Russian and American Cultures - Two Worlds a World Apart

This study provides a broad and interdisciplinary examination of Russian culture and Western perceptions of the country. Drawing from psychology, anthropology, law, and literary criticism, the author traces the roots of Russian authoritarianism, collectivism, and nationalism in the country's history of religion, agricultural communes, and serfdom.

List of contents

Part I: Religion
Chapter 1: Spirituality and Education in Early Medieval Rus'
Chapter 2: Religious Culture in Muscovy: The Fifteenth through Seventeenth Centuries
Chapter 3: St. Petersburg: Development of Secular Culture
Chapter 4: Religion in Russia Today
Chapter 5: A Culture Oriented toward Expression: The Legacy
Part II: Russian Collectivism and the Work Ethic
Chapter 6: Historical Origins of the Russian Work Ethic
Chapter 7: Attitudes toward Work through the Eyes of Russian Literature
Part III: Legal Nihilism: The Tradition of Law and Morality in Russia
Chapter 8: A Case Study: Vitaly Kaloyev-A Murderer or a Hero?
Chapter 9: Concepts of Legal Nihilism in the Contemporary Russian Context
Chapter 10: Historical Roots of Russian Legal Nihilism
Chapter 11: Law in Contemporary Russia
Part IV: Perceptions and Reactions
Chapter 12: Russian Perceptions of America: Historical Perspective
Chapter 13: Individual Characteristics of Consciousness and Perception of a Foreign Culture
Chapter 14: Development of Individual Consciousness within National Culture
Chapter 15: Asymmetry in Russians' Perception of America and Americans' Perception of Russia

About the author

Konstantin V. Kustanovich is professor emeritus of Russian at Vanderbilt University.

Product details

• Authors: Konstantin V Kustanovich, Konstantin V. Kustanovich
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.05.2020
• EAN: 9781498538350
• ISBN: 978-1-4985-3835-0
• No. of pages: 228
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Russia, PSYCHOLOGY / Social Psychology, HISTORY / World, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Social, group or collective psychology, Social and cultural anthropology, Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe), USSR, Soviet Union, History of other geographical groupings and regions, History of other lands, HISTORY / Russia / Soviet Era