I AV *w > $^ i &yv~ A STUDY OF RUSSIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE GREATER VANCOUVER AREA by KOOZMA JOHN TARASOFF B.A., The University of Saskatchewan, 1957 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1963 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that per• mission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives., It is understood that copying or publi• cation of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of Anthropology and Sociology The University of British Columbia,. Vancouver 8, Canada. ii ABSTRACT This is a study of Russian ethnic organizations in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia. These ethnics in total include an official population of 9»32H. More specifically, this is a study of "joiners" in fourteen "existent" and seven "non-existent" organizations. Bata were gathered over an eighteen month period mainly by participant observation and interviews. The findings may be summarized as follows: 1. There are relatively few "joiners" as compared to "non-joiners" in the ethnic sub-community. 2. Those that join do so for a variety of reasons, including religious, ideological, cultural and/or personal reasons. 3* Turning from the indivi• dual to the voluntary association or organization, we find certain characteristics of growth which we have described in eight sections: origin, formal structure and membership, internal differentiation, cooperation with other groups, con• flict with other groups, internal strains, actual splits and termination (if any), k. The dominant theme which evolves from the study is that one's perception of Communism (together with the "cold war" atmosphere) greatly affects organizational behavior. Thus we find a whole series of symbolic magic-like words used to pave the way on one hand pr. to hinder the spread iii of Communism on the other—or. else to maintain a "neutral" position. 5« Other factors which affect organizational behavior in the Russian community have been included under seven sub-categories: social class, kinship, jurisdictional conflict, effective leadership, ecological factors, common interest, and place of birth and time of arrival in Canada, 6, Certain queries arise concerning the actual acceptance of "unpopular" ideas in a society which theoretically glorifies "diversity". This, in turn, affects the rate of integration of such minority opinions into society. In brief, then, the study of Russian ethnic organiza• tions shows that there are certain things which bring people together and other things which split them apart; this whole process, in turn, is largely related to the national policy and its role in the "cold war" atmosphere. 1CKN0WLEDGEMENT A study of Russian organizations in the Greater Vancouver area would not have been possible without the help of the members making up these organizations, I especially wish to thank the officials of the three Russian Orthodox Churches, the Russian Orthodox Society, the Russian Centre of B, C,, the Federation of Russian Canadians, the Lower Mainland Society of Doukhobors, the Doukhobor Fraternal Society of Greater Vancouver, the Russian School group from Lochdale Hall, and the Volga Ensemble, These officials together with members of these organizations have made me more than welcome; they have invited me to their concerts, dances, meetings, banquets, parties and prayer services, and on many occasions I have been personally asked to "join" them. My sincere gratitude to all of these people whom I now consider close friends. Likewise, I am grateful to the Canada Council for presenting me with a grant during my first post-graduate year of studies at the University of British Columbia, as well as to the Canadian Citizenship Branch for unexpectedly providing me with a grant-in-aid of research during my second term, Br. Harry B. Hawthorn, head of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology deserves my thanks for accepting me into post-graduate studies and encouraging me to go on. Likewise, viii thanks to my thesis advisor Dr. Werner Gohn who stimulated my thinking and guided me through the latter stages of this thesis. Last, but not least, my wife, Nadya, patiently put up with me during these trying times. To all these people I say "Thank you". TABLE OF CONTENTS Preliminary Pages PAGE Title page : i Abstract ii Table of Contents iv Acknowledgement vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. The Problem Defined 1 B. The Area Studied k C. The Method of Study and Sources of « Information 5 D. Background of the Russians • 9 II. CASE STUDIES OF RUSSIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE GREATER VANCOUVER AREA Introduction —• 2k 1. Russian Progressive Club (1909-1918) 27 2. Society of Technical Aid to Russia (1922- 192»+) : 30 3. Maxim Gorky Russian Workers1 Club (1931- 194-0) • 31 k* Progressive Society of Doukhobors (1935- 19 W 37 5. Federation of Russian Canadians, Vancouver Branch (19^2- ) ^3 Russian People*s Home '(19^6- ) 6» Federation of Russian Canadians, English- Speaking Branch (1958- ) : 71 7« Federation of Russian Canadians, Branches at Richmond, New Westminster and Victoria, B. C. (19^2- ) 77 v CHAPTER PAGE 8. Workers* Benevolent Association of Canada, Russian Branch in Vancouver i (late 191*0* s) — 79 j 9. Russian Orthodox Society (1935- ) — 83 J Holy Resurrection Church (1923 - ) Canadian Russian Youth Club (1962- . ) 10. St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (1929- ) 112 11. Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (1938- ) — 117 12. Russian Centre of British Columbia (1956- ) 125 13. The Canadian Orthodox Ladies* Guild(l95V ) 1^1 l*t. Vancouver Doukhobor Society (c. 19^-6-1959)- 1^3 15. Society of Doukhobors of New Westminster (19^8-1962) 150 16. Doukhobor Fraternal Society of Greater Vancouver (1959- ) 159 17. The "Svidanya of Youth" (1958-1959) 165 18. Lower Mainland Society of Doukhobors (1962- ) 171 19. Slavonic Circle (c. 19^5- ) I83 20. Volga Ensemble (I96I- ) — l8*f 21. Russian School Group (1962- ) 188 III. ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOR 193 A dominant theme highlighted 198 Other factors which affect organizational behavior 209 What can be said about the "non-joiners"? 219 vi PAGE APPENDIX A Statement of Purpose of the Canadian Council of National Groups — 223 B Special meeting regarding the priest controversy amongst the Russian Orthodox in Vancouver [Sample of Field Notes by author] 225 C Special meeting of Doukhobors resulting in the formation of the Lower Mainland Society of Doukhobors [Sample copy of Field Notes] 2^0 D Annual Slav Concert commemorating the "Month of Peace", held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, B. C., Sunday, January 20, 1963 251 E Several versions for the "Big Split" and the rise of the Russian Centre of B. C. 256 F Memorandum on the subject of the Canadian Immigra• tion policy and the revised Immigration Regula• tions . • « by the Russian Centre of B. C. 260 G "White" Russian organizations existing in Harbin, Manchuria in 1937 263 BIBLIOGRAPHY 266 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. The Problem Defined During the 1961 Dominion Census of Canada, 9,324- people in the Greater Vancouver area stated that they were of "Russian" ethnic origin [Census, I96I: Bulletin 1.2-5, Table 39»6]. This was determined by asking the question: "To what ethnic or cultural group did you or your ancestors (on the male side) belong on coming to this continent?" The language spoken at that time by the person, or his paternal ancestor, was used as an aid in the determination of the person's ethnic group. Special instructions were provided in cases where the language criterion was not applicable. A naive assumption might be that people of the same ethnic origin, speaking a common language, should have much in common with one another. But once we look at the situation on the West Coast of British Columbia we find a segmented picture of a diverse group amongst the Russian population of the City. There are today a total of Ik Russian organizations in the Greater Vancouver area, ranging in "actual" (paid-up) 2 membership from 13 to 133 members, and totalling Q2k (plus 280 children) or less than 12 per cent of the total Russian population for this area. This total includes members who belong to two or more of these l*f organizations, thus making the actual total of "joiners" lower. Another 15*28 per cent (see Chapter III) are non-member participants, thus leaving 73 per cent Russian ethnics who belong to no organization within their own group. So that l*t Russian ethnic organizations serve 27 per cent of this particular ethnic population. Even more striking is the segmentation of the "joiners" and "parti• cipants" when we look at the actual behavior and note the recurrence of cooperation, conflicts and splits. The problem we wish to pose here is: "What are the factors which bring the Russian people together and what are the factors which split them apart?" The bulk of this paper will attempt to answer this question. One way of demonstrating this is to make a comparative case study of the sub-groups involved in terms of certain characteristics peculiar to their functional whole. We propose to use eight categories to explain the structure or "skeleton" of each organization, to observe the behavior of its members within it, and to show how these collectivities of individuals react to other organizations within the Russian family. In brief, those who .loin organizations will be the focus of our attention.