Converted Jews

Abstract

The aim of the scientific paper to reconstruct the life strategies of the father of the famous figure of the Great Reform era M. Posen, as well as to attempt to study the little-known early stage of his biography. Research methods: biographical, reconstruction, hermeneutics, intertextual analysis, comparative studies, systemic-structural, conceptual method of M. Epstein, etc. Main results. Thanks to the use of a number of approaches, it was possible to reach broader issues, such as the reconstruction of the identity of two generations of the Posens, identification strategies for their entry into the imperial society and determination of the position and opportunities of converted Jews in the era of Alexander I. Thus, the principle of new historicism made it possible to analyze texts in their primary context, which in turn made it possible to investigate Posen’s attitude to texts, which was reflected in his project for changes in censorship. The systematic principle made it possible to reflect on the whole the process of development of the institution of censorship in the Russian Empire and the role of converted Jews in it on the M. Posen’s example. The study of legislative acts was carried out using the historical-juridical analysis and A. Etkind’s philosophy of reconstruction, which made it possible to inscribe the Posens’ history to the historical and cultural context of the era. Thanks to scientific tools and the involvement of previously unknown sources, it became possible to clarify the main milestones of M. Posen’s early biography, while he working in various departments, as well as possible reasons for career growth in the context of the Alexander era. Practical significance: the accomplished developments can be used in the future to create generalizing works on historical biography, Jewish study, interethnic history, social history, etc. Scientific novelty: for the first time, attempts were made to reconstruct the biography of M. Posen’s father based on the initial materials and the activities of the first generations of the Posens in Russia Empire. Type of article: analytical.