Evolution of national intellectuals' views in the context of the national revival of the Teleuts

This article considers processes of national revival as a political construct in which the direct role of national intellectuals is noted on the example of Kemerovo Oblast Teleuts at the end of the 20th century. The first part of the article is devoted to nationalism as a phenomenon. The author defends the constructed nature of nationalism, identifies basic elements of nation construction (history mythologization, external environment challenge and emphasis on the dichotomy "locals - strangers"), notes the direct role of the national intellectuals in the construction of the nation. Moving from universal tendencies to realities of the Russian state, the author distinguishes historical and cultural differences between ethnic groups living in Siberia and other nationalities inhabiting the Russian Federation. Thus, in the author's opinion, the main difference of Siberian ethnic groups from peoples inhabiting the Baltics and the Caucasus are tribute relations with the metropolis represented by the Russian government. In the second part of the article, using Ch. Tilly's theory of social mobility, the author considers processes of national revival on the example of the Teleut ethnos of Kemerovo Oblast at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries. Analyzing the status of the national organization Ene-Bayat and activities of the national intellectuals, the author gives the main reason for the stagnation of national revival - the archaization of the Teleut national culture. The author understands archaization as promotion of national ceremonies, traditions and habits of the Teleuts irrespectively of modern economic realities. According to the author, the archaization of national culture was an effective method of national revival during the early post-Soviet period; it allowed to popularize the Teleut language while the modern situation demands new points of social contact, mainly in the economic field. The author proves this point of view, using materials of field research, in particular an interview with the Teleut activists S.D. Kalishev (village Shanda of Guryevsky District) and V.F. Todyshev (village Bekovo, Belovsky District). National economic production (agricultural enterprises) will allow to create additional common grounds between members of the Teleut community, necessary for the preservation of their ethnic identity today. According to the author, economic activity of the national intellectuals of the Teleuts can serve as a new round of development in national revival while concentration on the cultural aspect only leads to the stagnation of national culture.

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