In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before the Revolution rendered all religious expression dissident, Orthodoxy was an integral part of the Russian state apparatus. Non-Orthodox Christian groups were persecuted for their beliefs and practices, developing as a result a deep distrust of the government, the state church, and their agents. Already somewhat withdrawn because of their beliefs, this persecution exacerbated their isolationist tendencies; immigration to a new culture in the United States and Canada cemented it.
Children in immigrant communities must always navigate the challenging path between assimilation and cultural maintenance, and typically the balance tips toward assimilation over the generations. Russian spiritualist communities in the United States and Canada proved surprisingly resistant to cultural diffusion, however, with some towns in Oregon and northern California remaining almost entirely Russian-speaking until the 1990s. What strategies did these parents employ to ensure their children remained in the fold? How did they shield them from the influence of American popular culture? How did they evade government officials and concerned citizens increasingly mistrustful of foreigners?
This paper will explore the everyday lives of children growing up in these communities, with a focus on parental efforts at cultural transmission and children’s reception of such.
About the presenterAugust M Butler
August Butler graduated from Texas A&M University in 2010 and entered the M.A./Ph.D. program at the College of William & Mary in 2012. Their research interests include children/childhood, historical memory, and cultural transmission. Their master’s thesis focused on efforts to instill national feeling in American children post-Revolution through toys and literature. They are examining orphans of Russian spiritualist communities in Oregon and northern California for their dissertation.