The Formation of the «Russian world» Network Structure in Germany in 1991-2020

Bezrodnaya Anastasia Lecturer, Department of regional studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, of. p. 13-14 bezrodnayaa@bk.ru

The modern information society is significantly different from the industrial one, it is characterized by other ways of interaction. One of them is network communication, which assumes a horizontal, not hierarchical, nature of communication between subjects ^[1]. On the basis of such interaction, network structures arise.

The concept of "network structure" has received attention and development within the framework of the works of sociologists and economists: the first note the influence of network structures on the formation of new social relations ^[2], the second – on the nature of the interaction of enterprises and its impact on micro- and macroeconomics (Strelets I.A. Network economics: textbook. M.: Eksmo, 2006. 208 S.).

            In cultural studies, the "network structure" is just beginning to become the object of attention of researchers: at the moment there is a relatively small number of works analyzing the functioning of this concept ^[3].

            In our opinion, the analysis of the "network structure" from the point of view of cultural studies seems relevant, since it allows us to study the functioning of cultural phenomena in a new way.

            One of the most relevant cultural phenomena for research at the present time is the "Russian world". Russian Russian World has been reflected in the speeches of high-ranking politicians for several decades (Dmitry Medvedev's speech at the VI Assembly of the Russian World "The Russian Language and Russian History" // The Government of Russia. [electronic resource]. URL: http://government.ru/news/6346 /), the works of scientists of various scientific schools ^[4], and in 2022 "protection, preservation and promotion of traditions and ideals inherent in the Russian world" (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 05.09.2022 No. 611 "On approval of the concept of humanitarian policy of the Russian Federation abroad") were enshrined in the concept of humanitarian policy of Russia abroad. Russian Russian world network structure has not previously received close attention of researchers: they only mentioned a similar aspect of the refraction of the "Russian world", however, this issue has not received detailed development ^[3]. The study of the "Russian world" abroad, especially from the standpoint of analyzing its formation as a network structure, is innovative.

The purpose of this article is to trace the formation of the network structure of the "Russian world" in Germany in 1991-2020. The choice of the region is due to the presence of a significant number of Russian- speaking population in it (about 3-4 million people. ^{[5, pp. 212-213]}, according to some estimates – 6 million people. ^{[6, p. 11]}) as well as the stable activity of the Russian Federation for the preservation and dissemination of values and achievements of Russian culture. The chronological framework is due, on the one hand, to the formation of a new state – the Russian Federation, which took place against the background of active migration of Russian-speakers to Germany, and, on the other hand, to significant changes in the nature of the activities of the studied structures associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian Russian world In our work means "a socio-cultural, linguistic and religious community that has historically developed on the territory of the modern Russian Federation and the pre-state and state formations that preceded it, including also those people, associations, communities that identify themselves with the "Russian world", which has conditional borders within modern Russia, the countries of the Middle East abroad and Russian-speaking emigrant communities" ^{[7, p. 74, 75]}.

Representatives of the Russian-speaking population living in Germany, along with the Russian state, have founded a significant number of cultural institutions on the territory of Germany that are engaged in the preservation, dissemination and promotion of Russian culture and language. These cultural institutions, including their collectives and target audience, are elements of the network structure of the "Russian world".

In cultural studies, the concept of "network structure" refers to a constantly developing polycentric education, which has the following characteristics: openness, flexibility, coherence and consistency of actions between its elements, demonstrating a high level of trust among themselves. Previously, such signs were formulated in the works of economists and sociologists ^{[2; 8-12]}. However, it was not previously taken into account that the socio–cultural context influences the formation and development of the network structure: for example, in the economic sciences, the advantages and disadvantages of introducing the principle of network interaction between subjects of economic relations are studied ^[8], and in the sociological sciences, the main focus of researchers' attention is the principles of interaction in the information society - the so-called "society of network structures" ^[2]. In our study, attention is paid to the formation of the network structure of the "Russian world", which occurs due to the influence of the socio-cultural context.

A large group of Russian speakers lives in the region chosen for study, which is extremely heterogeneous, due to the different composition of the migration flow from Russia to Germany from 1991 to 2020. At the end of the XX century and the beginning of the new millennium, migration was ethnic in nature ^{[13, p. 61, 69]}: thanks to the programs introduced by Germany, ethnic Germans and Jews living in Russia and other countries of the former USSR began to migrate en masse to Germany. Russian Russians are conventionally divided into groups of "Russian Germans" and "Russian Jews" ^{[13, p. 61, 69]}, however, these groups are characterized by internal stratification according to the level of education, place of residence (city or rural area), etc. In the first two decades of the XXI century, migration changed and acquired the character of family (starting a family with residents of Germany), student (study) and professional (building an international career) ^{[14, p. 48]}. The group of people who choose Germany as their place of residence during this period is even more heterogeneous and is conventionally called "Russians" ^{[13, p. 166]}, although it implies people whose country of origin is not only Russia, but also Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. Moreover, in 2005, Germany adopted the law "On Emigration", which imposes significant restrictions on the admission of ethnic migrants: quotas, language exams and other restrictions are introduced ^{[13, p. 161, p. 164]}.

