Russian Nationalism Research Articles

A Musical Offering by Nikolai Rakov: Nine Pieces for Piano Four-Hands

The article provides an overview of the “Nine Pieces for Piano Four-Hands” cycle of the late period of the work of Nikolai Rakov, a Russian composer of the 20th century. Allusions are actively used in the cycle, which consists of pieces of different genres, and the infl uence of various composing schools is noticeable. Having passed a long creative path, the composer seems to embody the need to create a musical offering to his great predecessors and contemporaries, involving expressive means of various styles. Masterfully using the arsenal of piano tools for children’s performance, he achieves the most vivid performing solutions and a variety of orchestral colours. At the same time, the culmination of the cycle and the fi nale are native Russian pieces that give the cycle a vividly national fl avour.

An Atlantis discovered: Riga’s Moskovskii forshtadt in the Russophone interwar imagination

ABSTRACT This article relates literary and journalistic representations of Riga’s historic Russophone neighborhood, the Moskоvskii forshtadt, to the interwar conversation on the future of ‘Russia’ outside of the Soviet Union. My analysis begins with a close reading of Georgii Ivanov’s sketch, ‘Moskovskii Forshtadt.’ I then contrast Ivanov’s sketch with local Latvian Russophone accounts of the forshtadt, published in the Riga newspapers Segodnya and Segodnya vecherom. In studying representations and discourses, I reveal how the discursive space generated by the forshtadt contains three different understandings of Russian nationhood in its diasporic, extraterritorial existence of the interwar period.

Comparative analysis of the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures

In modern linguistics, research is actively developing aimed at cognizing the surrounding reality, verbalized by linguistic units of a particular language. At the same time, of course, interdisciplinary research, including both linguistic and extralinguistic data, is of particular value. The relevance of our article is the comparison of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD as fragments of the linguistic picture of the world of the Russian-speaking and Spanish-speaking peoples based on the synthesis of linguocultural and linguocognitive approaches to the study of concepts. The purpose of the work is to identify and compare the conceptual features of the above-mentioned concepts in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures based on lexicographic sources and using extralinguistic socio-demographic data. The results obtained can find practical application in lexicographical activity. In our study, the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD were reconstructed based on the data of explanatory, encyclopedic, etymological dictionaries of the Russian and Spanish languages. The conceptual features of the mentioned concepts were identified by understanding the semantic scope of the names of the concepts: the lexemes youth, young in Russian and juventud, joven – in Spanish. Despite the fact that the concept of YOUTH was previously the subject of scientific analysis in the works of Russian linguists, a comparative study of the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures has not been conducted before, which is the novelty of the article. It was revealed that the coinciding conceptual features include: 1) a certain life stage of a person between adolescence and adulthood; 2) characteristic of youth; 3) the first stage of life / existence (about an animal, plant, phenomenon); 4) younger in age or time. It was also found that the period of youth for speakers of Spanish linguoculture covers a greater number of years, compared with the same period in Russian linguoculture, which is due to extralinguistic factors – a longer life expectancy in a Spanish-speaking society. In addition, for native Russian speakers, YOUTH is often associated with ‘immaturity, weakness’, while in Spanish linguoculture JUVENTUD is perceived as a period of ‘flourishing, strength, energy'.

Processing and Comprehension of Locally Ambiguous Participial Relative Clause Sentences in Russian

The study tested how the Recency Preference and Predicate Proximity model (Gibson et al. in Cognition 59(1):23–59, 1996, https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(88)90004-2) plays out by examining the attachment preferences of native Russian speakers when processing locally ambiguous participial relative clause sentences with three potential NP attachment sites in Russian. Using a self-paced reading task, reading times and noun phrase selection responses were collected. Results showed significantly shorter reading times at the disambiguating region and higher accuracy rate of selection in the high-attaching condition than in the middle- and low-attaching conditions. No significant differences were found between the middle- and low-attaching conditions. We argue that Predicate Proximity is a much stronger factor than Recency Preference in Russian.

Historical preparation and ideological legitimisation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: a critical discourse

ABSTRACT I use imperial nationalists in this article to describe Russian nationalists because they have not sought to create an independent state, understanding ‘Russia’ to be bigger than the Russian SFSR and Russian Federation in the form of an empire and union. Russian imperial nationalists have not recognised Ukrainians as a separate people, but instead part of the inner core of their empires and unions. Imperial Russian nationalists believe a pan-Russian people is composed of Great, Little, and White Russians, or Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians respectively. In the USSR, Ukrainians were defined as a separate people to Russians, but also understood to be very close ‘brothers’ who were born together in Kyivan Rus and would always remain together. Imperial nationalism in Vladimir Putin’s Russia has stagnated from this Soviet recognition of a Ukrainian people to a Tsarist and White Russian émigré (anti-Bolshevik forces who fled from Russia after the victory of the Bolsheviks) denial of Ukrainians. This article is the first to analyse how this stagnation of Russian imperial nationalism in Putin’s Russia mentally prepared Russian society and provided ideological legitimisation for Russia’s February 2022 invasion with the goal of destroying Ukrainian identity and replacing it with a Little Russian.

