emigration.

Russian Emigrant Publishing House “Northern Lights” in Sweden (1920—1923): History and Significance

The “peripheral” status of the Russian emigration community in Sweden is due to the geographical location of the country and the absence of major publishing centers. The most fruitful period for the Russian Abroad in Sweden was the first half of the 1920s. At that time, the publishing enterprise “Northern Lights”, founded by I.A. Lundel and E.A. Lyatsky, was operating in Stockholm. During 1920—1923 the organization published about two dozen editions. These were mainly fiction, entertainment, popular science and practical books. A study of the external and internal conditions of the book market showed that it was E.A. Lyatsky who predetermined the short-term success of the organization and its further fate. The publishing house was closed down as unprofitable due to its reliance on expensive quality editions, unprofitable sales logistics and unfulfilled co-operation with Soviet Russia. Professor E.A. Lyatsky repeatedly tried to save “Northern Lights”, even to the point of moving the organization to Czechoslovakia. Nevertheless, having given his enterprise a name and built up a reputation, he did not preserve the repertoire, staff and internal culture. This project was important for E.A. Lyatsky, but only a stage in his humanitarian and informational struggle against Bolshevism. It is on the example of “Northern Lights” and especially the personality of its founder that the mission, values and political orientation of the Russian emigration as a whole can be clearly traced. It is important to comprehensively evaluate this historical experience in the context of the development of modern Russia.