Grigory Nikolaevich Potanin and ethnographic Siberian study

The article is devoted tothe outstanding explorer of Siberia G. N. Potanin and his contribution to the ethnography of Siberia. His historical and philosophical ideaslook rather speculative and extremely idealistic. He gave much his attention to elaboration of the general sociological concept.According to the article G.N. Potanin's heritage consists of two parts: empirical (basically ethnographic materials) and sociological oreconomic ones. The empirical heritage doesn't lose its value up to the present day. It has been used by the generations of scientists in Siberian studies and it will never lose its value. However, G.N. Potanin hasn't risen to international fame of the great thinker. In Potanin's erroneousopinion America and Europe are in danger. It is uncontrollable development of a science and technics and destruction of a communityand communal collectivist relations that will lead to serious degradation of the society in these countries.However, Siberia will be free from degradation because it will apprehend and take all the best but it will reject all the worst of culturaldevelopment of Europe and America. G.N. Potanin opines that the absence of a private property of land in Siberia will lead to the formationof a rural and then a regional community. A number of regional communities will create a community-state. Thus, Siberia in its developmentwill show the way to other states and all world community. This way will be shown by a new historical community of people (this term G.N.Potanin doesn't use, it has appeared in the Soviet period) - the Siberian people. The Siberian people are the result of international marriages.That reminds him the symphonic person of Eurasians.Sometimes G.N. Potanin contradicts himself: on the one hand he states that Siberia will be able to adopt high technologies of Americaand Europe and on the other hand he speaks about destroying influence of technics on the general culture. He counts much on the peasantryand other factors, such as geographical position of Siberia, huge territory, natural resources that will promote trade and economy development.It is paradoxical, but G.N. Potanin considers ethnographic science to be of minor importance. The dominant role belongs to economy.He believes that the community from European part of Russia can't remove to Siberia through the Urals. However, in Siberia there are prerequisitesof formation a community. It is a trade artel. It is a trade artel that forms high morality as a characteristic feature of a community.G.N. Potanin bypasses a question on an urbanization, though he gives some examples of its influence.It should be noted that almost simultaneously G.N. Potanin as well as Westerners - Slavophiles asks the question if the reproduction ofculture is a question about conscious and unconscious. He connects it with religion, adjoining to "intellectualism" theories, enters such concepts,as "national feeling". In his reasonings he is based on Ch. Darwin's theory, simplifying it very much. However, G.N. Potanin can't butnotice pessimistic views of aboriginal inhabitants of Siberia on their future. The ethnographers have made a research in this direction muchlater. This phenomenon has appeared to be a characteristic not only for Siberia, but also for other regions of the Earth where the people can'tadapt for the new conditions connected with destruction of the traditional culture and industrial influence. Thus, despite the other valuableobservations, made by G.N. Potanin and his merits in the field of ethnographical science, they don't range him with the world known scientists.

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