Disc. on Russian-Americans cont'd

[A & Y]

> > What interests me is how does this very large group of people perceive
> > itself, does it see/know itself as a community, with one or a set of
common
> > interests and what might those be? Does it have an interest in
preserving
> > itself in some sort of institutional way and with what sort of
> > institutions?  How does it want to integrate or keep itself apart from
the
> > rest of American society?

I think part of the answer lies in the very first sentence of your inquiry.
Simply  referring to a "very large group" of people implies that there isn't
just one definite and clear-cut answer.  It would be exactly the same as
asking "how do American citizens perceive themselves?"  Because
you're dealing with such a diverse group of people (meaning the
immigrants, refugees and asyless from the former Soviet Union) you can
hardly expect to classify them all as individuals, or their sentiments and
attitudes under one category.  There is a multitude of factors that need to
be taken into consideration.  For instance, what waves of immigration
are you referring to?  What geographical locations in the FSU did the
immigrants come from (even the matter of rural areas vs. urban areas is
important)? Where in the US have they settled down? What are their
ages? Educational backgrounds?

Surely, to an outsider, there'll always be groups of people - be they
Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans or Russian-Americans.  But within
each of these groups there's often as much diversity as there is within
American society.

This is certainly an extremely interesting and exciting area in which little
research has been done.  I, for one, plan to contribute to the study of
Russian-American populations in the U.S. by devoting my year-long
senior honors research to the issue.  By the way, I'm in the process of
developing my thesis, so any comments and ideas are welcomed.  I
should perhaps mention that this will be a research study in psychology.
However, research won't be limited to this science and I hope that
implications can be generalized. I have already done some research in
the area and have written a short paper on it.  It is an overview of trends
of immigration from the FSU along with psychological elements that
accompany each stage of transition and resettlement. If anyone's
interested, I would gladly share this report. Please contact me at the
address below.

As far as general observations, combined with personal experience (I
immigrated to the United States in 1992), go - there's, again, a wide range
of trends and inclinations.  Some of my fellow
Russian/Jewish-Americans yearn to separate themselves from their
backgrounds and to "chop off their roots" by integrating completely and
seemingly seamlessly into the American society, changing their names
beyond recognition, neglecting their mother-tongue and so on.  I would
imagine this is generally practiced by those who reside in remote
locations with little or no access to Russian-speaking communities or the
media.  On the other hand, there are those who freely enjoy lives very
similar to those once led in Russia (with improved living conditions, of
course).  As stereotypical an example as it is, a trip to Brighton Beach
(Brooklyn, NY) will easily illustrate this point.  In communities with large
Russian-speaking populations, Russian businesses, clubs and
associations thrive.  In certain places this reache a point where
knowledge of the English language ceases to be essential.  These are
non-fictional documented facts...

I do believe that the majority of FSU-born people in this country does like
to maintain a tie to their roots, culture and traditions.  A tie, varying in
its
strength and intensity.  A tie, facilitated consciously or not.  Hence, the
abundance of media sources in Russian - including newspapers, TV and
radio; the success of Russian bookstores and music stores; the
popularity of Russian delicacy stores...:); the frequent visits of Moscow
and St. Petersbrugh theater companies, singers and bards - over the
period of the past 5-6 months I have had the pleasure to enjoy a
production of  "The Cherry Orchard" by Sovremennik, "The Three
Sisters" by MXAT and am soon looking forward to attending a play
brought to the U.S. by Len.Kom. And, lastly, but perhaps as important in
the long run as the above, the presence of Russian-speaking population
on the Internet.  Their (our) involvement can be evidenced anywhere
from the abundance of personal homepages by college students with
soviet origins, parts of which almost 100% of the time are devoted to
some aspect of Russian culture,  to such a mega-site as
www.kulichku.ru - a site that tops popularity charts of Russian-speaking
Internet users both in Russia and the former republics and overseas.
This site was originally created several years by 2 graduate students,
completing their studies in the American Midwest.  I would also like to call
the attention of anyone who's interested in a magazine entitled
"Molodaya America" - Young Russian America (http://www.rit.edu/~syr6220).
It's dedicated to arts and
literature and is produced by and for Russian-speaking youth from
around the globe.  I may be a bit impartial to it, since I happen to be its
editor-in-chief, however I honestly believe it deserves attention and
consideration.  The 4th issue of the magazine will be out in the coming
week after a short break.

Also, a few people touched upon the fact that Russian emigre parents
discourage their children from learning Russian. Not so in my experience.  I
personally know several immigrant families, whose children were born in
America and who deliberately communicate with them in Russian from the early
years, so that a child can appreciate the advantages of being bilingual
later on in life. And as for English - kids catch up instaneously as soon as
they start school. (It would be interesting, though, to examine the
long-term effects of such practices).  True, most children and teenagers are
americanized, but I dare say that a majority of them is darn proud of their
heritage.  I know I am.  Otherwise I probably wouldn't choose to dedicate my
professional future to Russian and East European literature, while facing
disapproval if not opposition from many.

I apologize for a somewhat extended response to the original inquiry.  I
am very much interested in this topic and the issues surrounding it and
would be extremely glad to see more related discussion on this list.
However, I do realize that such a discussion may bridge the alotted
guidelines of SEELANGS.  Perhaps, if there's significant interest in it,
though, the boundaries could be stretched...

With hopes to indulge in a sea of responses and comments to this
message...:),

Yelena (Alena) Kachuro
Fordham University

margadon at quicklink.com