Ukrainians as “Aliens” (Inorodtsy): Governmental Regulation of Ukrainian Cultural Associations, 1905–17

AbstractThis article presents a history of the imperial government’s regulation of Ukrainian cultural associations, which appeared around the Romanov Empire in the aftermath of the 1905 Revolution. It centers on the prehistory, drafting, and implementation of Circular No. 2 (1910), issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and signed by Petr Stolypin on January 20, 1910, which labeled Ukrainian associations “alien.” By studying the document in a wider chronological and geographical context than in previous scholarship, I argue that even though the circular aimed at curbing any non‐Russian nationalist activity irrespective of national group, its more specific goal was to avert a break‐up of the tripartite Russian nation by preventing the inhabitants of the southwestern provinces from becoming Ukrainians. Therefore, the circular’s characterization of Ukrainians as “aliens” was neither an accident nor a bureaucratic mistake, as is suggested in the historiography, but should be considered as a manifestation of the embrace of Russian nationalism by the highest officials of the empire. Additionally, the haphazard implementation of the circular further revealed the multilayered nature of the late imperial bureaucracy, as well as the empire’s inconsistent nationalization on the eve of the First World War.

Gennady Shimanov and His Unfulfilled Dream of “Orthodoxizing the Soviet State”

The article delves into the life and endeavors of Gennady Mikhailovich Shimanov (1937–2014), a relatively unknown to the wide audience yet a profoundly intriguing thinker, Orthodox publicist and dissident of the Soviet and post‑Soviet eras. It provides an overview of his biography and creative journey, highlighting his atypical position within the dissident and human rights movement, which predominantly leaned towards liberalism. In general, Shimanov’s beliefs revolved around practicing Orthodoxy during the Soviet era, Christian socialism, and Russian nationalism. The article focuses on Shimanov’s historiosophical prediction in the 1970s, suggesting the transformation of the Soviet state into an Orthodox theocracy, and the subsequent debates within the dissident literature of that time. Unusual for that period was Shimanov’s conviction in the necessity of maintaining loyalty to the Soviet state even on the part of dissidents. The article also touches upon Shimanov’s post‑Soviet creative works and their character, notably after the collapse of the USSR when his expectations starkly failed to fulfill, or fulfilled in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, other successful ideas and predictions by Shimanov are acknowledged. For example, those regarding the detrimental consequences that the country and society would experience if the liberal approach was chosen as the way out of the historical impasse of the Soviet era. The article also notes weaknesses in Shimanov’s ideologies, particularly evident in the post‑Soviet years: painful antisemitism, excessive social interpretation in understanding of Christianity, and ideological engagement. Simultaneously, the article acknowledges positive aspects of his ideas, namely his focus on national and family issues that heavily impacted the future of the Russian people.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as a Key Link in Achieving Russia's National Goals

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as a Key Link in Achieving Russia's National Goals

ПОШУКИ ТА ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ІДЕНТИЧНОСТІ: ТВОРЧІСТЬ ЛЕОНАРДА СОВІНСЬКОГО В КОНТЕКСТІ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ХЛОПОМАНІВ

