Display Plan

RUSSIA

Submitted by:

Abuel, Rey Joyce

Adanza, Gina
Baconga, Alex Jr.
Evangelista, Dante Rey Jr.
Ibaoc, Kennard Troy
Ibale, Charissa Joyce
Radaza, Kristine
IDS 11 - ACA

Submitted to:
Ms. Colleen Caryl Leslie Torres, MA

November 25, 2019

I. Sketch of Tri-folding Display

II. Multiculturalism Exhibit Plan
 ● Photos with captions
● Cultural materials
III. Presentation

1.) Russian Greeting

All: Privet! Hello! Welcome to Russia!
2.) Brief introduction about Russia, as a country
Rey Joyce: You've reached the land of superlatives, the world's largest country with
11 time zones and a great range of environments and landforms, from deserts to
semiarid steppes to deep forests and Arctic tundra. As the largest country, Russia
occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth! Can you imagine?
Dante: Guys, I bet you're surprised to hear that but let me tell you more. Did you
know? There are actually about 120 ethnic groups in Russia who speak more than a
hundred languages. Roughly 80 percent of Russians trace their ancestry to the Slavs
who settled in the country 1,500 years ago. Other major groups include Tatars, who
came with the Mongol invaders, and Ukrainians. Wow! Their roots must be
something.
Guys, are you ready to experience Russia?
All: Let's go!
3.) Go over the exhibit and showcase Russia’s culture by describing the symbols that
represents Russia.
Gina & Alex: (Point out the symbols starting from flag, and starts discussing what
these symbols mean to Russian culture)
Gina: Don't you think there are too many kinds of people in Russia?
Alex: Yeah. There's too many kinds of people, so maybe it must have different
cultures from different people.
4.) Go over the tri-fold display and answer each question regarding Russian culture.
Troy: Why is the country multicultural?
(Discuss Part A: Why is the country multicultural?)
Kristine: (Discuss the melting pot theory and the languages)
CJ: (Discuss the norms)
Rey Joyce & Dante: (Discuss the characteristics of culture)
Alex: Wow we're done!
Gina: We hope these could be of help when you get to Russia.
All: Spasibo chto prishli! Thank you for coming!

IV. Which concepts of multiculturalism & culture can be observed in their country?

A. Why is the country multicultural? Apply the definition.

Russia is a vast and diverse country, and in promoting a mode of governance rooted
in cultural and religious identity, Putin’s nationalist ideology extends beyond the Russian
Christian Orthodox demographic base. In his discourses, Putin has worked to cultivate an
image of a multi-ethnic and multi-faith Russia. While the ROC certainly maintains a spotlight
in the political arena, Putin has made a rhetorical effort to step away from the Church as the
be-all-and-end-all of Russian identity, insisting that Russia’s strength lies in its cultural
diversity.

Human Trafficking in Russia

In its annual Trafficking In Persons Report, the State Department said Russian
trafficking prosecutions are low despite reports of thousands of cases and that the country still
lacks a national strategy to fight the problem. “The number of victims identified by the [Russian]
government remained negligible and authorities routinely deported potential forced labor
victims without screening for signs of explanation and prosecuted sex trafficking victims for
prostitution offenses,” the report said. Moreover, Russia did take some steps last year to
address trafficking issues, including cutting the number of forced North Korean laborers, firing
officials complicit in forced labor, and returning children from Syria and Iraq.

Russia has reported the number of North Koreans working in labor camps run by
Pyongyang on its territory had declined last year from 30,000 to 11,500. The report said many
of these individuals are subject to forced labor and called on the Russian government to end
its labor agreements with North Korea Russia’s Investigative Committee reported only 14
trafficking investigations in 2018 compared with 19 in the previous year, the report said. The
country’s Supreme Court reported 21 convictions on trafficking charges, compared with 27 a
year earlier. Some of the investigations and prosecutions involved baby-selling, the report
said.
The government does not provide funding or programs for trafficking victims, leaving
the problems of sheltering and helping them squarely on the shoulders of NGOs. Russia has
as many as 12 million foreign workers -- many from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan
and Kyrgyzstan -- and they sometimes fall victim to forced labor, abuse, and sex trafficking.
But the Russian government allowed Kyrgyzstan to appoint representatives to inspect
companies employing migrant labor and law enforcement carried out scheduled and
unannounced visits of such firms. “While these raids took place with some regularity, the use
of undocumented or forced labor remained widespread due to complacency and corruption,”
the State Department said.

