Dr. Valerie Z. Nollan is the author of this op-ed.
For an interview, contact:
Ginny Davis
Rhodes College
Memphis, TN
phone: (901) 843-3470
[email protected]
The Other Russia
(There is more to Russia than political corruption and terrorist bombings.)
Headline news stories on political corruption and terrorist bombings make it easy for the West to forget the other Russia, the Russia of the everyday lives of some 180 million people. Observers of Russia report the exceptions and extremes, often neglecting the typical and positive features of the average person's existence.
Accounts of corruption and crime in Russia lack this broader perspective, which would illuminate the real degree (relatively small) to which these problems affect the average person in Russia. The macroeconomics of Russian society are distressing indeed, but the microeconomic picture reveals a lively and thriving way of life for millions of people.
To be sure, the ruble needs stability badly, but for the many Russians who have access to hard currency, mostly through employment by international firms with divisions in Russia, life at present is bearable and even enjoyable. Even those who are paid in rubles and who are established in their professional work are faring reasonably well. Because of the steady diet of doom-and-gloom accounts about Russian life that the West receives, it might seem shocking that most Russians actually live a normal life.
I travel to Russia on a regular basis, on my own and with students of the Russian language; the Russia that I encounter in daily news sources is almost unrecognizable from the country and people I know. No country deserves the kind of dismissive, categorical reports we typically hear about Russia, in which speakers confidently proclaim that it is "falling apart" or, even worse, "dead." Students who travel to Russia on study-abroad programs experience the fascinations of Russian life personally, and they quickly become convinced of what this essay can only touch upon.
Russia is not a paradise, but neither is it a hopeless quagmire. Like all civilized countries, it is somewhere in between.
Enrollments in Russian language programs in the U.S. have declined steadily in recent years (largely as a result of Russia's rocky road to democracy), precisely at a time when we most need to understand that country. Russian, a rich language comprising only 31 letters and 2 signs, is much easier to learn than is commonly believed; it goes without saying that knowledge of the original language, rather than a reliance on translation and interpretation, would provide the uninitiated with direct, genuine access to a culture we otherwise know only superficially.
Beyond reports of Kremlin politics, how much does the West really understand about Russia and the Russian mindset? Russian classical music, ballet, opera, and literature are well known here and have earned a permanent place in world culture. Early twentieth-century avant-garde Russian art, especially painting, poetry, and the cinema, have also made their way to Western shores. However, almost unknown in the West (especially in the U.S.) or, at best, poorly understood because of the nightmare of communism is the Russian religious tradition that embraces iconographic art, a religious philosophy of great depth, and Orthodox Christian theology. How many American colleges and universities offer even a single course on Russian Orthodoxy--a major world religion--either in their undergraduate or graduate programs?
Equally disturbing are the exaggerated reports on the amount of crime in Russia, whose statistics on crimes of the categories typically recorded are far lower than those of many Western countries. The notions of metal detectors in public schools and shootings in churches would sound like science fiction to a Russian. It is thus not surprising that so many misconceptions abound about the Russian Federation and its people. If we learn about Russia not because of its glorious culture, then at the very least we should do this out of our own self-interest: Russia always has been, and will continue to be, a significant force to contend with in world culture and politics.
Because of outdated Cold War attitudes that confuse Russia with the Soviet regime that held it hostage for some seventy years, the West still treats Russia as a marked country: if a crime takes place there, it somehow seems worse than when the same crime occurs elsewhere in the world. In business terms, if two-thirds of the world's emerging markets are characterized by elements of corruption, then it should not be surprising that Russia, as a huge emerging market, would also have its share of corruption.
To expect the Russian Federation to emerge as a perfectly-functioning democratic society in ten years after decades of the most brutal treatment by the Soviet regime is both unrealistic and an unfair expectation of the millions of honest citizens who are working to rebuild their country.
One example of the enormous burden that Russia has to bear is its national debt, two-thirds of which belong to the now-defunct Soviet Union, while the rest stems from the combined reasons of corruption and a depressed ecomony that derives in large part from ecomonic discrimination of the Russian republic by a Soviet regime that systematically strove to bring Russia to its knees. It will take Russia more than a scant ten years to recover from this attack on its people, culture, religion, and natural resources.
Occupying that hard-to-define (European? Asian?) territory spanning eleven time zones between Europe and China, Russia historically has borne the brunt of Mongol hordes that sought to dominate European lands, and of European conquerors attempting to subjugate the Slavic peoples in the East. Not surprisingly, Russia's complex geography and history have affected the psychology of its people, whose patriotism and loyalty to their country are sometimes difficult for Americans to understand.
However, with some knowledge and thoughtfulness about Russia, we will realize that in the important ways Russians are no different from ourselves: they go to work everyday, their children attend school and play video games, and friends talk about life in outdoor cafes topped with colorful umbrellas. The same salient issues concern both Americans and Russians: we all worry about making ends meet, living productive and rewarding lives, and ensuring that our families--and countries--will have a viable future.
If at most 1% of Russia's population is involved in corruption, then I am interested in the other 99%, for in this mass of people is contained what is enduring and typical for the country. Russia's national ideal, like that of any civilization at a particular stage of its development, contains the best of her people's character traits: humility, innovation, a strong aesthetic sense, and a respect for the acquisition of knowledge.
Instead of the same tired, unproductive litanies of Russia's political and economic woes, we need a new and more balanced vision of that country, one that takes into account its deep cultural roots and recent successes (such as creating and following a new constitution and legal code) in making the transition to a more stable society. We need to learn Russia's language, study its history and religion, and reacquaint ourselves with the creative people who have produced a world-class culture and society.
We must understand Russia, not only because it is a nuclear power and a vast market for business and commerce (though these are not bad reasons), but also because by learning about the Other we will gain a clearer understanding of ourselves and our place among the peoples of the world.
Valerie Z. Nollan
Associate Professor of Russian
Language and Literature and
Coordinator of Russian Studies
Rhodes College
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