Communication Strategies of Polish Exiles of the second half of the 19th Century (the example of Tara and Kurgan)

Diaspora studies penetrating into the Polish-Siberian theme since the late 1990s focused as a rule on the study of stable institutions, social organizations created by migrants for the preservation and development of ethnic community, and articulation of ethnic interests. However, such organizations among the Siberian Poles appeared only in the late XIX-early XX centuries. To understand the ethnic processes that took place among Polish migrants in the earlier period, the study of informal social ties of Polish migrants, various elements of group solidarity and communication systems becomes of paramount importance. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct, on the basis of office documentation and correspondence, the communication strategies of exiled participants in the revolts of the 1863-1864 on the example of two cities of Tobolsk province, namely, Kurgan and Tara. As a result of the study, we recorded the existence of a fraternity in Tara, covering most of the Poles who lived in the city. The self-organization of the exiles was facilitated by the presence of ready-made social structures – large traditional families and the system of communication between them that has developed at home. The emersion of the community in Kurgan was the result of the efforts of a group of exiled nobles who had a good education. In the conditions of a limited social status, and the absence of rich compatriots, the social value of this community turned out to be insufficient to become the center of attraction for Poles.

The “Cosmopolitan” Historian I. P. Schmidt: Chapters of a Biography

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of the biography of Isai Pavlovich Schmidt, a Professor of History, propagandist and the head of the flight on the route Moscow – Beijing (1925). The life and work of I. P. Schmidt (1896–1975) have already been the object of studies in modern historiography. However, the complex of new sources, which were available to the authors of the present article, made it possible to revisit some facts of the professor's biography, introducing the necessary additions and clarifications. The purpose of the study is the reconstruction of the biography of I. P. Schmidt in the context of the Soviet history with a focus on the impact of the anti-cosmopolitan campaign in the USSR on the professional career and further life of the professor. As a result of the analysis, the authors identified the main stages of the biography of I. P. Schmidt and noted the peculiar features of his worldview. The obtained results of the study led the authors to the conclusion that events of the anti-cosmopolitan campaign had resulted in the beginning of a new stage in the I. P. Schmidt’s biography – his research and pedagogical activities in Uzbekistan and Siberia. The study determines peculiarities of the activities and life of the “cosmopolitan” historian in the country’s periphery. This article is intended for teachers and university students, researchers as well as local historians.

Language and Language Policy of Komi-Permyaks in the 1920-1930s

The article is devoted to the particularities of latinization policy of the written Komi Permyaks’ language in the 1930s. As some national and foreign researchers think, the processes of Latinization were most challenging for finno-ugric peoples of the USSR; for this reason, the reforms of the written Komi Permyaks’ language reflect complex processes of policy both within the language sphere and wider – in the national policy of the USSR. Based on available sources, many of which have been introduced into scientific use for the first time, the article analyzes the development of native written language of Komi Permyaks in the 1920-30s, the policy of the Komi district committee on implementation of Latin graphs, and estimates the factors that influenced the failure to adopt the Latin alphabet of the Komi-permyak language in paperwork and education system. The author concludes that, for wider popularity of the Latin alphabet for the Komi-permyak language, there were not sufficient conditions (financial, administrative ones, etc.), so the majority of officials and intelligentsia used Russian to communicate. However, further policy of its implementation could have inspired the usage of this alphabet since later a new Komi alphabet based on Cyrillic symbols was actually adopted.

