Fighting denationalization: Rise and fall of the educational dream in Russia Abroad. A study of educational activities aimed at language and cultural maintenance among Russian immigrants in Christiania/ Oslo, 1920-1945.

Abstract

This thesis primarily aims to contribute to the contemporary educational science as a historical case study in language and cultural maintenance of the Russian Diaspora in Norway, providing the informative background for understanding the educational processes and discourses which might arise within a minority community. Concurrently, this work is meant to assist the contemporary Russian Diaspora in its search for the solutions to the educational issues it encounters, as well as to contribute to the Diaspora’s history. The study discusses the development of educative thought in the Russian Diaspora in Norway, placing it into a larger context of a somewhat unique formation, a country without borders, or Russia Abroad. The role of the various educational activities and institutions for language and culture maintenance is researched, and the political, social and cultural factors, which had an effect on the “battle against denationalization”, are discussed. Qualitative research methods were applied to the study, where the concurrent usage of archive data collection and interviews ensured the validity of this research. Through analysis of the findings, the historical framework of the pedagogical thought became evident, and the four stages of its development were discussed. The theoretical framework has arisen out of the data collection and is referred to where appropriate. Due to the fact that research on Russian emigration in Norway is rather scarce, and its pedagogical thought has never been investigated until this work, the author dares to state that her study is indeed a considerable contribution to the history of education. Most of the findings are original and unique, and together with the extensive archive data analysis they shed light on the unknown page of the pedagogical history of the Russian Diaspora in Norway and abroad. Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes. I have done my best; let others do better if they can.