PUBLIC HISTORY “IN A SOVIET WAY”. REGIONAL BRANCHES OF THE ALL-RUSSIAN SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL MONUMENTS: “BUREAUCRATIC RULES OF THE GAME” AND HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVISM
The idea of searching for a local identity through the study of the culture and history of a place acquired a special scope in the 1960s and 1970s in many countries of the world. During this period, the emergence of public history, local history, microhistory, and oral history has radically changed academic history. The Soviet Union did not stand aside. Here, the traditions of historical and cultural activism were closely tied with the local lore movement (or kraevedenie), rooted in the pre-revolutionary period. To some extent, the traditions of local lore movement in the Soviet Union developed in parallel with public history. Local lore initiatives were restored after their temporary suppression in Stalin's time, movements were created to preserve historical and cultural monuments. Many noted scientists, culturologists, publicists and even Communist Party officials were speaking about traditions and preservation of regional culture. In the 1960s - 1980s, millions of Soviet citizens were included in the activities of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture (Vserossiyskoe Obshhestvo Ohrany Pamyatnikov Istorii i Kul'tury, or VOOPIK) and search movements for the study and preservation of places of revolutionary, military and labor glory. This research analyzes their activities, on the basis of archival documents of VOOPIK, as well as memoires, official reports and oral interviews of movement activists. Moreover, the question is raised about the possibility of inscribing public history in a longer and larger context. The author analyzes the “letters to the government” from ordinary Soviet citizens as an example of historical and cultural activism. A study of the use of public spaces in Soviet Russia could help us join the broad discussion about Soviet Union and its relation to the world. Was it really a unique, isolated project, unlike the rest of the world community, or a part of this community with similar processes and cultural code?