Socio-cultural transnational practices in Saturday Russian schools in Scotland

Abstract

How can socio-cultural transnational activities be related to the study of one’s heritage language? Why do Saturday schools promote socio-cultural transnational practices inside and outside of the learning process? Why would migrant families like to support socio-cultural transnational activities organised by the schools? This article offers answers to the questions posed above based on an investigation of four Russian schools in Scotland. Heritage language preservation is a negotiable process which flexibly responds to the interests of the parents, teachers and pupils who participate in the activities of the Russian schools and contribute to shaping their aims. These interests can be considered as the main driving forces for a wide range of aspects of the Russian schools’ everyday life, such as educational programmes, styles of teaching, the social relationship between members of the Russian school community and additional cultural events organised by these schools. In Scotland, Russian-speaking communities bring together individuals with a range of characteristics (including different paths to migration, skills and educational levels, national identities, and countries of origin). The present study has shown the importance of this diverse composition of Russian-speaking communities to the everyday operations of the Russian schools. This contributes to the discussion of socio-cultural transnational elements activities in everyday life of the Saturday schools and their role in the development of the migrant community. Expanding on the existing literature in this area, the research investigates socio-cultural transnational practices which unite the Russian-speaking community in Scotland itself, and create a bridge between this community and the Russian-speaking world.