Fiction, memoirs, journalism of the middle of the 19th century clearly present the irreversible process of the formation of Ukrainian identity, the awareness of the uniqueness of Ukrainian culture, the transformation of the perception of the national and cultural identity of Ukrainians. In particular, the activity of students of the Kyiv University – Khlopomans and later activists of “Hromada” became a point of reference, on the other hand, the catalyst for changes in ethnic and national self-awareness, a clear definition of values and civic guidelines was the preparation for the Polish liberation January Uprising at the beginning of the sixties of the 19th century. In this context, it is worth taking a closer look at how the Khlopomans – Volodymyr Antonovych, Borys Poznanskyi, Kost’ Myhalchuk, etc. – argue for changing their national identity, switching to Ukrainian, or why they don’t do it and how they work it out artistically, as in the case of Leonard Sowiński. As the memoirs and journalism of the Khlopomans convinces, the decision to switch from Polish to Ukrainian identity was made in view of the separation from the traditional worldview values of the Polish nobility. In particular, Kost’ Mykhalchuk was convinced by his sympathy for the moral side of life and the national psychology of Ukrainians, everyday life and deep culture. Commitment to Ukrainianism was formed in connection with its tragic fate and long struggle for its political, social and cultural rights. On the other hand, another well-known Khlopoman, later Polish poet, writer, essayist and playwright Leonard Sowiński, did not become an activist of “Hromada”. The descendant of a mixed Polish-Ukrainian family remained loyal to Polish identity, identifying with Polish national interests. He was almost the only one who created an artistic vision of the situation surrounding the Khlopomania, preparations for the January Uprising and identity elections in his drama “Na Ukrainie” (Poznan, 1873). Sowiński’s drama witnessed a new stage in the development of social and national relations in Right-Bank Ukraine in the middle and second half of the 19th century and proved a maturity of vision of the new situation that was rare for the artists of that time. The playwright made a successful attempt to create an artistic vision of the destruction of the old patriarchal landlord system, the rupture of the imaginary, created by the first romantics of the “Ukrainian school”, the idyllic Polish-Ukrainian community, the rebirth of the Polish national spirit and the birth of the Ukrainian nation under constant pressure from the dominant groups formed on Ukrainian land Polish and Russian nations.

Концепция русского космизма Марлен Ларюэль

Marlene Laruelle, a prominent French historian, sociologist and political scientist specializing in the study of Russian nationalism and nationalism in the countries of the post-Soviet space, has been paying increasing attention to Russian cosmism in recent years. In Laruelle's works one can find different, complementary ideas, which she calls cosmism. The French researcher dates the main manifestations of Russian cosmism to the 1920s, classifying the project of embalming Lenin’s body with the aim of bringing him back to life with the help of future scientific technologies as such manifestations of "maximalist ideology". M.Laruelle seeks to explore cosmism in our country in the context of its historical emergence but does not consider that the expression "Russian cosmism" itself appeared only in the late 1960s. The French researcher does not consider cosmism to be an exclusively Russian cultural phenomenon; she explores it in the context of larger intellectual traditions, such as occultism. Russian cosmism appears in her works as an intellectual hybrid, a product of crossing many intellectual traditions. M. Laruelle politicizes Russian cosmism, trying to present it as one of the doctrines that shapes modern Russian nationalism. In her political science concept, cosmism, along with еurasianism and аrcticism, appears as one of the three geographical metanarratives of modern Russia. M. Laruelle is quite biased in his political assessments. The French researcher pays undeservedly little attention to V.I. Vernadsky and his teaching about the transition of the biosphere to the noosphere stage.

ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОЕ ПРАВОСЛАВИЕ И СЕКУЛЯРНОЕ ОБЩЕСТВО: ПРОБЛЕМЫ СОВМЕСТИМОСТИ

The article deals with the issues of the religion politicization in a secular society on the example of Orthodox radical activism. The growth of conservative political attitudes among active Orthodox citizens is analyzed as a reaction to the acceleration of the secularization process of Russian society, which creates a threat of marginalization of religious identity. The influence of Western European Christian fundamentalists on the Russian communities of Orthodox radicals is noted. There is a relationship between the spread of radical conservative ideas and values in modern Russian society and catastrophic socio-political changes after the collapse of the USSR, which were accompanied by serious transformations of the collective (national) identity. The article studies specifics of the new nationalreligious identity, formed by modern mass media with extensive borrowings from the legacy of Russian conservative philosophy of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the “roots” of modern Orthodox activism, its close connection with Russian nationalism and international anti-globalism. The collision of the values of a secular society with its cult of freedom and anticlerical attitudes with a conservative-religious picture of the world, in which conspiracy theories and the rejection of liberal ideas play a significant role, is considered by the authors of the article as a result of the collapse of the former socio-political system, where atheism and communist ideology were the main semantic dominants in society.

