Identichnost'

[Daniel Rancour-Laferriere]

8 March 2005
>
>Dear SEELANGers,
>
>I think Alina Israeli is right.  My translators, editors, and I agonized
>over this question some years ago when my book _Russian Nationalism from
>an Interdisciplinary Perspective_ (Edwin Mellen Press, 2000) was
>translated (_Rossiia i russkie glazami amerikanskogo psikhoanalitika_,
>Ladomir, 2003).  The English chapter title "Identity is not Character"
>came out in Russian as "Razlichie mezhdu identichnost'iu i kharakterom,"
>p. 38.  I would say "samobytnost'" is not right for "identity" because
>it implies something special, unique, slightly nationalistic.
>
>Also, whenever I am asked just what it is that constitutes Russian
>identity ("identichnost'"), or just exactly who are the Russians, I
>reply: "In 99.9% of the cases Russians are people who identify
>themselves as Russians."  This avoids the whole "character" or "soul"
>problem, and respects the long history of assimilationism in Russia, as
>well as the fact that it is biologically impossible to define a Russian
>(see _Russian Life_, no. 6, 2002, p. 64).
>
>Cheers,
>
>Daniel Rancour-Laferriere
>Emeritus Professor of Russian
>University of California, Davis
>
>Alina Israeli wrote:
>

>>> >> Lichnost' ?
>>> >>
>>> >> At least that is what is used when referring to proof of identity.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>
>>
>>>> >>> What is an elegant translation for'identity' in Russian? Identichnost'
>>>> >>> sounds
>>>> >>> unnatural.
>>>> >>>
>>>
>>>
>> >
>> >
>> > In psychological sense slowly but surely "identichnost'" has finally made
>> > it in. We certainly needed a word for "cultural identity" or
>
>
>"identity as a

>> > writer" etc. for a long time.
>> >
>> > __________________________
>> > Alina Israeli
>> > LFS, American University
>> > 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
>> > Washington, DC 20016
>> >
>> > phone:    (202) 885-2387
>> > fax:      (202) 885-1076
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>
>
>
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