B. What theories of multiculturalism can be observed in the subcultures of the

country?

The Melting Pot Theory

Russia’s unique and vibrant culture developed, as did the country itself, from a
complicated interplay of native Slavic cultural material and borrowings from a wide variety of
foreign cultures. In the Kievan period (c. 10th–13th century), the borrowings were primarily
from Eastern Orthodox Byzantine culture. During the Muscovite period (c. 14th–17th century),
the Slavic and Byzantine cultural substrates were enriched and modified by Asiatic influences
carried by the Mongol hordes. Finally, in the modern period (since the 18th century), the
cultural heritage of western Europe was added to the Russian melting pot.

C. What elements & characteristics of culture are seen in the country’s culture?
➢ Elements of culture

1) Symbols

Symbol Meaning

The national flag of Russia is a tri color flag-white color

which lies on the top, blue in the middle and red on the
The National Flag of bottom. White stands for nobility and frankness; blue
Russia symbolizes loyalty, honesty, chastity and scarlet represents
self-sacrifice, generosity and love.

Two-headed eagle has been the symbol of the monarchy of

Russia for more than four hundred years.
● Two heads of the eagle stands for the two parts of
the vast Russian empire — European and Asian.
● There are three historical crowns of Peter the Great
above the two-headed eagle, which symbolizes
Two-headed Eagle sovereignty both in Russia as a whole and in its
parts.
● The eagle holds in claws sceptre and orb as
embodiment of State power and united state.
● On its chest there is a horseman – Russian St.
George – who is killing an evil snake with his spear.
It is the oldest symbols of victory of Russia against
all its enemies, symbol of the struggle of good
against evil, light against gloom.

The Russian Matryoshka doll, also called a nesting doll, is

perhaps the best-known symbol of Russia around the world.
In Russia, the doll is thought to symbolize traditional values
The Matryoshka Doll of Russian society: respect for the elderly, unity of the
extended family, fertility and abundance, and the search for
truth and meaning.

Birch is the most ancient and well-known symbol of Russia.

It is also the most prevalent tree on Russian territory.
Objects made out of birch have been used in rituals and
The Birch Tree celebrations in Russia for centuries. During Ivan Kupala
night, young women braided their hair ribbons into the
branches of the birch tree in order to attract their soul
mates.

A samovar is a large, heated container used to boil water,

especially for tea. The samovar is an iconic symbol of
The Samovar Russian tea-drinking culture. Traditional Russian families
spent hours chatting and relaxing around the table with
 traditional preserves, Russian pretzels and a hot samovar.

"New Russians" are all presumed to drive late-model

Mercedes or Jeeps, live in fancy new red brick dachas,
Symbols of Social dress in designer clothes, speak on cell phones, and wear
Stratification heavy gold chains and rings with diamonds. There is some
truth to this image, which reflects a popular sense that
wealth is vulgar.

2) Languages

While Russian is the official language, many Russians also speak English as a second
language. More than 100 minority languages spoken in Russia today, according to the BBC.
The most popular is Dolgang, spoken by more than 5.3 percent of the country's population,
according to the CIA. Other minority languages include Tartar, Ukrainian, Chuvash, Bashir,
Mordvin and Chechen. Although these minority populations account for a small percentage of
the overall Russian population, these languages are prominent in regional areas.

3) Norms

● Shaking hands with a female is uncommon. Shaking hands with a male is desirable to
obligatory (for example, when you meet someone you are acquainted to at the office).

● When a man invited a girl to go out, he may be expected to behave differently

depending on her world outlook. Generally girls in Russia are less feminist and more
traditional than in Western world. Thus, he most likely will be expected to pay the
dinner, bring her flowers, pick her up home and carry back with your car or taxi, etc.

● Always take your shoes off inside when you come to someone’s home. It is very
offensive to pass to the room in shoes (unless you’re explicitly invited to).

● Don’t try to pick up a taxi in the street, it would not stop, or that will be an unofficial
service (just a man who put a signage on top). Always call a taxi service and they will
bring you a car, or use Uber or Yandex Taxi. An exception is cars parked at the taxi
stand.

