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This book investigates rapid societal change in Russia during the early 1990s. The story of the anthropologist (author) and the people he studied reveals cultural similarities and differences between them. Russians and Latvians taught the author about the Soviet Union, its people, and its cultures. Formal axiology provides a novel way to access their changing values. Hartman Institute Axiology Studies (HIAS) is a scholarly project of the R.S. Hartman Institute, which is devoted to the study, development, and application of the formal axiology initiated by Robert S. Hartman. The Value Inquiry Book Series (VIBS) is an international scholarly program, founded in 1992 by Robert Ginsberg, that publishes philosophical books in all areas of value inquiry, including social and political thought, ethics, applied philosophy, aesthetics, feminism, pragmatism, personalism, religious values, medical and health values, values in education, values in science and technology, humanistic psychology, cognitive science, formal axiology, history of philosophy, post-communist thought, peace theory, law and society, and theory of culture.
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Beyond Perestroika VIBS Volume 210 robert Ginsberg Founding Editor Leonidas donskis Executive Editor Associate Editors G. John M. abbarno George allan Gerhold k. Becker raymond angelo Belliotti kenneth a. Bryson C. stephen Byrum Robert A. Delfino rem B. edwards Malcolm d. evans daniel B. Gallagher roland Faber andrew Fitz-Gibbon Francesc Forn i argimon William Gay dane r. Gordon J. everet Green Heta aleksandra Gylling Matti Häyry Brian G. Henning steven V. Hicks richard t. Hull Michael krausz olli Loukola Mark Letteri Vincent L. Luizzi adrianne Mcevoy Peter a. redpath arleen L. F. salles John r. shook eddy souffrant tuija takala emil Višňovský anne Waters James r. Watson John r. Welch thomas Woods a volume in Hartman Institute Axiology Studies HIAS C. stephen Byrum and rem B. edwards, editor Beyond Perestroika Axiology and the New Russian Entrepreneurs Gary G. Gallopin Amsterdam - New York, NY 2009 Cover photo: ©Morguefile.com Cover Design: Studio Pollmann The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO 9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents Requirements for permanence”. ISBN: 978-90-420-2735-0 E-Book ISBN: 978-90-420-2736-7 © Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2009 Printed in the Netherlands To Irene CONTENTS Foreword by Rem B. Edwards Preface xi xiii ONE Introduction 1. Overview 2. The Development of an Idea 3. Themes 4. Organization of Book 5. The Research Question 6. Russian Entrepreneurs 1 1 2 5 6 9 10 TWO Context: History, Geography, and the Evolution of the Fieldwork 1. Overview 2. Sketch of Russian History A. Mikhail Gorbachev B. Boris Yeltsin 3. My Research 4. Leningrad/St. Petersburg, other Cities, and Major Towns A. St. Petersburg: The City that Peter Built B. Nicholas’ Leningrad C. Moscow: Summer and Winter D. Riga: The Summer before Independence E. Gatchina: Off the Tourist Beaten Track F. Pushkin: An Odd Attraction G. Vyborg: Stalin’s Prize 15 15 18 20 21 23 26 26 32 34 39 40 41 43 A Glimpse of a Dying Empire: U.S.S.R., July 1991 1. Overview 2. Arrival (6–7 July 1991) 3. Prince Dmitri (7–14 July) A. Dmitri’s Flat B. Dmitri’s Friends C. Alisa’s Payment D. Vasili’s Flat E. Camping in Karelia F. Russian Outback G. Pavel’s Story H. Going Home 45 45 46 50 52 55 58 64 68 76 80 84 THREE viii BEYOND PERESTROIKA FOUR Social Networks in Action: Riga, Latvia 1. Overview 2. Looking for Eileen (14–15 July) 3. An Excursion to Latvia (15–20 July) A. Riga B. The Ethnographic Open Air Museum C. Dmitri’s Seminar D. Anatol E. Clara F. A Working Hol