Transfer of the Past: Cultural Memory in the Conditions of Migration Flows

The article aims to analyze modern cultural memory in the conditions of increased migration flows. The methodological basis of the research is a spatial approach with three main models of modern society analysis: regional, network, and flow. The regional model assumes refusal from the political segmentation of the social space and allocation of various criteria of differentiation of communities and meanings they broadcast. The network model focuses attention on interrelations of segments and their inclusiveness in the general logic of social space transformation. The flow model allows refusing from the static in the description of social phenomena and considering them as continuous processes overcoming the established borders and changing not only the structures of social space, but also the picture of society's historical representations. The use of flow metaphors forces to elaborate new criteria of social phenomena conceptualization and classification. The characteristics of flow orientation, density, and intensity are proposed as the main criteria of migration flow analysis. The combination of the criteria allows selecting four scenarios of migration flows and determining their influence on cultural memory dynamics. The concept of cultural transfer designates transfers of meanings between various communities. Cultural transfer is not a simple translation as it assumes inclusion of images of the past in the semiotic system of another community, adaptation of meanings to the developed memorial practices. At the same time, the situation of cultural transfer ceases to belong only to certain regions where various cultures collide. In the modern mobile world, migration flows permeate political and cultural borders, which makes cultural transfer an element of everyday life of any spatial community. Exchange of meanings acquires special relevance in the conditions of megalopolises, and inclusiveness in this exchange gradually stops being the result of an individual's conscious choice and turns into an objective condition of its successful functioning in the social space. Images of the past submit to the general logic of semiotic exchange, leading to transformation of existing memorial practices and to formation of hybrid forms of memory. In the article, conclusions on the methodological basis of cultural memory studies are drawn, and scenarios of migration flow influence on the transformation of ideas of the past are proposed.

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