Russian culture
The study presents evidence for the impact of sociocultural environment on creative potential. The divergent thinking performance of American, Russian, and Iranian college students was compared on the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults.... more
The study presents evidence for the impact of sociocultural environment on creative potential. The divergent thinking performance of American, Russian, and Iranian college students was compared on the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults. The study reveals that compared to the Iranians, Americans and Russians have superior abilities to consider a problem from different perspectives and to generate original solutions to a problem. The performance differences on the originality measure of the representatives of the Western and Eastern countries challenge the traditional definition of creativity as a construct involving originality in thinking. Although originality and innovation are inherent properties of creative behavior in the Western thought, it might have lesser value in the East.
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В основе данной публикации лежат материалы одноименной международной конференции, состоявшейся 16-17 сентября 2011 г. в Париже. Книга рассматривает участие французов в таких областях жизни в России как славистика и литературоведение,... more
В основе данной публикации лежат материалы одноименной международной конференции, состоявшейся 16-17 сентября 2011 г. в Париже. Книга рассматривает участие французов в таких областях жизни в России как славистика и литературоведение, пресса и книгоиздательское дело, живопись, музыка, инженерное дело, архитектура, география, этнология, востоковедение, зоология, палеонтология и некоторых других. Книга предваряется вступлением (на фр. яз.), написанным Ф.Д.Лиштенан и В.С.Ржеуцким.
Research Interests: Russian Studies, Russian Literature, French History, French Studies, History of Paleontology, and 18 more19th century France, Russian History, 19th Century (History), Russian Intellectual History, France, History of geography, History of music, 19th Century Russian Literature, Russian culture, Russia, History of architecture, History of Zoology, Press and media history, Slavic Studies, History of the press, Press, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and History of Oriental studiesedit
Research Interests: Russian Studies, Communication, Art History, Media Studies, Media and Cultural Studies, and 31 moreArt, Film Studies, Film Theory, European Cinema, Marxism, Contemporary Art, Film Analysis, Digital Cinema, Philosophy of Film, Silent Film, Communism, Film History, Russian Film, Soviet Film, Russian History, Cinema, Montage, Conceptual Art, Documentary Film, Film, Russian culture, Cinematography, Russia, Film and Media Studies, Movies, Russian Cinema, Cinema Studies, Sergei Eisenstein, Film Editing, Communication Arts, and Communist Cinematographyedit
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The concepts of intimacy (e.g. intimate distance, intimate space, etc.) are being analyzed comparatively in the contexts of Eastern and Western European History.
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""Acknowledging the efficiency of historical and hermeneutical approaches to the analysis of cultural identity, the article is dedicated to intensive, long-term fieldwork as the empirical backbone of linguistic and anthropological... more
""Acknowledging the efficiency of historical and hermeneutical approaches to the analysis of cultural identity, the article is dedicated to intensive, long-term fieldwork as the empirical
backbone of linguistic and anthropological research. An essential part of the encompasses the qualitative analysis of interviews with carriers of culturally rooted values. The aim of these interviews, conducted in Russia, Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, was to understand why young people might avoid bodily contact with representatives of their own as well as foreign cultures. The research began with the premise that the reasons for avoiding
bodily contact (in situations of greeting, for instance) might be explained in rather different terms by carriers of culturally rooted values. Typical scenarios include arguments such as
‘sin’, ‘shame’, ‘differences in social status’ ‘impoliteness’, ‘dirt’, ‘disease’, ‘fear of infection’, etc. During the survey, interview partners were asked to describe the following experiences and
whether they had encountered them in the preceding year: drinking from the same glass, eating from the same plate, smoking the same cigarette, wearing the same underwear, sleeping in the same bed with one's own (1) mother, (2) father, (3) brother, (4) sister, (5) relatives of the same sex, (6) relatives of the opposite sex, (7) friends of the same sex, (8) friends of the opposite sex, (9) unknown persons of the same sex, and (10) unknown persons
