Attempts to answer the question of in which continent does Russia lie reveals an assortment of answers, none of which is clear. Termed a transcontinental country, its longitudinal borders lie between two continents: Europe and Asia. So, geography does not provide us with a clear answer. Biologically speaking, the ancestors of the Russian people emigrated from Africa, some settling in eastern Europe, others moving further north into what is now Russia. But what about Asia? An anthropologic study of Russia reveals a combination of facts which seem to further complicate the answer. The geopolitical relationship between Russia to either Europe or Asia and factors affecting both are fascinating. Furthermore, the role geography plays on cultural identification and other factors that affect it such as politics, economics, historical experiences, and cultural characteristics such as genetics are essential.
Culture is a measurable element. It embodies the personality, values, attitudes, traditions, customs, and language shared by a given people. These elements exist within a cyclical relationship between society at large and the individual and serve to reinforce themselves within the people of a region or nation that contribute towards its existence. Culture while measurable is also fluid, meaning that it is ever-changing (Baranovsky 2000). The factors which contribute to this dynamic are geography, genetics, historical to include political factors, and economics.
Geography plays a large role in cultural identification. By grouping people within a given proximity, the groundwork is established for promoting both mutual influence and emulation. In the case of Russia, their influence over the countries of Eastern Europe before, but particularly after, the second World War is noteworthy. The eastern European countries that aligned themselves with Russia after the second World War did so based on Albert Bandura’s theory of social change. In Bandura’s theory, he explains that there are four steps to social learning: attention, retention, motivation, and reproduction. In the attention phase, the person learning the behavior watches the person displaying the behavior in an effort to emulate them. What is critical here is not to become distracted by outside influences which could cause you to miss a key piece of information. The next step is retention. What is critical here is memory retention. This can be affected by a neurological impairment, language barrier, or a distraction. Next is the motivation stage. This stage is the most important because it identifies the reason why a person would want to emulate the actions of another. Without this component the other phases will cease to be important. Finally, the last stage is reproduction. In this stage the action is duplicated. There is some flexibility here to modify the action to best accommodate the person performing the action. So slight variations are allowed (PSU: Social Learning 2020). So how does this relate to Russia and eastern Europe? I suspect the eastern European countries which followed Russia into communism did so because of their historical connection as well as their admiration of Russia’s development through the centuries, wanting to adopt these features and feeling tied to her through proximity and genetic makeup.
Europe is culturally divided between eastern and western countries. This division is characterized by both former and current political and historical alliances. For example, western Europe has historically aligned itself with capitalism, while eastern Europe aligned itself with communism, particularly after the second World War. This adoption of communist ideology stemmed from Russian influence. Geography alone, however, is not the only factor which contributes towards cultural influence. Cultural impact can also be impeded by geographical factors. Such is the case with Asia (PSU Eastern Europe and Russia. 2020). While African emigration to Russia was certainly feasible, Asian migration was not. Though a significant portion of Russia lies within Asia, several natural obstacles prevent direct Asian migration. Obstacles such as the Siberian tundra, Mongolian desert, Caucasus and Sayan mountains prevent this. The only other route would involve migrating westward through the Middle East and Europe, then moving northward into Russia. Given that southeastern Asia has the necessities for civilization such as fertile land and access to resources, there exists a lack of sufficient impetus to compel anyone to immigrate to Russia by traversing this terrain. This, therefore, prevented significant Asian influence in the development of Russia. But influence alone was not the only factor which led to the coalition between Russia and the other eastern European nations.
Genetics also plays a significant role. Russians and thereby eastern Europeans share the same genetic makeup. Since both groups migrated from Africa and settled within this region this statement seems to make sense. These two groups share genetic makeup; and as the authors of Managing Cultural Differences state, “…people are attracted to others who look like them..” (Moran Abramson Moran 2014). Therefore, proximity brought about by geography alone does not explain the identification of Russia with eastern Europeans and the lack of identification with Asians.
Historical factors also play a major role in identification. For instance, Christianity was first brought to Russia by the Byzantines around the year 1054 (Baranovsky 2000). The vast majority of Russian population resides in the western hemisphere of the country, which falls within Europe. Couple geographical proximity, genetical relationship, and the economic success of Europe and the cultural picture comes more into focus. Following the second World War, which witnessed the rise of Communism within Russia and the beginning of the Cold War, eastern European countries sided with their political views.
A strong factor of influence is economics. Following the end of the Cold War, Russia and later its associated eastern European nations decided to adopt capitalism as their economic model. Since the European Union was not only close but also successful Russia has attempted to align itself with them in hopes of not only bolstering their economy but also increasing their influence within European affairs. However, in order to do this, the EU requires any country who seeks to join their union to modify its existing laws and policies to come into alignment with theirs. In so doing this, a change in culture is required. Factors such as a state’s stance on human rights, democracy, and a market economy become essential (Baranovsky 2000 p.448). Russia’s need to identify with Europe and be seen as a major international player explains its ambition in seeking acceptance into the European Union as well as NATO.
To conclude, there are many factors that contribute to cultural influence. While geography plays a major role in justifying its impact, it is certainly not the only factor. Genetic makeup, political/historical factors, and economics also contribute to the impact of cultural influence.
Resources
Baranovsky, V. (2000). Russia: A Part of Europe or Apart from Europe?. Royal Institute of International Affairs, Vol. 76, No. 3. Europe: Where Does It Begin and End? (July 2000). Pp.443-458.
Pennsylvania State University (2020). Lesson 13: Eastern Europe and Russia. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2041071/modules/items/27977889.
Pennsylvania State University (2020). Lesson 5: Learning and Change in a Global Setting: Social Learning. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2041071/modules/items/27977843.
Moran, Abramson, Moran (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. 9th ed. (Routledge: New York). Chapter 1.
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