ФИЛОСОФСКОЕ НАСЛЕДИЕ Д. В. ПИВОВАРОВА: ВЕКТОРЫ РЕЛИГИОЗНОЙ ДУХОВНОСТИ

The relevance of the study of D. V. Pivovarov’s philosophical heritage, his proposed approach to under¬standing religious spirituality, the developed concept of forms of religion and religiosity (cosmocentrism, egocentrism, sociocentrism) is related to the fact that today Russia is in search of that spiritual foundation that could unite all Rus¬sians. The purpose of the article is to show the methodological possibilities of applying D. V. Pivovarov’s concept to com¬prehend the phenomenon of «new spirituality» expressed through such concepts introduced by modern Russian legal acts: «Russian nation», «all-Russian civil identity», «common cultural (civilizational) code of the Russian people». To describe the approach of D.V. Pivovarov, the principles of system analysis are used, which allows us to evaluate the contribution of an outstanding Ural scientist to Russian religious studies; the judgments and conclusions of the author of the concept are used as methodological guidelines for the analysis of the phenomenon of «new spirituality». As a result of the study, the authors came to the conclusion that it is possible to interpret the phenomenon of «new spirituality» as an attempt to create such a «solid core» of sacred values of the unified Russian culture, which will en¬sure the non-conflict coexistence of the ideals of cosmocentrism, sociocentrism and egocentrism. The practical significance is seen in the fact that, being an important methodological tool, the approach proposed by D. V. Pivovarov will find application in the study and explanation of new religious ideas and spiritual practices ad¬equate to the needs of the time, in the teaching of historical and religious studies courses, in assessing the effectiveness of mechanisms for strengthening Russian identity.

BASIC METHODS OF COGNITIVE-DISCURSIVE TERMINOLOGY

The article focuses on the trends of using native Russian and borrowed terminological units to identify the notions of new complex areas of knowledge. In order to analyze the degree of neurolinguistics terminology development, the author applies Prof. V.M. Leitchik’s theory on the language substratum and the logical superstratum of the terminological sign. The target goal of the research is identifying the key terms of modern neurolinguistics. The author describes her method of collecting key Russian neurolinguistic terms represented on an online platform. The author’s working definition of the term “neurolinguistics" is formulated, and recommendations for structuring this field of knowledge are given. It is suggested to discuss to what extent new terms as well as digital research tools help to reveal new aspects of the relationship between language and thought. The author concludes that it is necessary to be attentive to research traditions and carefully analyze the rich national scientific heritage when using new digital tools in linguistics.

Dynasty Divided: A Family History of Russian and Ukrainian Nationalism by Fabian Baumann (review)

Dynasty Divided: A Family History of Russian and Ukrainian Nationalism by Fabian Baumann (review)

How People Contribute to Foreign Policy—Contrasting Perspectives from Russia and Occupied Crimea - Elizaveta Gaufman. Everyday Foreign Policy: Performing and Consuming the Russian Nation after Crimea. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 2023. vii. 177 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Illustrations. Photographs. Figures. Tables. ₤85.00, hardbound. - Yuriy Lukanov. The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea. Ukrainian Voices, vol. 32.

How People Contribute to Foreign Policy—Contrasting Perspectives from Russia and Occupied Crimea - Elizaveta Gaufman. Everyday Foreign Policy: Performing and Consuming the Russian Nation after Crimea. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 2023. vii. 177 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Illustrations. Photographs. Figures. Tables. ₤85.00, hardbound. - Yuriy Lukanov. The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea. Ukrainian Voices, vol. 32.

Nominations of the Speaking Process of Finniс Origin in Russian Colloquialisms of Karelia and Neighbouring Regions (Semantic Aspect)

This article examines the level of content of dialect nominations of the process of speaking with a Finnic basis. The Russian dialects of Karelia and neighbouring regions testify to the long process of mutual relations between Russians and Vepsians and Karelians, first in centres with a mixed ethnic structure of society, and then in regions considered as Russian, where the processes of language interference were quite active both at the structural and semantic levels. The peculiarity of the studied nominations is their integration along with the native Russian lexemes in the semantic field of “Speaking Person”. It is relevant to consider the specifics of semantic and motivational transformation of borrowed words in the lexical and semantic system of Russian dialects, which serves as the purpose of this study. The article focuses on verb nominations found in Russian lexicographic sources. They are compared with the data revealed in the Vepsian, Karelian, and Finnish languages. In the first stage, based on L. G. Babenko's ideographic description of Russian verbs, the author identifies groups and subgroups of verbs representing different acts of speech activity. Then the author determines methods of semantic transfer of words with Finnic base into the lexical system of Russian dialects. The analysis of the semantics of verbs from the point of view of anthropocentrism show that onomatopoetic lexemes motivated by zoological and natural codes, key in understanding the sounding picture of the human world, were of particular importance.

ВЛИЯНИЕ СОЦИАЛЬНО-КУЛЬТУРНЫХ УСЛОВИЙ НА УРОВЕНЬ ФАМИЛЬЯРНОСТИ В ОБЩЕНИИ

Socio-cultural factors influence on manifestation of familiarity communication in modern society is studied in the article. Familiarity communication is defined in the work as a specific form of speech behavior, conventionally fixed by the cultural and socio-historical practice. Research of personal speech preferences in a socio-cultural context makes it possible to substantiate the reasons for choice of certain verbal or non-verbal means with familiarity orientation, which is regulated by the level of cultural, ethical, moral and value attitudes formation of both the individual and society as a whole. It is noted that differences in familiarity communicative style use in institutional and everyday spheres of society are caused by socially determined distribution of communicants' socio-cultural characteristics and are associated with cooperative or disjunctive communication strategy implementation. The paper describes the results of empirical material analysis, which combined samples of modern speech oral statements by native Russian speakers and modern literary works fragments with examples of common ways and means of expressing familiarity, as well as the author's sociological survey. The data obtained as a result of processing indicate dependence of familiarity manifestation degree on participants' social-role or status position in communication, as well as the particular socio-communicative situation specific conditions.

