Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: Epistemologic and Genealogic Aspects

Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War:
Epistemologic and Genealogic Aspects


Malinkin A.N.

Cand. Sci. (Philos.), Leading Researcher, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia lo_zio@bk.ru

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For citation:

Malinkin A.N. Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: Epistemologic and Genealogic Aspects. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 5. P. 23-34




Abstract

The article discusses epistemological and genealogical problems of the social cognition of the historical memory of the Russian people. It is argued that to study historical memories of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, academic objectivist sociological approach alone is not sufficient, since its understanding and interpretation are conditioned. To comprehend and appreciate its significance for Russia and the world, extra-scientific means of cognition are required, primarily philosophical. A philosophical and sociological understanding of historical memory is offered, and relevant theoretical and methodological difficulties are demonstrated. The second part of the article discusses the real historical, sociological and psychological reasons for the origin of irreconcilable disputes in the Russian community of humanities regarding the memory of the Great War and our Victory. The author shares the opinion of many colleagues that Russia needs a modern high-tech, telic and expansionary “memory policy”.


Keywords
Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945; scientific historical knowledge; historical memory of the people; sociology of knowledge; europeanism; entrance of Russia in “the family nations of a New Europe”; intelligentsia; smerdyakovshchyna; vlasovschina; national “politics of memory”

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Content No 5, 2020