Russian friendships

[Olson Laura]

Funny you (Emily Tall) should bring up this topic today; I was just
counseling a student who wanted to write on precisely this question --
Russian (female) friendships -- as depicted in Moscow Does Not Believe in
Tears. I suggested she read Collette Schulman's article from the late 70s
on this topic, in _Women in Russia_ edited by Atkinson, DAllin and
Lapidus. The article is called "The Individual and the Collective" and
talks about the difference between female senses of self in relation to
social groups (friends, co-workers) in Russia and the U.S.
        Although the article was published 20 years ago and although it's
gender-specific, your student might find some of its arguments convincing.
         --Laura Olson


On Thu, 10 Apr 1997, Emily Tall wrote:

> A student in my Russian culture course has gotten annoyed about all this
> talk about Russian friendships and how warm, close and wonderful they are.
> He says he has lots of warm, close and wonderful friendships and can't
> see what all the fuss is about (yes, we've read G. Gerhart). (and yes,
> he is of northern European ancestry). Would anyone like to contribute
> some concrete examples? The ones I've provided don't seem to have
> gotten through. I should think sociologists have studied the question.
> Thanks! Emily Tall
>

Laura J. Olson
Department of Germanic and Slavic               "I don't know
        Languages and Literatures               everything,
                                                I just do
Campus Box 276                                  everything"
Univ. of Colorado                               -Toni Morrison
Boulder, CO 80309

(303) 492-2601