➢ Characteristics of culture

1) Culture can be Adaptive and Maladaptive

 Russians are often characterized as
brooders, a group of people who immerse
themselves in negative feelings in ways that
perpetuate distress. One need look no
further than the local Russian newspaper or
library to find evidence supporting this belief
– brooding and emotional suffering are
common themes in Russian discourse.

These observations, coupled with

ethnographic evidence indicating that Russians focus more on unpleasant memories and
feelings than Westerners do.

2) Culture is Integrated

Broadly speaking, generosity, resilience and

strength tend to be common features of the
Russian character across the country.

The immense size of Russia is a testament

to an extraordinary history of conquest.
However, it also reflects the challenges its
society has faced to adequately provide for
and unite such a sprawling and diverse
group of people. Nearly 200 different ethnic
groups and nationalities reside within
Russian borders.

The nationalism, solidarity and cultural identity shared between Russians of such diversity is
highly complex and usually summarised through metaphors. Russians revert to simply leaving
this fact unexplained, quoting a famous poet who said “you cannot understand Russia with
your mind… you can only believe in it”.
Others may refer to the idea and symbolism of a shared Russian ‘soul’ (dusha). This explains
the soul as the combination of one’s heart, mind and culture, and the uniting point making
Russians a cohesive ‘people’ (narod) despite their differences.
 3) Culture and Nature

Russian cuisine is famous for its festive

dishes such as smoked sturgeon balyk,
sturgeon with horseradish, slightly
salted salmon, red, black and pink
caviar, pickled and salted mushrooms.
But this is, of course, only a small part
of Russian national cuisine. Other
popular and traditional dishes include
kasha, a mixture of cereals and
porridge, soups such as borsch,
pancakes, pirogi pies with different salty
fillings, and many dough based dishes.
Poultry dishes are considered festive in
Russian cuisine. Stews, meat and cabbage are popular daily foods, as well as goulash, an old
traditional meat dish.

D. Background of the country and its map

Russia is a country that stretches

over a vast expanse of eastern
Europe and northern Asia. Once
the preeminent republic of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
Russia became an independent
country after the dissolution of the
Soviet Union in December 1991.
 Russia is a land of superlatives. By far
the world’s largest country, it covers
nearly twice the territory of Canada, the
second largest. It extends across the
whole of northern Asia and the eastern
third of Europe, spanning 11 time zones
and incorporating a great range of
environments and landforms, from
deserts to semiarid steppes to deep
forests and Arctic tundra.

Russia contains Europe’s longest river,

the Volga, and its largest lake, Ladoga.
Russia is also home to the world’s
deepest lake, Baikal, and the country
recorded the world’s lowest temperature
outside the North and South poles.

The inhabitants of Russia are quite

diverse. Most are ethnic Russians, but there also are more than 120 other ethnic groups
present, speaking many languages and following disparate religious and cultural traditions.
Most of the Russian population is concentrated in the European portion of the country,
especially in the fertile region surrounding Moscow, the capital.

References

Alekseyeva, A. (2015, March 30). The Russian politics of multiculturalism. Retrieved from
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/russian-politics-of-multiculturalism/.

Hosking, G. A., & McCauley, M. (2019, November 16). Cultural life. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/Cultural-life.

Prince, T. (2019, June 20). U.S.: Russia Still Not Doing Enough To Combat Human
Trafficking. Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-russia-still-not-doing-enough-to-
combat-human-trafficking/30010896.html.

Food and drink: Russian cuisine - Expat Guide to Russia. (2014, May 16). Retrieved
November 24, 2019, from https://www.expatica.com/ru/about/cuisine/food-
and-drink-russian-cuisine-104066/.
Medvedkov, O. L., Medvedkov, Y. V., Seton-Watson, H., Keenan, E. L., Lieven, D., &
Hosking, G. A. (2019, November 16). Russia. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from
https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia.

Pier. (n.d.). Russian Culture - Core Concepts. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from
https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/russian-culture/core-concepts-7069df74-0c53-411e-b39b-
306aaf51f1eb.

Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2019, from

https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/russia-guide.

Symbols of Russia - official and non-official. (2016, June 15). Retrieved November 24,
2019,
from https://teachershelp.ru/symbols-of-russia-official-and-non-official/.