Regional Features of Developing Cossack Public Associations in Russia and Main Directions of Their Activity (Based on the Republic of Kalmykia)

Abstract

Introduction. The article considers the processes of socio-political, ethnocultural revival and the development of the modern Cossacks of Kalmykia. The paper deals with the activities of state authorities in reviving the Cossacks and the role of the Kalmyk Cossacks in the socio-cultural and socio-political processes of the region, interaction of local Cossack associations with Cossack communities not only in the south of Russia, but also in the country as a whole. Methods. The article uses the problem-chronological, historical-genetic, historiographical and source study analysis. Analysis. The author highlights the stages of developing the revival movement of the Kalmyk Cossacks: the first stage is the end of the 1980s and mid 1990s; the second stage is between the mid 1990s and mid 2000s: the third stage is from the mid 2000s until now. The author concludes that the processes of revival of Kalmyk Cossacks have their own specificity and features. First of all, the processes of revival took place outside their traditional territory of residence. Secondly, the union managed to gather immigrants from various hosts – the Don, Astrakhan, Kuban, Orenburg, Ural, Terek ones – in the Kalmyk Cossack district. Thirdly, a distinctive feature is peaceful coexistence of two equal denominations professed by the Kalmyk Cossacks – Buddhism and Orthodoxy. The author notes that the process of forming the Cossacks in the region was influenced both by the all-Russian tendencies of the Cossack revival and by the support of the regional political elite. However, such factors as organization and responsibility of Cossack associations, active citizenship, protecting their corporate interests also played an important role in the processes of revival and developing the Cossacks of the republic. Results. Thus, the Cossacks of Kalmykia became an integral part of the social structure of the republic. The Cossacks actively participate not only in the social and political processes, but also in the sphere of patriotic education of young people, regulating and controlling interethnic and interfaith conflicts in the region. Over the period of its existence, the Cossacks managed to gain prestige, become a significant social and political force in Kalmyk society.