In the labyrinth of ideological search: ways to construct a memory of an uncomfortable past (on example of events of the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War)
Research Article
How to Cite
Goloseyeva A.A., Khokhlov A.A. In the labyrinth of ideological search: ways to construct a memory of an uncomfortable past (on example of events of the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War). Science. Culture. Society. 2024. Vol. 30. No. 3. P. 26-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2024.30.3.2 (in Russ.).
Abstract
This article is devoted to the problem of constructing a collective memory of the "inconvenient past" by modern elites of Russia on the example of the events of the 1917 revolution and the subsequent civil war. The conflict aspects of commemoration (installation of monuments and memorial signs) in the process of constructing an official historical narrative are considered. Concidered changes in the official historical narrative regarding the "difficult past" in different periods of time.
The preservation of historical memory largely depends on the political objectives of the current government, which not only supports collective memory through various commemorative practices, but also constructs a modern historical narrative. This narrative does not imply the restoration of Soviet historiography; it combines a variety of interpretations of the events of the Revolution and the Civil War in the context of building the historical continuity of Russian statehood. Therefore, the images of some Soviet figures coexist with the figures of their opponents, forming ideas among the mass audience about patriotic service to the Russian state, regardless of ideological and political views.
The "lost memory" is not being restored; current generations of Russians have not accepted the political experience of supporters of democratic socialism, who rejected Bolshevism and did not support the "white movement" in the civil war. The attitude towards the losers in the fight against the Bolsheviks today is negative, as towards weak and incapable politicians. Considering historical memory as an integral part of collective memory, it is concluded that only those events of the past that are perceived by society as extremely useful for modern generations are integrated into the structure of collective consciousness. In addition, the inertia of public consciousness affects the "selection of event material". For this reason, during the entire post-Soviet period, it was not possible to completely replace the former Soviet ideological cliches with a new historical narrative.
Keywords:
historical memory, collective memory, historical narrative, revolution of 1917, civil war, wars of memory, commemoration, memorial policy
References
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4. Irwin-Zarecka I. Frames of remembrance: the dynamics of collective memory. New York: Routledge; 2017. DOI 10.4324/9780203791592.
5. Assman J. Das kulturelle Gedächtnis. Schrift, Erinnerung und politische Identität in frühen Hochkulturen. Moscow: Yazyki slavyanskoy kultury; 2004. (In Russ.). ISBN 5-94457-176-4.
6. Assman A. Der lange Schatten der Vergangenheit. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie; 2014. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-4448-0146-8.
7. Assman A. Geschichtsvergessenheit — Geschichtsversessenheit. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie; 2019. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-4448-1151-1.
8. Assman A. Das neue Unbehagen an der Erinnerungskultur. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie; 2023. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-4448-1959-3.
9. Miller A., Lipman M. (eds). Historical politics in the 21st century. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie; 2012. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-86793-968-7.
10. Miller A. I., Efremenko D. V. (eds). Methodological issues of studying memory policy. Moscow: Nestor-Istoriya; 2018. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-4469-1459-3.
11. Anikin D. A., Babkina E. A., Belov S. I. [et al.]. The politics of memory in contemporary Russia and in countries of Eastern Europe. St. Petersburg: Evropeiskii universitet v Sankt-Peterburge; 2020. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-94380-289-8.
12. Naumov D. I. Social memory in the context of a process-relational methodology of research. Theology. Philosophy. Law. 2018;(2):49–58. (In Russ.).
13. Alexander J. The Meanings of social life: A cultural sociology. Moscow: Praxis; 2013. (In Russ.). ISBN 978-5-901574-96-6.
14. Eyerman R. Cultural trauma and collective memory. Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. 2016;(6):5–47. (In Russ.).
15. Giesen B. Triumph and trauma. New York: Routledge; 2004. DOI 10.4324/9781315631455.
16. Levada Yu. A. Historical consciousness and scientific method. In: Philosophical problems of historical science. Moscow: Nauka; 1969. P. 186–224. (In Russ.).
17. Vasilyev A. A., Solovyev V. Yu. On some aspects of modern historical education and the formation of Russian self-identity. Vlast’. 2011;(1):85–88. (In Russ.).
18. Rastimeshina T. V. The cultural heritage of the Church in the presentation of the Great-power model of history and the image of the "people's monarchy" in modern Russia. Vestnik Moskovskoi gosudarstvennoi akademii delovogo administrirovaniya. Seriya: Filosofskie, sotsial'nye i estestvennye nauki. 2012;(5):76–84. (In Russ.).
19. Ahremenko D. A. Ukrainian Institute of National Memory: against national memory? Novye istoricheskie perspektivy: ot Baltiki do Tikhogo okeana. 2015;(1):3–8. (In Russ.).
20. Kirchanov M. V. «Institutions of memory» in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the formation of the Second World War images. Vestnik of Samara University. History, pedagogics, philology. 2022;28(2):17–26. (In Russ.). DOI 10.18287/2542-0445-2022-28-2-17-26.
21. Dmitrieva O. O. Historical memory and mechanisms of its formation: analysis of historiographical concepts in domestic science. Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University. 2015;(6):132–137. (In Russ.).
22. Baranov A. V. The Russian civil war in the collective memory of Russian society. Perspectives. 2022;(2):109–115. (In Russ.). DOI 10.32726/2411-3417-2022-2-109-115..
23. Suslov A. J. Social revolutionaries and mensheviks in the history consciousness of the Russian society: evolution of the image. Historical and Social-Educational Idea. 2010;(3):15–19. (In Russ.).
24. Tumanov A. I. Role of national cinema in the formation of national identity. Science. Culture. Society. 2021;27(3):35–49. DOI 10.19181/nko.2021.27.3.4.
Article
Received: 25.03.2024
Accepted: 30.09.2024
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Goloseyeva, A. A., & Khokhlov, A. A. (2024). In the labyrinth of ideological search: ways to construct a memory of an uncomfortable past (on example of events of the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War). Science. Culture. Society, 30(3), 26-41. https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2024.30.3.2
Section
Sociological dimension of historical memory
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