Memory Policy in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the XXI Century

Abstract

This article features the contemporary politicy of memory in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), as well as the role of historical politics in the development of national memory and identity. Methodologically, the research relied on the principles of the memorial turn and memory policy within the paradigm of intellectual history and the history of ideas. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of common and unique features of historical politics as a politics of memory in Yakutia because non-European cultures still remain underrepresented in historiography. The author also analyzed the role of state strategies and media actors in the development of collective historical memory, as well as the role of state events in the local memorial policy, e.g., the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Sakha. The author believes that historical politics contributes to the development of national identity via the culture of memory and the memorial canon. The results of the study suggest that elites became the main actor of historical policy because they shape the local memorial culture in an attempt to legitimize their own status with the help of various memory tools, including narrative practices and their visualization.