“AN OBSCURE STRANGE TYPE IN A RUSSIAN SHIRT...”. BORIS NAZAROVSKY AND THE NEW CHRONOLOGY OF PERM

Abstract

Based on published and archival materials, the article examines the cultural aspects of the 1968-1972 discussion on the date of Perm's foundation. The 1968-1972 discussion was made possible due to a partial reorientation of the Soviet cultural policy after 1964. There was a tendency towards regional cultural autonomy, the formation of a local cultural identity: special symbols, appreciation of the historical landscape, conservation of cultural heritage and creation of regional traditions. In the discussion about the foundation time of Perm, the main question was solved: which social group is the most significant in the regional historical tradition - the workers (craftsmen) or the bureaucracy. The discussion was not so much about history as about the present day. It made for an emotionally charged discussion. Boris Nazarovsky, a journalist from Perm, was its initiator and the main protagonist. It was he who skillfully and energetically defended the idea of 1723, the date of foundation of a copper-smelting plant on the territory of Perm, and with it the priority of working-class origin in the history of the city. The contradiction between the insignificant historical content of the discussion and its cultural importance is pointed out. The conclusion is made that the dispute about the time of the city's foundation was the final moment in the creation of a special Perm identity. The conflict involved a confrontation between the original inhabitants of Perm and the "outsiders". The rivalry with Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk) played a subordinate role in the debate.