SEELANGS Digest - 30 Nov 2005 to 1 Dec 2005 (#2005-343)

[J.W.]

Ottawa, Friday 2/12/05 23h35 EST

A couple of postings on a recent SEELANGS may be of interest to you, regarding treatment of minority races in Russian cities.  For those of you who read Russian, you may wish to take a look at the BBC Russian link indicated.

JW

*****

> Subject: SEELANGS Digest - 30 Nov 2005 to 1 Dec 2005 (#2005-343)
>
>
> Subject: Re: BBC News on foreign students in Russia
> Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 09:39:17 +0300
> From: Peter Morley <morley at CANTAB.NET>
>
> For what it's worth, here's a personal view of St. Petersburg regarding racial problems. Unfortunately this view cannot be said to be as rosy as that painted by SEELANGERS of Moscow. If I recall correctly, non-white students have been beaten up and in some cases killed at a rate of 1 a month or thereabouts for the past 18 months or so, and it seems as though tensions are increasing. Going on personal experience, in the past few weeks I have seen anti-Semitic as well as anti-Caucasian stickers in the metro, which is a first for me in the 6-odd years I've been here. One African journalist I know says he has lost count of the number of times he's been stopped and beaten up by police.
>
> That said, racially motivated attacks do seem to be geographically concentrated in areas outside the city centre, around educational institutions and dormitories known to have large numbers of African and Asian students. (Of course, as we all know, none of these attacks are actually racially motivated, but merely cases of "hooliganism" - it must be true, the police keep telling us so.) The city centre has been largely violence free - although the recent murder of Timur Karachava at 6 p.m. on a weekday at the corner of Nevsky and Ligovsky was a shocking exception. It's unlikely that Timur's murder was racially motivated (although I believe his family is originally Georgian), but was rather because of his political activity as an anti-racist, anti-war, anti-fascist campaigner. However, that it happened when and where it did, and that no-one has (as far as I know) been arrested, should give pause for thought. In addition, the students who have suffered have all been African and Asian rather than African-American - although this may be largely due to the geographical factor mentioned above. One African-American student I spoke to recently here said he'd had no problems in the 2 months or so he's been here.
>
> However, please don't let this put you off coming to St. Petersburg - it's a fabulous city, and not to come here would be missing out on seeing a wonderful place, and also giving the racists exactly what they want. I would also echo Renee's sentiments in that St. Petersburg is, for me at least, just like any other large city (although God forbid that any real Petersburger should hear me say so), and that the same rules regarding do's and don't's apply here as most other places.
>
> If you have any more questions, please do contact me.
>
> Best,
>
> Peter Morley
>
> Tuesday, November 29, 2005, 7:06:11 PM, you wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >   I am an African American student and I major in the Russian
> > language.  It concerns me because this is not the first article I
> > have read about Russia and racism.  I was planning to study abroad
> > in Moscow and St. Petersburg for a year.  I also planned to live in
> > Moscow to fulfill an internship but now I am not so sure.  Can
> > anyone please give me some insight or advice as to what I should do?
> >
> >   Thank you for all of your comments,
> >   Mel.
>
> > Vitaly Chernetsky <vchernet at FAS.HARVARD.EDU> wrote:
> >   Dear Colleagues,
>
> > Below pleas find the link to a news story on the Russian-language site of BBC
> > news:
>
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/russia/newsid_4478000/4478446.stm
>
> > It deals with the aftermath of attacks on foreign students in Voronezh.
>
> > Sincerely,
>
> > Vitaly Chernetsky
>
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> >
>
> Subject: Re: BBC News on foreign students in Russia
> Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 09:51:23 -0500
> From: Alissa Bibb <Bibb at AMERICANCOUNCILS.ORG>
>
> Dear SEELANGers,
>
> As a study abroad provider who sends roughly 300 undergraduate and
> graduate students to Russia each year, we believe there are several
> specific steps that study abroad organizations can take to help students
> of color live and study successfully in Moscow and St. Petersburg. These
> include:
>
> Recognize that issues of personal safety and race require more than a
> "street-sense" developed in the U.S.  In particular, acknowledge the
> fact that minority students in Russia will face serious challenges
> related to race - challenges that non-minority students will not
> encounter directly.
>
> Place students with attentive Russian host families who will advise and
> support minority students as they negotiate the challenges of life in
> Russia.
>
> Connect students of color with local Russian students who will take an
> active interest in their experiences, health and well-being while
> abroad. A support network of local students is often critical to helping
> minority students feel safe and at home in Russia.
>
> Prepare students with accurate and thorough but not sensational
> information about racial attitudes in Russia before they leave the U.S.
> Discuss safe and constructive ways to respond to offensive comments.
> Conduct pre-departure orientation workshops that involve all students in
> a discussion of the challenges that minority students will face while
> in-country. Be sure to include non-minority students in these
> discussions so that all students understand how they can best support
> their peers.
>
> Shortly after their arrival in Russia, conduct in-country orientation
> programs that again address the challenges faced by minority students;
> offer concrete advice on places to avoid, warning signs to watch for,
> and steps to take in any potentially dangerous situation.
>
> Encourage all students to purchase cell phones and provide them with
> 24-hour emergency telephone numbers for resident directors and other
> local staff whom they can call for immediate assistance.
>
> Provide resident directors who are accessible to students, take an
> active interest in their well-being, have regular contact with their
> groups, and are sensitive the  challenges faced by minority students in
> this part of the world.
>
> Graham Hettlinger
> Program Manager
> Russia and Eurasia Outbound Office
> American Councils for International Education ACTR/ACCELS

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