Obshchestvennaia Zhizn'

[Nora Favorov]

Dear Wise Ones in Matters Slavic,
I am working on a translation that has forced me to confront head on a term
that has bothered me for years.  What, exactly, is общественная жизнь (see
subject line if you haven't conquered computer cyrillic yet)?  Obviously
it's not "social life" as we understand it in English.  Also obviously, it
encompasses much of what happens in a society.  Does it include...
functioning of government services?
changes in religious practices?
functioning of the economy (shelves full in stores, jobs available,
paychecks issued on time)?
health care?
crime or the relative lack thereof?
forums for community interaction?
education at all levels?
or does it have more to do with the interaction of individuals throughout
society--closer to what we would call "social institutions"?  In this case I
include marriage in the subset, but not the economy.

The specific context in which I've encountered this word is a sentence
describing the breakdown and restructuring in many областей общественной
жизни after the October Revolution.

As it stand now in my translation, I've rendered the term merely as
"society"--("breakdown, rebuilding and restructuring that was taking place
in many areas of society").   Does that work?

Thanks in advance,
Nora
__________________________________
Nora Seligman Favorov
8364 Amber Oak Drive
Orlando, FL  32817
Tel   407-679-8151

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