|
|
The role of Volga River in self-identification of Upper Volga region's population in 19th century
Uriková, Lucie ; Daniel, Ondřej (advisor) ; Tumis, Stanislav (referee)
In my master thesis I deal with the issue of the identity of 19th century Russian society and the role of the Volga River in it. I focus on the characterization of Russian identity in the broadest sense, on the relationship of human society to nature, and on two case studies from the Upper Volga region. In the theory of Russian identity I consider four of its characteristic features - ambivalence, patriotism, spirituality and sentimentalism - to be crucial. The analysis of the relationship between human society and nature includes a section devoted to the reasons for human attachment to landscape, discusses the concept of national landscapes, and presents the dominant idea of the Russian landscape at the end of the 19th century. The last section is devoted to research on the role of the Volga River in the self-identification of the inhabitants of the Upper Volga region. In a study of the worship of the source of the Volga and in research on folklore, I note the attitude of various influences towards this river and, on this basis, define the place of the Volga River in the life of different social classes. The conclusion of my study is that the role of the Volga River in the life of the Upper Volga inhabitants was in many ways the same as its role in the national social discourse, but quite out of...
|
guest ::
RSS feed.