The Influence of Deportation on the Identity of Germans of Russia and Kazakhstan

The deportation of the Soviet Germans in 1941 was a turning point in their ethnic history. The deportation had a big influence on the ethnic identity of the Germans and transformed it. The aim of the research is to determine the influence of the deportation of 1941 on the modern identity of the Germans in Russia and Kazakhstan. The article contains facts about the deportation, analyzes its consequences, first of all the radical change in the territorial distribution of the Germans. The central part of the article is devoted to the influence of traumatic events on the identity of the people. The empirical base of the research consists of memories collected in expeditions and archives, as well as the results of an ethnosociological survey of Germans conducted in 2020 with the support of the International Union of German Culture. The final part is dedicated to the historical memory and presentation of the deportation events in the museums of Russia and Kazakhstan. The conclusions of the research are that the events of the deportation continue influencing the ethnic identity of the Germans of Russia and Kazakhstan greatly. The cause of it is incompleteness of rehabilitation, activities of public organizations, historical memory in which deportation occupies a central place. The authors show the need to form a positive identity that generates interest in the history and culture of their own people, a sense of pride and integrity of ethnic identity.

Historiography of German Entrepreneurship in Siberia in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries

The historiography of ethnic entrepreneurship in pre-revolutionary Siberia has not yet been fully investigated. Individual works of researchers studied German entrepreneurship exclusively through the broader topic of foreign capital and its importance in the state economy. The subject of this article is historiography concerning the history of German entrepreneurship in the Siberian region. The purpose is to analyze the corresponding works on the history of entrepreneurial activity of the Germans in Siberia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. In this study both general and specialized scientific methods are used, which allowed to carry out a coherent analysis of the works of researchers on ethnic entrepreneurship in order to identify the main characteristics and approaches used. We have identified the characteristics and trends of German entrepreneurship considered by historians. German immigrants in Siberia in the second half of the 19th century became one of the main driving forces of the agrarian development in the region; they retained farms, acting both as independent merchants and as managers of firms. Historiographic analysis allows to formulate a conclusion about the positive influence of German entrepreneurship on the socio-economic development of Siberia in the period preceding the October Revolution. The article is of interest to researchers, teachers of history, and students of the humanities.

Muslim Population in the Siberian Cities according to the Census of 1897

Processes of urbanization and modernization created preconditions for qualitative changes in the demographic, social and professional structure of the cities, as well as for the formation of specific socio-professional groups. Meanwhile the active region development contributed to the individual ethno-confessional communities and diasporas formation and institutionalization in cities. The main authors’ task in to identify the ways of forming and the role of the Muslim community in the Siberian cities, based on the analysis of aggregated and nominative materials of the First General Census of the Russian Empire in 1897. The use of census lists makes for the specificity and novelty of the study. On the one hand, the data allow to obtain the most complete list of Muslim persons who were in the cities at the time of the census; on the other hand, it helps to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the demographic, social and occupational characteristics of the Muslim population. We present the socio-demographic characteristics of Muslims who lived in Siberia at the late 19th century including the map of the Muslims’ location in the counties, as well as their number and gender composition in the Siberian cities. The general portrait of the Muslim in the Siberian cities was shaped based on the aggregated data of the 1897 census. The information taken from the census lists made it possible to surmise on about the formation of the Muslim community in individual cities, and to characterize the Muslim society structure in the Tobolsk province cities. The article is intended for specialists-historians, ethnographers, social anthropologists and a wide range of readers.

The Activities of the Tomsk Department of the Society for the Dissemination of Education among Jews in Russia during the First World War

The article examines the activities of the Tomsk department of the Society for the Spread of Education among Jews in Russia (SEJ) during the First World War. The aim of the study is to comprehensively consecrate the main vectors of the work of the members of the Tomsk SEJ in the context of the global cataclysm. Based on the involvement of a wide range of sources, the article describes the cultural, educational and charitable areas of the department's work. The organization was financed primarily by private donations received from the representatives of the Jewish communities of Siberia through holding charitable events and returning student loans. As a result of the scientific research, it was concluded that the peak of the activity of the Tomsk department of the SEJ was during the war years. The society had to adapt to the realities of wartime, while at the same time accomplishing the main goal of the organization – spreading education among the Jewish population. For a long time being the only SEJ representative in Siberia, the Tomsk department managed to take an honorable place among the educational organizations of the region. Under the influence of the refugee and social movement, the representatives of other Jewish institutions began to appear in Tomsk, which most often consisted of the same people. However, the Tomsk department of the SEJ has managed to maintain its importance and relevance.

