The Memory Politics: Regional Interpretation

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to analyze the regional level of the memory politics. Although the case of the Voronezh region is considered, the situation in other regions that does not have a pronounced national identity is similar. It is noted that in the Federal state the past has different levels of perception. The interpretation of events at the regional level may not coincide with that at the national level. In this regard, there are two concepts of "historical policy", where the elite is supposed to consciously build certain symbolic constructs, and "the memory politics" which is considered as a process where the actors are not only the authorities, but also others – political leaders, researchers, social activists. The essay examines the influence of Federal trends on the regional interpretation of significant historical subjects.The elites' awareness of the importance of memory policy for strengthening their own legitimacy did not affect the weak elaboration of difficult historical issues and the lack of consensus in their interpretation within the elite groups, which does not allow for a well-thought-out memory policy. Despite the presence of several historical narratives, on which there is a consensus of the majority of actors, the inconsistency of the broadcast values, enhances the spontaneous processes in the collective "remembering" of the historical past, which increased the fragmentation of civil identity. The paper traces the changes in the collective historical memory of the inhabitants of the region, identifies negative manifestations.