of the opposite sex. In other situations, respondents were asked to characterize typical gestures used to greet one's spouse, mother, father, partner, and male or female colleagues. The subjects could choose one of the following answers: (1) long wet kiss on the mouth/tongue kiss, (2) dry kiss on the lips, (3) kiss on the cheek, (4) kiss on the forehead or hand, (5) hugging without a kiss, (6) tapping on the shoulder, shaking hands, (7) tapping on the bottom, (8) waving (without touching), (9) nodding (without touching), etc. The investigation led to the development of frameworks,
which had to explain the use of nonverbal behavioral patterns both within and outside of the family. It was discovered, for instance, that Russians and Ukrainians tend to practice bodily
contact much more often (in comparison to Germans) when greeting members of their own family. Germans proved to be more open with regard to accepting direct and indirect bodily
contact from representatives of non-primordial communities, such as school classes, groups of colleagues, political parties, etc. One can attempt to explain this difference in terms of the opposition between oikos (big family, home) and polis in terms of the definition proposed by Aristotle. Yet one should still conclude that the meaning of a number of cultural taboos (whose origins might derive from antiquity) is mostly hidden for the representatives of the respective culture. Such taboos are anchored in nonverbal behavioral stereotypes of everyday life. Taboos can be increasingly understood and described if scholars are to combine textual and praxeological approaches.""
backbone of linguistic and anthropological research. An essential part of the encompasses the qualitative analysis of interviews with carriers of culturally rooted values. The aim of these interviews, conducted in Russia, Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, was to understand why young people might avoid bodily contact with representatives of their own as well as foreign cultures. The research began with the premise that the reasons for avoiding
bodily contact (in situations of greeting, for instance) might be explained in rather different terms by carriers of culturally rooted values. Typical scenarios include arguments such as
‘sin’, ‘shame’, ‘differences in social status’ ‘impoliteness’, ‘dirt’, ‘disease’, ‘fear of infection’, etc. During the survey, interview partners were asked to describe the following experiences and
whether they had encountered them in the preceding year: drinking from the same glass, eating from the same plate, smoking the same cigarette, wearing the same underwear, sleeping in the same bed with one's own (1) mother, (2) father, (3) brother, (4) sister, (5) relatives of the same sex, (6) relatives of the opposite sex, (7) friends of the same sex, (8) friends of the opposite sex, (9) unknown persons of the same sex, and (10) unknown persons
of the opposite sex. In other situations, respondents were asked to characterize typical gestures used to greet one's spouse, mother, father, partner, and male or female colleagues. The subjects could choose one of the following answers: (1) long wet kiss on the mouth/tongue kiss, (2) dry kiss on the lips, (3) kiss on the cheek, (4) kiss on the forehead or hand, (5) hugging without a kiss, (6) tapping on the shoulder, shaking hands, (7) tapping on the bottom, (8) waving (without touching), (9) nodding (without touching), etc. The investigation led to the development of frameworks,
which had to explain the use of nonverbal behavioral patterns both within and outside of the family. It was discovered, for instance, that Russians and Ukrainians tend to practice bodily
contact much more often (in comparison to Germans) when greeting members of their own family. Germans proved to be more open with regard to accepting direct and indirect bodily
contact from representatives of non-primordial communities, such as school classes, groups of colleagues, political parties, etc. One can attempt to explain this difference in terms of the opposition between oikos (big family, home) and polis in terms of the definition proposed by Aristotle. Yet one should still conclude that the meaning of a number of cultural taboos (whose origins might derive from antiquity) is mostly hidden for the representatives of the respective culture. Such taboos are anchored in nonverbal behavioral stereotypes of everyday life. Taboos can be increasingly understood and described if scholars are to combine textual and praxeological approaches.""
