National Identity in Russia from 1961

Traditions & Deterritorialisation

An ‘English Pub’ in Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, photographed in April 2006. The name, transliterated directly into Russian,

is ‘Big pig pab’ (Big Pig Pub), not in fact a traditional or even a particularly likely name for a hostelry in England.

To add to the cultural confusion, the pub is offering a ‘Lenten menu’ of meatless food for the run-up to Orthodox Easter.

What does ‘being Russian’ mean in the post-Soviet world? Why has increased contact with the West often provoked hostility to non-Russians? What has been the impact of migrancy and foreign travel on Russian culture over the last four decades? How has ‘heritage culture’, as developed from the late 1960s, affected attitudes to being Russian?

Enquiries:

russian-nationalism@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk

© University of Oxford. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 22, 2008