S. V. Polutin, A. V. Bulavin, O. E. Zubov, T. V. Nagaeva. Events of the Past in the Historical Memory of the Youth in the Ethnic Regions of the Volga Federal District

UDК 316.346.32-053.8(470.4)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.114.029.202101.191-215

Introduction. Memories of past events often become objects of political manipulation, when the interpretation of events that are significant for Russian history turns out to be dependent on the political preferences and attitudes of public actors. Manipulations are aimed primarily at schoolchildren and university students, them being the most active part of society with significant protest potential. The article, based on the study conducted, systematizes the representations of past events in the collective memory of young people in the multiethnic regions of the Volga Federal District (Russia) to evaluate the influence of alternative ethnic and regional narratives on the state and potential development of the ethno-confessional situation in the regions under examination.

Materials and Methods. The study was based on the materials of a mass sociological survey conducted among students (n = 1,246, October 2020), in the Republic of Mordovia, Chuvash Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. First- and second-year students of the largest universities of the republics were interviewed. To identify regional differences, respondents who came from other countries and regions were excluded from the data obtained.

Results. The results of the mass survey conducted among young people in the Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan and the Chuvash Republic have revealed the fragmented perception of Russian history. In the historical memory of the youth living in the ethnic regions of the Volga Federal District, significant events of the Soviet past have dominated, although in some cases they have been perceived and reconsidered through the prism of ethno-confessional practices. At the same time, alternative ethnic and regional narratives that could negatively affect the socio-political situation in the republics have practically not been captured in the historical consciousness of the youth.

Discussion and Conclusion. At the present stage, the regional symbolic memory policies of all three republics do not fundamentally contradict the memory policies of the federal center. The results of the study will be useful to social scientists, as well as public figures engaged in youth policy.

Keywords: historical memory, historical narrative, collective memory, ethnicities policy, policies of memory, Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan, Chuvash Republic, symbolic policy, ethnic identity

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding. The article was done with the financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 20-011-31319 opn “Historical Memory and Identity: Features of the Formation of Historical Narratives Among Young People in the Ethnic Republics of the Volga Federal District”).

For citation: Polutin S.V., Bulavin A.V., Zubov O.E., Nagaeva T.V. Events of the Past in the Historical Memory of the Youth in the Ethnic Regions of the Volga Federal District. Regionology = Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2021; 29(1):191-215. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.114.029.202101.191-215

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Submitted 14.08.2020; approved after reviewing 27.10.2020; accepted for publication 09.11.2020.

About the authors:

Sergey V. Polutin, Director of Research Institute of Regionology, Head of the Department of Sociology, National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), Dr. Sci. (Sociology), Full Professor, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0399-4154, polutin.sergei@yandex.ru

Anton V. Bulavin, Senior Research Officer, Research Institute for the Humanities under the Government of the Republic of Mordovia (3 L. Tolstogo St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), Ph. D. (Philosophy), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8657-8302, bulavin_anton@mail.ru

Oleg E. Zubov, Deputy Head of the Department of Scientific Research, National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), Ph. D. (Philosophy), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5255-3753, zubovo@mail.ru

Tatiana V. Nagaeva, Undergraduate Student (Sociology), National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8376-2494, tatyana.nagaeva123@mail.ru

Contribution of the authors:

S. V. Polutin – choice of the concept and methodology of the research; critical analysis and revision of the text of the article.

A. V. Bulavin – collection, processing and analysis of information; writing the initial version of the text; critical analysis of the materials.

O. E. Zubov – analysis and processing of the research program; preparation of the original version of the text.

T. V. Nagaeva – collection, processing and analysis of information; writing the initial version of the text.

The authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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