It is obvious that the Russian-speaking population living in Germany today has various socio-cultural needs, which are understood as "needs characterized by a person's desire to find a reflection of the culture of society in his being through direct interaction with society" ^{[15, p. 219]}. Despite the heterogeneity of this group, its representatives are characterized by two main requests: the preservation of ties with the historical homeland and, at the same time, adaptation in the host country ^[16]. It should be noted that there are studies specifying some socio-cultural needs of Russian speakers ^{[13, pp. 267, 331; 14; 17-18]}, however, to date there are no works showing the diversity of such needs. Russian Russian World network structure is formed precisely under their influence, that is, a network of institutes of the Russian world in Germany, whose activities are aimed at meeting the needs of this heterogeneous group.

Since each institution arises to meet a specific need ^{[19, p. 622]}, it is obvious that its activities and functions are largely determined by the presence or change in the requests of the target audience. The target audience of the institutes of the "Russian world", which are elements of the network structure, include the groups "Russian-speaking" and "Germans". Due to the changes that have occurred in the composition of the first group, we believe that the network structure of the "Russian world" in Germany developed in two main stages: from 1991 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2020. In our opinion, the studied network structure and its functions are able to provide more complete information about the socio-cultural needs of Russian speakers, which researchers have not previously mentioned.

Russian Russian World's network structure in Germany can be typologized as follows after analyzing the data from the official websites of 33 institutes of the "Russian world" in Germany, we came to the conclusion that the network structure of the "Russian world" in Germany can be typologized as follows:

1.      By founder:

· State ("Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin", Berlin; "Petersburg Dialogue", Russia-Germany, etc.);

· Private (Glinka Society, Berlin; Posev Society and Publishing House, Frankfurt am Main; Glazunov Foundation, Munich, etc.);

2.      By territory:

·         Bilateral – operate on the territory of two countries ("German-Russian Forum", Russia-Germany; "Petersburg Dialogue", Russia-Germany, etc.);

·         Classical – operate on the territory of one country (creative association "Lira", Stuttgart; association "Russian-German Educational Center", Munich; Tolstoy Society of Hanover, Hanover, etc.);

3.      By function:

Russian Russian Cultural and educational – organization of events to introduce the audience to the culture of the "Russian world" (the Center of Russian Culture "Mir", Munich; "Caucasian Cultural Center", Berlin; the Center of Russian Culture of Hanover "Zentrum-2000", Hanover, etc.);

Russian Russian language promotion and preservation through the organization of courses on its study and schools ("Russian–German Cultural Center in Nuremberg", Nuremberg; the Society of Russian-speaking Parents and Teachers of Berlin "MITRA", Berlin; Russian cultural, educational and social center "Istok", Frankfurt am Main, etc.). · Educational - promotion and preservation of the Russian language through the organization of courses on its study and schools ("Russian-German Cultural Center in Nuremberg", Nuremberg; Society of Russian-speaking Parents and Teachers of Berlin "MITRA", Berlin; Russian Cultural, educational and social center "Istok", Frankfurt am Main, etc.);

· Religious – organization of Orthodox services, classes in church schools, care of burials, maintenance of temples (Church of St. John of Kronstadt, Hamburg; Orthodox Church community of Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main; Church of the Transfiguration of Christ, Baden-Baden, etc.)

·         Integration – assistance to Russian-speaking migrants for integration into the society of the host country (public association "Atlant", Cologne; integration center "Harmony", Berlin; cultural integration center "Phoenix", Mainz, etc.);

·         For relations with twin cities – organization of events aimed at highlighting or improving cultural and business ties between twin cities ("German-Russian Community in Hamburg", Hamburg; "Club of Friends of St. Petersburg in Bavaria", Nuremberg; "Club of St. Petersburg", Dresden, etc.);

· Business – assistance in business organization, legal, advertising, marketing and business consultations (007-Berlin, Berlin; Russian news agency Plus 7, Dortmund, etc.);

·         Human rights – protection of the rights of Russian-speaking migrants, legal consultations (Dialogue Club, Berlin; Union for the Protection of Human Rights, Cologne, etc.);

·         Russian Russian military historical – protection and protection of war monuments and graves of Russian soldiers on the territory of foreign countries, diverse work with veterans, preservation of military historical memory ("Documentation Center Dresden", Dresden; Potsdam Veterans Organization, Potsdam; "German-Russian Institute of Culture", Dresden, etc.);

·         Scientific – conducting research on the cultural heritage of the Russian abroad, bilateral relations (Joint Commission for the Study of the Modern History of German-Russian Relations", Russia-Germany; "German Society of Russian-speaking Scientists", Stuttgart, etc.).