The Images of the Other in Intercultural Interaction: on the Problem of Perception of another Culture in Multinational Tatarstan in the 1930-1970s

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Alien / Another / Different images in the cultural space of the Tatar ASSR in the 1930s - 1970s. Based on the archival documents, oral history materials and the example of the multinational region, the author considered intercultural communication and the problems of perception of another / different culture. Much attention is paid to the study of the socio-cultural space of Tatarstan villages. The analyzed material made it possible to find out how the inhabitants of the village and the city perceived the image of the Alien who was once believed to be an Alien in the rural world. The study also revealed how the perception of the Alien had been transformed during the pre-war, military and post-war periods as well as whether there is a difference in the perception of the Alien on the part of locals and newcomers. As a result of the research, the images of the Alien were created through the characteristics of alimentary qualities through clothing and appearance, as well as behavioral aspects. The author came to conclusion that the image of the Alien was more often formed as general knowledge about the social, spiritual and material culture of representatives of various people living nearby. In intercultural communication, which often took a form of a dialogue, the formula was “ours – another”, not “ours - alien’s”. According to the author, the experience of long-term residence of the people, inhabiting the Tatar ASSR, had a positive impact on the dialogue and interpenetration of cultures.

Frontiers of Soviet Resettlements: Cultural Borders and Cross-Cultural Interaction between Russians and Chuvashes in the South Part of Kama Region in the 1920-1930s

The article is devoted to the analysis of ethno-social resettlement campaigns of the USSR of the second half of the 1920s. The implementation of these practices in the Volga Region led to major migrations and the formation of ethnic enclaves on the territory of Urals and Siberia. Basing on various sources and field materials, the article describes the situation in the Southern Prikamye after several thousand of the Chuvash people migrated to the places inhabited by Russian Old Believers. The sources allow to reconstruct complex processes of ethno-cultural interaction that formed new specific complexes of spiritual and material culture of the Chuvash people of Prikamye. The authors noted that the resettlement in the 1920s took place in the conditions of the destruction of the traditional life characteristics in the whole country, a change in ideological attitudes, a significant transformation of ethnocultural complexes. Under the conditions of migration, these factors contributed to a more intensive course of assimilation processes. At the same time, a significant number of Chuvash migrants encamped in one area at a distance from large settlements, as well as preservation of the rural character of the outposts contributed to the functioning of institutions for keeping the traditional way of legacy transmission.

The German Population of Siberia in the Conditions of Social Transformations of the 1900s-1920s

At the turn of the 19th – 20th century Siberia became a “melting pot” once again, where the representatives of various ethnic groups found themselves. The reasons for the resettlement beyond the Urals were of predominant economic character. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of various social events of the first third of the 20th century on the life of Siberian Germans. Russian Germans engaged in agriculture were forced to seek the ways to survive inside Russia in the situation of the agrarian crisis. Modernization of the state migration policy at the beginning of the 20th century and development of the railway transport allowed for labor migration, as a result of which Siberia turned into one of the agrarian regions, being on the rise, by the mid-1910s. German immigrants, who created capitalist farm type households there and became a model for Russian old-timers and other immigrants, contributed greatly to his process. However, the events of 1914-1922 disrupted the customary pace of life in the German village. The economic policy of the Bolsheviks who came to power provoked famine in the first half of the 1920s.The German population suffered from hunger as well, which drove up emigration sentiments. However, NEP and restoration of cooperation allowed them to start rapid recovery of the small-scale economy. The All-Russian Mennonite Agricultural Union played a pivotal role in this process. The gradual curtailment of NEP and transition to a command-administrative economic model were connected with pressure on the German population among which the conservative-clerical sentiments prevailed. It was sure to provoke a new round of confrontation between the Russian Germans and the Soviet state in the late 1920s already. The article is intended for those interested in the history of ethnic minorities (Russian Germans) and national politics in the twentieth century.