In Search of Cultural Memory Landmarks. Historical Policies, Educational Programs, and Youth Identity

The article analyzes several historical narratives used for forming national identity among the young generation of Russia. The authors consider the most essential mental historical constructions mentioned in the current educational programs. These constructions are supposed to make the basis for the cultural memory of the Russian society and to form the image of the past epochs at a group level. The research work is based on qualitative methodology using methods of focus-groups and thematically-centered interviews. The selection was done by the “snowball” method. The analytical data present the results based on the material collected in four focus-groups and 40 thematically-focused interviews conducted in groups of secondary school teachers and 10- and 11-graders. The authors emphasize the existence in educational programs of alternative approaches to the split of the Russian Empire and historical heroes of that epoch, which focus on the lack of analytical frameworks for “remembering” and present historical narratives. The young generation do not perceive all the complexity of evaluations in the historical perspective of their own country and tend to accept any suggested context. In this respect, the common nature of identity, its essential grounds are beyond the logical understanding and may be shortly and easily formed (destroyed) among the young with regards to the necessary concept. The authors conclude that the concept of the Russian identity does not gain sufficient historical continuity and does not propose a scheme for analyzing historical transformations enabling young people to get a conciliatory view of social and political gaps of the past epochs.

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