ЯВЛЕНИЯ ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ ГРАММАТИКИ КАК МЕЖКУЛЬТУРНЫЙ КОМПОНЕНТ В ПРЕПОДАВАНИИ ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА

The process of speech generation is intricately linked with cognitive styles, linguistic culture, and pragmatic factors. Intercultural communication practices seek to embrace a new mindset, assimilate into a different linguistic culture, and understand the perspective of its inhabitants. Grammatical constructions convey substantial linguistic, cultural, and cognitive insights about native speakers. This article aims to enhance scientific comprehension of the correlation between language grammar, socio-cultural reality, and the cognitive style of native speakers in the context of teaching English and French to native Russian speakers. It is essential to highlight the cognitive and linguocultural aspects of grammatical phenomena, emphasizing that grammar represents not only a set of intricate sentence construction rules but also embodies the result of the historical development of consciousness within a linguistic culture. Notably, the disparities between linguistic cultures are visibly apparent when examining aspectual and temporal meanings.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Russian-Language Version of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Scale (AOFAS-AHS)

Background. Developed in 1994 by H. Kitaoka et al. the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale (AOFAS-AHS) allows to assess pain, function, deformity and alignment of the foot and ankle. There is no Russian-language AOFAS-AHS questionnaire adapted according to current standards in the scientific literature.
 The aim of this paper is to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the validity of the Russian-language version of the AOFAS-AHS scale, including the evaluation of its psychometric properties.
 Methods. The original English version of the AOFAS-AHS scale was translated from English into Russian by a native Russian speaker. Then the questionnaire was back-translated into English by another translator whose native language is English. The next stage was the comparison of the original and back-translated versions, followed by the presentation of a pre-final cross-culturally adapted version, which was tested on 10 patients to ensure that the questions were comprehensible. The next step was the approval of the final version and its completion by patients to be operated on the hindfoot or ankle. The printed copy of the final version of the questionnaire was completed by the patients with an interval of 3 days. Total of 44 consecutive patients were enrolled, including 18 women (41%) and 26 men (59%), with a mean age of 61.7 (32-78) years. The psychometric properties of the Russian-language version of the AOFAS-AHS questionnaire (internal consistency, retest reliability, measurement error, responsiveness, and construct validity) were assessed based on the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) principles.
 Results. The mean score according to the AOFAS-AHS scale was 49.6 (min 2; max 82) out of a possible 100. The average time to complete the questionnaire was 4.2 minutes. All hypotheses formulated showed correlations of varying moderate to strong degrees. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.76, which indicates a high level of internal consistency of the elements of the validated questionnaire. A good intra-class consistency of 0.83 was obtained, which shows a high degree of reliability of the questionnaire’s reproducibility. The ceiling and floor effects for the primary results of the questionnaires did not exceed 15%. The mean value of the Russian-language version of the AOFAS-AHS increased to 86.6 after surgical treatment. The values of standardized effect size (ES) and standardized response mean (SRM) were 5.56 and 4.83, respectively.
 Conclusion. The adapted Russian-language version of the AOFAS-AHS scale showed good psychometric properties and can be recommended for assessment of the physical activity in patients with ankle and hindfoot-related pathology and can also be used for monitoring the changes during the treatment.

Смыслы патриотизма в представлениях коренных малочисленных народов Якутии и Чукотки

This article is the result of a pilot study of the Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the problems of analyzing the rela-tionship between the manifestation of ethnic phenomenon and Russian patriotism. Currently, scientific tasks related to the study of the problems of strengthening the unity of the multinational people of Russia, the correla-tion between citizenship and ethnicity in people’s consciousness, the level of interethnic harmony in the context of ethnic and linguistic diversity, and the study of the links between these aspects and the spread of patriotism in the country are particularly relevant. The use of qualitative research methods, namely in-depth semi-structured interviews, allowed us to collect a range of opinions of the population and to clarify what factors in-fluence patriotism as an emotionally experienced sense of community and a moral principle that regulates the behavior of people in the representatives of small indigenous peoples of the North.