Remembering a “Worthy Son of Siberia”: Representations of the Image of N.M. Yadrintsev as a Public Figure in the “Oriental Review” Newspaper (Based on the Material of Obituaries from 1894)

Abstract

The purpose of the study involves representing the image of the outstanding Siberian public figure N. M. Yadrintsev through textual analysis of necrologies dedicated to him, published in the newspaper “Eastern Review”, 1894. The edition was a great success among the provincial and metropolitan public. The choice of chronological framework is explained by the year of the enlightener’s death. The ongoing research is based on the methodology of “new intellectual and cultural history”, revealing the facets of a historical figure and his ideological heritage in the perception of the worldview of his contemporaries and colleagues. To implement research plans, the theory of historical memory was used. The anthropological approach emphasizing the individual with his way of thinking and characteristic behavioral traits was important for this study. Also, content analysis as a form of historical research was widely used in the work. Such tools made it possible not only to identify the content of written sources, but also to show their social context. The author emphasizes that after the death of N.M. Yadrintsev, many obituary texts were published in memory of the public figure. The work shows that obituary materials reveal N.M. Yadrintsev as a talented journalist, traveler, writer, and expert on the Siberian frontier. In this vein, the social significance of the enlightenment’s heritage is emphasized and his social and professional status is noted.