Oral Stories about the Mezen Churches as a Subject of Interdisciplinary Research
Journal Title: Arctic and North - Year 2020, Vol 39, Issue 39
Abstract
The article analyzes oral narratives about the destruction of Orthodox religious buildings. Sources of the research are tests recorded during the folklore-anthropological expeditions of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University in the Mezen district of the Arkhangelsk Oblast (2009–2018). By the beginning of the 1930s, in Russia, the concept of “militant atheism” took shape and was approved, based on the idea of the counter-revolutionary meaning of religion and the anti-Soviet activities of believers. The object of our research is interdisciplinary. It is the subject of the study for oral history, folklore, social and cultural anthropology, and sociology. The sacrilege narratives are considered not so much as folklore or historical source, but as “a component of a local text ... whose function is not to “reflect”, but to “create” urban history, mythology, set the parameters for local identity.” A metanarrative is represented by the memories of the Mezen residents about the destruction of churches and the persecution of people for religious beliefs. It includes stories with the motives of dropping bells, punishment for the destruction of a church; desecration of cemeteries, the destruction of icons, the salvation of church property by the vil-lagers, the conversion of churches to schools, granaries, clubs or stables, and repression against priests and parishioners. The research allows tracing the dynamics of mass representations. There was a gap in the cultural memory of the Mezen residents. The Mezen religious stories testify that, in the cultural memory of the Mezen, they were supplanted to the periphery and replaced by the Soviet period values.
Authors and Affiliations
Natalia V. DRANNIKOVA
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP684986
- DOI 10.37482/issn2221-2698.2020.39.144
- Views 405
- Downloads 0
Organizational Mechanisms for Implementing Russia's Arctic Strategy in the 21st Century
The Arctic in the 21st century remains a popular topic in the natural-scientific, economic, socio-humanitarian, and political spheres. The relevance of studying the Arctic is determined by the fact that in recent decades...
Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Single-Industry Towns in the Russian Arctic
Broad context of the dynamics and prospects of Russian Arctic development within the framework of achieving its strategic objectives indicates the magnitude of the tasks, the solution of which consists in the actualizati...
The Formation of a Career Trajectory by Students of Secondary Vocational Education in the Russian Arctic Zone
The purpose of the article is to identify the features of professional self-determination and formation of career trajectories of secondary vocational education students in the subjects of the Russian Arctic zone, their...
New Opportunities and New Risks for Sustainable Development of the Russian Arctic in the Context of Climate Change
The Arctic climate has been changing dramatically in recent years. This external condition, on the one hand, increases the risk of sustainable development of the Arctic; on the other hand, in combination with the managem...
Economical and Legal Barriers and Its Potential Overcoming During the Northern Sea Route Exploitation in the Context of Pan-Asian Trade
The article provides a systematic analysis of the critical economic and legal factors affecting the current state of cargo flow in the Northern Sea Route in the convergence of the Asian and European markets. First of all...