commentary to student safety in St Petersburg
Sergey Karpukhin
sak5w at VIRGINIA.EDU
Sat Nov 28 10:19:57 UTC 2009
On the issue of homophobia in Russia, Igor Kon has expressed some interesting ideas in one of the recent episodes of the talk show "Shkola zloslovia" with Avdotia Smirnova and Tatiana Tolstoy. Professor Kon has extensive sociological background and he cited sources according to which homophobia in Russia had actually been on the decrease up to around 2003, when it was adopted as part of political practice. To put it simply, homophobia is now felt to be endorsed by the authorities (what with the cancelled gay parade in Moscow, etc.). The full video is available at: http://video.yandex.ru/users/prozapas5/view/5/.
Sergey Karpukhin
Graduate Student
UW-Madison
----- Original Message -----
From: Jane Costlow
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 1:39 AM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] commentary to student safety in St Petersburg
I've been reading this lengthy conversation with particular interest,
since I'm currently winding up a semester program in St. Petersburg with
24 students from Bates College; we have a particularly diverse group
(two young women from India, a young man from Turkey, two hispanic
students, a woman from Thailand). I'm not chiming in here with any
commentary (although I wholeheartedly agree with the proposition that in
bringing a group like this it is imperative to do preparatory work that
involves conversations with ALL students about a range of difficult
issues) - in fact the semester has gone very smoothly, and the Indian
young woman who was initially frightened (as much by her parents' fears
as by not understanding what people on the street were saying to her) is
now proud of being able to surprise people with her ability to tell the
marshrutka driver where to stop. Our hispanic and Turkish students
have been stopped and asked for their documents but on presenting them
have been cordially sent on their way. The far bigger issue for me has
been getting American students of whatever color to behave in ways that
are respectful of others, in conditions that are NOT dormitories. And
of course drinking.
What I want to note here is that a particularly helpful outcome of this
lengthy discussion would be a list of potential readings, films, etc.,
that we as teachers might use to frame discussions on the issues that
have been raised here. These would ideally be readings that are not
just about the problems and challenges but also about ways in which
different groups within Russia are addressing (or not) those issues.
One final note: over the fall I've picked up various popular media
publications - everything from Argumenty i fakty to my local
neighborhood free paper, which gets distributed in the grocery store -
whose articles address the very issues we're talking about here. The
Aif piece talked about mixed marriages (one horror story, one happy
ending, and some interesting sociological data about why Russian women
are increasingly interested in non-Russian men); the grocery store
publication described the increasingly non-Russian population of St.
Petersburg's neighborhoods and schools - particularly in the outlying
districts, where they suggest the percentage of non-Russians is
approaching 50%. The article was focused on how Russian schools and
schoolteachers are contending with mixed populations in their classrooms.
Any of this material - and lots of other materials, for sure - could
become the basis of really interesting classroom work or preparation for
study abroad. I for one would love it if there were a web-based or
somehow easily available resource list that we could contribute to/build
on and tap into for classes, whether they're in Russian or English.
Jane Costlow
Bates College
Shlomit Gorin wrote:
> Dustin -
>
>
>
>> One (a member of a minority) should not base their life around these
>> statistics/studies and live in fear of them, and as a result cast aside the
>> chance to study and/or live abroad. I agree with Olga Meerson's last
>> commentary addressed to Leigh as well. Fearing something does not change
>> anything, and not acting because of fear is only backtracking.
>>
>>
>
> I think it's reasonable for people to base their lives around safety, and if
> you know that people like you are not safe somewhere, for whatever reasons,
> then deciding to stay away from that place makes complete sense. Fearing
> something can absolutely change something - it can actually save your life.
> Not acting because of fear is not backtracking in this respect - it's a
> healthy instinct to stay safe.
>
>
>
>> CW: No, of course students shouldn't accept any aggressive/racist/anti-X
>> behavior, but they should not be warned to such an extent that they are
>> instilled with a fear that drives them to bury any thought of study abroad.
>>
>>
>
> They should absolutely be warned and, again, any fear they have would be
> warranted. If that leads them to decide not to study abroad in Russia, I see
> that as a perfectly reasonable decision to make. If I were a person of
> color, there is no way I would be going to Russia any time soon, and I don't
> think it's anyone's place but students of color to decide whether or not
> they would feel safe in Russia.
>
>
>> Forgive me for being so repetitive, I wholeheartedly feel that avoiding
>> studying abroad in Russia based on these 'reputable' statistics/studies
>> will
>> not be of help to anyone - not to the students who want to study Russian in
>> Russia, and not to the problem of racism in Russia itself. I do believe
>> that the problem of racism in Russia will solve itself, even though it
>> might
>> take some time. Social interaction between foreigners, Russians, and the
>> 'minorities' thereof will help solve this problem, and overseas studies
>> going to study in Russia is one way to alleviate this problem.
>>
>>
>
> What is disreputable about the statistics of NGOs and nonprofits dedicated
> to tracking hate crimes? Also, forgive me for being repetitive, but
> actually avoiding Russia as a person of color could be enormously helpful -
> it could mean avoiding psychological and physical harm. I'm not sure what
> you mean when you write that "the problem of racism in Russia will solve
> itself." How do such problems ever solve themselves? Since when did racism
> ever solve itself? Correct me if I'm wrong, but progress in human rights has
> always come about through struggles by movements - the civil rights
> movement, the women's rights movement, the gay rights movement, etc.
>
>
>> There are risks everywhere and in every country; it was only a decade or so
>> ago that several British tourists in Florida were gunned down - they were
>> targeted because they were tourists - yet have those sad events caused
>> Brits
>> to stop coming to the US? The same events could happen again.
>>
>>
>
> The British tourists in Florida were victims of robberies and attempted
> robberies. They were targeted because they were tourists, yes, not because
> they were British. Sure, there are risks everywhere, but the kinds and
> extent of the risks vary from country to country, sometimes from one area to
> the next (state-to-state) within the same country. This does not change the
> fact that it is risky to be a person of color in Russia.
>
>
>> Michele: I acknowledge them, but that does not mean that I have to accept
>> them or use them as a measuring stick of the problem. I do not think it is
>> unreasonable to ask for a broader study of the problem to be done. I do
>> not, however, agree with you on your comment regarding uttering
>> racial/ethnic slurs. It's completely unacceptable and 'nekulturniy' the
>> last time I checked.
>>
>> Andrew: Things are different in Russia - you said it. However, how would
>> you like it if your neighbor came into your house and told you how to raise
>> your children and/or treat your partner? What some seem not to grasp is
>> that outside foreign interference in LGBT rights in Russia does not mix
>> well
>> with the average Russian, nor does it help the LGBT cause progress within
>> Russia itself.
>>
>>
>
> So you think that foreign interference in issues of race (e.g. students of
> color studying in Russia) is helpful, but foreign interference in gay rights
> issues is not? I fail to see the logic here.
>
>
>> Gay rights are definitely a problem in Russia, but there is always a time
>> and place for a person to come out of the proverbial closet, and Russia is
>> just not ready yet.
>>
>>
>
> So gay Russians should just wait for their country to be ready?
>
>
>> If, however, you think that the LGBT cause has been helped by foreigner
>> campaigners coming into Russia, then I'd love to see your data on that.
>>
>>
>
> I'd love to see your data on how the LGBT cause has not been helped by
> foreign gay rights activists.
>
> Shlomit
>
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