Contemporary Russian Literature: Responses -Reply

[MARY PETRUSEWICZ]

In 1991, there were 25 million ethnic Russians living outside of Russia.
The collapse of the Soviet Union created a diaspora without anyone
moving anywhere.  Seven years later, 23 million ethnic Russians live
outside of Russia (2 million migrated to Russia).  23 million is a minimal
figure.  There are at least 15 million more Russians who live outside of
Russia who are not ethnic Russians (as defined by Soviet law), who
nonetheless consider themselves Russian because Russian is their
native language.

So Russian language often conveys not merely an implication of
ethnicity, but for 25 - 38 million people, a real  sense of being Russian, of
belonging to Russia, as much as or perhaps more than belonging to a
newly independent state.  How will these ethnic Russians think of
themselves in the future?  Will they be like the Germans and argue that
they are a divided nation and must someday reunify, and under one
political roof?  Or will they insist that they are now citizens of other
states?

These issues are addressed by Igor Zevelev in his book _The Russian
Question Into the Twenty-First Century: Russia and its New Diasporas_
(forthcoming), in which he analyzes the impact of diasporas on the
search for a new Russian identity.  Solzhenitsyn has two recent books
about the question of Russian national identity after the collapse of the
Soviet Union.  _The Russian Question at the End of the Twentieth
Century_ (1995), and just out in Russian but not yet translated, _Rossie v
obvalie_ (Moscow 1998).  In them, he addresses the question: what is
Russia, what does it belong to, who belongs to Russia.

If anyone has further reading they consider worthwhile, I would
appreciate hearing from you.

Mary Petrusewicz
American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS

>>> L Malcolm <lmalcolm at gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> 11/04/98 02:57pm >>>
This is also a very important question for librarians. Under the Library of
Congress and Dewey Decimal system, works are of course arranged by
language,
but  this also gives the implication of ethnicity. Where should diaspora
and
minority writers fit in? If they are separated from Russian Russian
writers,
this decreases the chance of library users coming across them when
they are
browsing in the Russian section. However, including them in the Russian
section diminishes their background. Any thoughts?

Lindsay Johnston