Russian Culture and Practices

The ancient Russian culture involved the conversion to Orthodox Christianity. It’s a hybrid culture which has been created with the influence of different cultures and nationalities. Due to the volatile history and rule under different regimes, Russian culture has evolved as a unique culture. It has traces of ancient medieval culture, industrial culture, communist and socialist culture (this has one of the more profound influences) and also the modern day culture.

Russian culture is rich and has a profound impact on society and all aspects of life and it is quite important to understand the culture to integrate successfully into the Russian society or to be successful in the Russian business environment. Russians take great pride in their historic heritage and have a strong sense of cultural achievement. It is important for people from other cultures to understand the special cultural identity of Russia so as to effectively interact and be successful in business relations with Russians. Russian ethnicity, culture, and nationalism are identified with Russian Orthodoxy, the state religion in Russia for almost a thousand years. In every ethnic Russian there is an Orthodox heritage. Orthodoxy is still visible when least expected, even among convinced Communists.

Russian culture is non-individualistic. The power of an individual in Russia is much less than in the west and most deals are pushed through family, friends and acquaintances. It is mostly a collective society.

Russian culture – Key elements

Egalitarianism – It is a social philosophy that advocates the removal of inequalities and a more equal distribution of benefits. This concept has its roots in the agricultural society. Many still view entrepreneurial activities as illegitimate.

The Russian Soul – The Russian soul has been described as: sensitive, imaginative, compassionate, with blatant honesty and integrity. Usually in Russia relationships are built on mutual faith and commitment.

Collective society – The Russian society is basically a collective society. This has been in the Russian culture over the ages and was one of the reasons for the rise of communism. It is important to appreciate collectivist attitudes in Russians when cooperating with them.

___________________________________________________________________________________

This post was created by Textronics Communications Ltd. (www.textronics.com), a leading language and translation services provider since 1991. Our service offering includes translation, interpretation, proofreading, narration, transcription as well multi-lingual desktop publishing and web design services in all languages and subject matters. Our growing client base includes corporate, public and non-profit sector clients in Canada, the United States and Europe. Our language specialists are highly trained, tested and have many years of experience in their chosen subject matter and we consistently strive to offer high-quality language services at affordable prices. New clients can take advantage of a free test translation to try out our services first hand at no cost.
www.textronics.com – Communicate with the World

Textronics Communications Ltd. also publishes www.travelandtransitions.com, a popular web portal for unconventional travel and cross-cultural connections. Award-winning travel writer Susanne Pacher chronicles her personal journeys to places such as Havana, Mexico City, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Sicily, and various other places in Europe and North America and writes about the people behind the destinations. Compilations of these articles are now available as electronic books at the following link: http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html. In addition, the website offers interviews with fascinating personalities and tourism experts as well as practical travel advice and regional travel information.
www.travelandtransitions.com – Life is a Journey – Explore New Horizons