Cultural Identity Construction in Russian Literature and Russian Language Teaching: From Traditional to Modern Perspectives

Abstract

The Russian culture has a long and deeply rooted tradition among the Russians that covers a wide range of cultural history from ballets, literature, classical music and painting. Our study investigated how Russian literature is used to teach cultural identity in a language learning environment at Rus language School. Employing a mixed methods approach, we combined textual analysis of classic and contemporary Russian literature with content analysis of media sources, classroom observations, and surveys and interviews with teachers and learners. The findings showed that the Russian culture identity was expressed in literature and characters grapple with societal changes, moral complexities, and the search for meaning, offering a window into Russia's historical and cultural landscape. Teaching of Russian language should focus on cultural values and cultural background of the Russians to avoid possibilities of misunderstandings and increase the understanding of the language and its culture. Our study has implications for the increased adoption of cultural identity and values in the teaching of the Russian language in various schools.