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, German Studies, Russian Studies, Intercultural Communication, Self and Identity, and 25 moreSocial and Cultural Anthropology, Comparative History, Cross-border cooperation, History of the Senses, Identity (Culture), Cross-Cultural Psychology, Cross-Cultural Studies, Czech & Slovak Studies, Survey Research, Intercultural Identity, Cultural Anthropology, Cross-cultural interaction (Archaeology), Comparative and historical sociology, InterCultural Studies, Cross-Cultural Communication, Russian culture, Greeting rituals, Taboo, Touch, Russian and Slavonic Studies, German and Russian languages and the culture, History of social hygiene, eugenics, exchange of medical knowledge across national and ideological borders in the 19th and 20th centuries, Intercultural training, Comparative and Historical Methods, and Thanking and Greetingedit
""Since the Enlightenment smell has been regarded as the lowest level at the hierarchy of sences. Civilization produced concert halls and art galleries, but no museums of smell. Following on the methods of New Historicism and Annales... more
""Since the Enlightenment smell has been regarded as the lowest level at the hierarchy of sences. Civilization produced concert halls and art galleries, but no museums of smell. Following on the methods of New Historicism and Annales (Aries, Chartier, Braudel), the author is comparing the Russian smell policy with its European prototypes.
According to Freud, smell does not play any role in sexual relationships of human beings and is replaced by vision at the early stages of human development. However, Freud's statement contradicts the data of social research. Perfumes made from anal and sexual secretions of animals, amber and musk were the integral part of sexual activity in Europe in the 17th century. In Russian baths at that time musk was also a very common aphrodisiac. Smell was a sign of presence, a reference to memory and power.
Animal smells disappeared in Europe under the influence of the English sentimental fashion. The new urban space, being considered a "natural" one, presupposed a high olfactory sensitivity. As a remainder of English "pleasure gardens", lavender and thyme became the basic "cultural" smells at that time. Russian culture was not unaware of these changes, but experienced them later than the Western world. This delay has usually been considered by the Europeans as a "lack of culture" (Herberstein 1526, Fletcher 1591, Petreius de Erlesunda 1605, Olearius 1656, de Custine 1825 etc.).
Russia joined the new, culturally-oriented system of smells only in the 19th century. To illustrate this statement, the last part of the paper is devoted to the "olfactory" analysis of texts by Gogol' ("The Inspector General", "Evenings on a Farm near Dikan'ka), Tolstoj (Anna Karenina), Saltykov-Shchedrin ("The Tale of The One City"), Dostoevskii (Poor Folk), Chexov ("The Cherry Orchard", "The Seagull", "Three Sisters"). Some statistical information on the use of different smell designations is being provided as well""
According to Freud, smell does not play any role in sexual relationships of human beings and is replaced by vision at the early stages of human development. However, Freud's statement contradicts the data of social research. Perfumes made from anal and sexual secretions of animals, amber and musk were the integral part of sexual activity in Europe in the 17th century. In Russian baths at that time musk was also a very common aphrodisiac. Smell was a sign of presence, a reference to memory and power.
Animal smells disappeared in Europe under the influence of the English sentimental fashion. The new urban space, being considered a "natural" one, presupposed a high olfactory sensitivity. As a remainder of English "pleasure gardens", lavender and thyme became the basic "cultural" smells at that time. Russian culture was not unaware of these changes, but experienced them later than the Western world. This delay has usually been considered by the Europeans as a "lack of culture" (Herberstein 1526, Fletcher 1591, Petreius de Erlesunda 1605, Olearius 1656, de Custine 1825 etc.).
