Which Russian-Americans?

[Benjamin Sher]

Dear colleagues:

The subject of Russian-American identity sounds fascinating, and I
hope to learn much from those of you who have direct or indirect
experience in this area. However, may I please ask that you specify
which Wave of immigrants you are talking about, the first after the
1917 Revolution (consisting mostly of memebers of the Russian
aristocracy), the second after WWII or the third after 1967-1991)
(consisting mostly of Russian Jews or the new fourth Wave since 1991.
Perhaps I am wrong about exactly which groups belonged to what wave,
and I hope to be corrected on this point. It just seems to me that to
talk about Russian nationalism and Russian-American identity without
discussing them in their historical and ethnic and ideological (white
vs. red, etc.) context, etc. would be too vague and perhaps just a
dead-end.

I am a Polish-Israeli immigrant to the United States (having arrived
here at the age of 12) and would very much like to know more about
Russian-Americans' attitudes to their American experience. But which
Russian-Americans are we talking about?

Yours,

Benjamin



Benjamin Sher
Russian Literary Translator
Email: sher07 at bellsouth.net
http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/