The Glue of Russian Society

What breadth, what beauty and power of human nature
and development there must be in a woman to get over
all the palisades, all the fences, within which she is held captive!

— Alexander Herzen
Russian journalist and political philosopher, 1812-1870

Anyone who dare contest that women hold together the fabric of Russian society has not spent much time in that country. Certainly, one could argue, every society hinges on women — they bear and nurture the children, sustain the home, they educate and nurse the men (Indeed, a prominent zoologist recently offered the startling theory, in The Economist, that our societies are seeming to need men less and less.).

But Russian culture often seems comprised of extremes of other cultures. What is true in another society is often infinitely more so in Russian society. This reality, plus the immense changes that the past five years have had on the lives of Russian women, is the focus of our lead this month, Loyal Wives, Virtuous Mothers, by Katherine Young.

The related story (The Untold Story) about America’s and Russia’s First Ladies, by Helen Boldyreff Semler, sheds light on the interesting relationship that has developed between Naina Yeltsin and Hillary Rodham Clinton. As it turns out, they share more in common than marriage to embattled presidents on the eve of re-election bids (assuming President Yeltsin announces such a bid).

We also offer a special feature in this issue, titled Study Russia. Our goal with this feature is to highlight and evaluate the growing number of opportunities for the study of Russian language and culture in Russia and in the US, to provide guidelines to choosing the right program for you. The extensive listings should also prove an invaluable information resource.

Finally, you will have noticed that we are continuing to enlarge our magazine. We hope that the new 32-page format will give you more to think about and react to. Our Letters Page remains a platform for this, and we urge you to keep your comments coming.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,