Phenomenon of “Russian Prague”

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the phenomenon of the “Russian Prague” in comparison with other centers of the Russian diaspora in the inter-war period. Its characteristics are in many ways explained by the special program of the Czechoslovakia government for support of Russian emigrants (“Russian Action”) – preferences for persons with high education level, the aim to recruit scientists, highly skilled professionals and students. Thereby for Russian Prague not only a considerable number of different emigrant educational institutions was significant, but also the incorporation of the main part of the Russian diaspora in Prague into the educational process. The status of the educational center of the Russian diaspora was expressed through such self-designations as “Russian Oxford” or “Russian Athens”. The emigrant “edu­cational utopia” and some other characteristics of the “Russian Prague” are considered: the role of the “crossroad” when moving from Russia to countries of the West Europe, the place to choose a further life path; the perception as a “near abroad”, as a Slavonic country; ambition to be a political center because of the pre-revolutionary relationships between some members of the political elite of the Czechoslovakia, who had opportunity to render assistance; the position in the centre of Europe, in the crossing point of different nationalities and cultures, which stimulated reflection on the problems of international and intercultural interaction.