The transformation of the functions of cultural institutions, therefore, and the network structure, depending on the change in the request of the target audience, seems logical.

One example is the Mir Center for Russian Culture in Munich, founded in 1991. Initially, the center considered the group "Germans" as a target audience: the activities of this institute were limited to familiarizing the inhabitants of Bavaria with the achievements and values of Russian culture, and the events were held exclusively in German. However, in the mid-1990s, when a significant number of "Russian-speaking" groups were already present in Germany, the center expanded its field of activity: educational events began to be held in Russian and German, as well as integration meetings, consultations and educational projects for Russian-speakers appeared ^[20].

Another example is the Russian-German Cultural Center in Nuremberg, founded in 1998. The activities of this institute are extremely diverse, but most of them are educational in nature. Russian Russian was the language of instruction for children until the middle of the first decade of the 21st century: sports sections, classes in school subjects, including Russian language and culture, courses in logic, chess, etc. A school preparation course was conducted in German. However, later the center began to offer special courses for bilingual children, which is due to the increase in the age of the "Russian-speaking" group and the appearance of their children (The official website of the "Russian-German Cultural Center in Nuremberg". URL: https://www.rdkev.de /).

Also noteworthy is the "Caucasian Cultural Center", which appeared in Berlin in 2015. Initially, it was called the "Chechen Cultural Center" and its activities were aimed at a specific ethnic group: about 12 thousand Chechens live in Germany (The official website of the research project "Joshua Project". URL: https://joshuaproject.net/countries/GM). The need of this group to keep in touch with the historical homeland led to the organization of a cultural center, where not only daily prayers and sermons in a familiar language are available, but also the study of the Chechen language for migrant children. In 2018, due to the expansion and increase of the audience, which began to include other peoples of the Caucasus (The official website of the research project "Joshua Project". URL: https://joshuaproject.net/countries/GM ), the center changed its name and introduced Russian language courses as a means of interethnic communication. As a reaction to another need – integration in the host country – since its foundation, the center has been conducting integration consultations, German language courses, and also provides practical recommendations for resolving intercultural conflicts (The official website of the Caucasian Cultural Center in Berlin. URL: https://www.masjid-al-khayr.de /), which can lead to extremely negative consequences in the intercultural dialogue ^[21].

Let's note the activity of the Dialogue club, which opened its doors in 1988. Initially, its activities were aimed at Soviet citizens living in Berlin: screenings of Soviet films, various discussions, integration events were held. The latter received significant development in the 1990s due to the increase in the flow of Russian speakers to Germany and began to include such areas as the study of the German language and culture, computer literacy courses, employment assistance, etc. ^[16].

It is also necessary to pay attention to the interaction of cultural institutions among themselves. As a rule, at the first stage of the development of the network structure of the "Russian world" in Germany, it is sporadic: institutions join forces only if it is necessary to solve joint tasks. For example, the already mentioned Mir Center cooperates with the composer A.K. Glazunov Foundation as part of its activities ^{[20, pp. 21-26]}. The duration of this cooperation testifies to a high level of trust ("spirit of goodwill" ^[12]) between the elements of the network structure of the "Russian world". At the second stage of the development of the network structure, the interaction of institutions becomes more regular: in 2007, the All-German Coordinating Council of Compatriots appeared, uniting representatives of Russian-speaking communities in Germany and formulating recommendations on current activities, event formats, etc. (The official website of the All-German Coordinating Council of Compatriots. URL: http://russkoepole.de/). A high level of trust between the elements of the network structure of the "Russian world" remains ^{[20, pp. 108-109]}.

Thus, based on the scheme presented by us, it is obvious that the network structure of the "Russian world" in Germany is a constantly developing polycentric and multifunctional education, whose functions are formed under the influence of the emergence and development of the socio–cultural needs of the target audience. There is indeed a high level of trust between the elements of this structure, expressed in the mutual assistance of the collectives of the centers and the joint organization of events, which include scientific conferences, scientific and methodological events, cultural festivals. Such signs as flexibility and openness are revealed within the framework of the reaction of cultural institutions – elements of the network structure – to the socio–cultural needs of their target audience - also elements of the network structure. The influence of the socio-cultural context on the formation and development of the network structure is confirmed by changes in the language of communication, functions, the formation of new and modernization of "old" functions depending on the needs of the target audience. Russian Russian speakers in Germany, as well as in other countries, can use the creation of the scheme presented by us in the future to study the socio-cultural needs of Russian speakers in Germany, as well as in other countries, because the approach we have proposed to study the "Russian world" from the standpoint of the network structure is universal and can be used for a more thorough analysis of Russian emigration in other countries of the world.

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