Russia joined the new, culturally-oriented system of smells only in the 19th century. To illustrate this statement, the last part of the paper is devoted to the "olfactory" analysis of texts by Gogol' ("The Inspector General", "Evenings on a Farm near Dikan'ka), Tolstoj (Anna Karenina), Saltykov-Shchedrin ("The Tale of The One City"), Dostoevskii (Poor Folk), Chexov ("The Cherry Orchard", "The Seagull", "Three Sisters"). Some statistical information on the use of different smell designations is being provided as well""
Research Interests: Cultural History, Cultural Studies, Eastern European Studies, Russian Studies, Russian Literature, and 12 moreHistorical Anthropology, Cultural Sociology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Enlightenment, Intellectual History of Enlightenment, Absolutism, Russian History, History of Everyday Life, Courts and Elites (History), Russian culture, Smell, and History of Perfumesedit
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"СЛОВАРЬ РУССКИХ НАРОДНЫХ ГОВОРОВ или "НОВЫЙ ДАЛЬ" (более 300,000 словарных статей) фиксирует все лексическое богатство русской народной речи со всей совокупностью значений слов и особенностей их употребления на основе картотеки, в... more
"СЛОВАРЬ РУССКИХ НАРОДНЫХ ГОВОРОВ или "НОВЫЙ ДАЛЬ" (более 300,000 словарных статей) фиксирует все лексическое богатство русской народной речи со всей совокупностью значений слов и особенностей их употребления на основе картотеки, в которой представлены материалы с начала XIX в. до наших дней. Словарь - важное звено в системе исторических и современных словарей русского языка.
В нем фиксируется лексическое и фразеологическое богатство русской народной речи со всей совокупностью значений слов и фразеологических сочетаний, показаны особенности их употребления в русских говорах XIX-XX вв. В основу его положены непосредственные наблюдения живой народной речи, произведения устного народного творчества, труды по этнографии, истории культуры. Словарь дает возможность не только представить огромное богатство диалектной лексики, но и увидеть, как она распространена на территории русского языка, каковы ее изменение и развитие на протяжении двух веков."
В нем фиксируется лексическое и фразеологическое богатство русской народной речи со всей совокупностью значений слов и фразеологических сочетаний, показаны особенности их употребления в русских говорах XIX-XX вв. В основу его положены непосредственные наблюдения живой народной речи, произведения устного народного творчества, труды по этнографии, истории культуры. Словарь дает возможность не только представить огромное богатство диалектной лексики, но и увидеть, как она распространена на территории русского языка, каковы ее изменение и развитие на протяжении двух веков."
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This volume brings together two classic works on the culture of the Russian people which have been long out of print. Gorer's Great Russian Culture and Mead's Soviet Attitudes towards Authority: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Problems... more
This volume brings together two classic works on the culture of the Russian people which have been long out of print. Gorer's Great Russian Culture and Mead's Soviet Attitudes towards Authority: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Problems of Soviet Character were among the first attempts by anthropologists to analyze Russian society.
Reviews:
"These texts expose ... the impoverishing effect of recent emphases on critical virtuosity. The phenomenological status, processes, and practices involved (in our culture) in terms such as "character" are fascinating to study." · Journal of Anthropological Research
"Regardless of the dated theoretical approach of these classics, their valuable factual material and the ability of the authors to inspire further reflection still make them worth reading." · Ethnos
They were influential both for several generations of anthropologists and in shaping American governmental attitudes toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War period. Additionally they offer fascinating insights into the early anthropological use of psychological data to analyze cultural patterns. Read as part of the history of the anthropology of complex contemporary societies, they are as fascinating for their more questionable conclusions as for their accurate characterizations of Russian life.
""
Reviews:
"These texts expose ... the impoverishing effect of recent emphases on critical virtuosity. The phenomenological status, processes, and practices involved (in our culture) in terms such as "character" are fascinating to study." · Journal of Anthropological Research
"Regardless of the dated theoretical approach of these classics, their valuable factual material and the ability of the authors to inspire further reflection still make them worth reading." · Ethnos
They were influential both for several generations of anthropologists and in shaping American governmental attitudes toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War period. Additionally they offer fascinating insights into the early anthropological use of psychological data to analyze cultural patterns. Read as part of the history of the anthropology of complex contemporary societies, they are as fascinating for their more questionable conclusions as for their accurate characterizations of Russian life.
""