Abstract
The Ural Mountains in Russia are recognized for their picturesque scenery, exceptional mineral wealth, and geopolitical significance in Russian history. The Urals are also notoriously known as a site of the Soviet military industrial complex, the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear program, and the most polluted region in Russia. The evolving Urals’ imagery as Russia’s “treasure box” and “Russia’s defender” has been a continual theme through the region’s identity and economic progression over the period of 300 years. At different times and by different powers, the Urals was glorified or ostracized, however, preserving its iconic image. The article explores the origins of the Ural’s identity and the evolution of the Urals’ diverse meanings using the evidence from published scholarly sources and works of art.
Highlights
Why the Urals Matter?In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in the study of cultural landscapes in connection with regional and cultural identity
The dynamics of cultural identity are crystallized through region-building institutions, and how these places are reproduced is often regulated by a state or regional government (Frers & Meier, 2007)
While the method of direct observations is quite reliable for cross-sectional studies, the goal of this research is to show the longitudinal dimension of the formation of the Urals cultural identity in the minds of the Russian people
Summary
Why the Urals Matter?In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in the study of cultural landscapes in connection with regional and cultural identity. There is a reciprocal relationship between the identities of places and of people inhabiting these places. The dynamics of cultural identity are crystallized through region-building institutions, and how these places are reproduced is often regulated by a state or regional government (Frers & Meier, 2007). These intricate processes are embedded in material culture “from above,” in the form of regionbuilding institutions such as economy or governance (Paasi, 2004) and are preserved in visual culture “from below” in the collective memory of people through folklore, mass media, films, and artistic narratives (Paasi, 2003)
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