Memoir Material Research Articles

The One that Wasn’t: Child and Youth Labour in the Post-Stalin Era in the Soviet Union

This paper examines the phenomenon of child and youth labour in the post-Stalin era in the Soviet Union. The starting point for the consideration constitutes the analysis of the law adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1958 titled “On the strengthening of the link between school and life and the further development of people’s education in the USSR”. This law placed great emphasis on combining education with practice and involving pupils from the earliest grades in various forms of both productive and socially useful labour. Subsequently, four categories of labour to which children and young people in the USSR were systemically forced has been distinguished. These included: occasional labours, work and leisure camps, so-called subbotniki and little communal works, as well as compulsory recycling. The paper thoroughly depicts all of them in the light of memoir material.

FATHER PETRE TATALASHVILI – THE LAST PRIOR OF THE GEORGIAN MONASTERY IN ISTANBUL

The residence of the Georgian Catholics in Istanbul, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (turkish: Gürcü Katolik Kilisesi), with its schools, printing house and rich library used to fulfill a great Georgian cultural, educational and scientific function outside of Georgia for more than a century. The temple was built in 1861 by Father Petre Kharischirashvili in one of the most beautiful districts of Istanbul, Ferikoy (the village of Angels). It is noteworthy, that the most of the fathers serving in the Georgian Monastery of Istanbul were from Samtskhe-Javakheti by origin. Father Petre Tatalashvili was from Samtskhe as well. During the hundred years (1861-1961) of its existence, Georgian Catholic Monastery of Istanbul acted as a spiritual, cultural, educational and scientific center where many national, educational or scientific activities were performed. Establishment of religious educational institution, Georgian-French schools, printing-houses, the literacy dissemination society among Georgians living in Turkey, library called after Akaki Tsereteli are good examples of cultural and educational activities of the Monastery. The Monastery was the educational center giving Georgian young people the opportunity to get education first in Istanbul and then to Europe. It supported many Georgian scientists and public figures, like Ivane Gvaramadze, Mikheil Tamarashvili, Shalva Vardidze, etc. The goal of the article is to describe the work of the father Petre Tatalashvili, one of the valuable figures, a secretary of a monastery and the responsible person for the educational processes, later on the last Prior of the Georgian monastery in Istanbul. Accordingly, it aims to introduce him to a broader society based on the preserved notes kept in family and other funds or archives, which have not been used by the scientists widely. We consider, that he deserves to be known by the Georgian society due to his deeds, as he faithfully served to education and cultural advancement of Georgian people for entire his life, under the foreign sky, in the foreign country. He was the defender, the patron, the spiritual confessor of Georgian Catholics. The research methodology: The research is based on the historical research method: description, comparative-historical method, empirical, causal-historical analysis based on the epistolary and memoir materials preserved in the archive fund of Istanbul Georgian Catholic Monastery

Views of V. B. Antonovych on the processes of state formation in Ukraine

The purpose of the study а the analysis of the life and works of a prominent Ukrainian historian and the public figure V.В.Antonovych. Basing on the published sources, the author of the article endeavors to render the scholar’s biography, overview the life conditions and peculiarities of his academic interest formation, define the intellectual circle of the historian, present his work in Ukrainian research institutions and abroad, as well as to analyze his academic achievements.. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity and scientificity. Such methods as historical-genetic, analytical-synthetic, comparative analysis, retrospective, historical-typological, local history methods were used. Scientific novely. The article analyzes journalistic and memoir materials belonging V.В.Antonovych on the basis of methodological tools of social constructivism, generational history and collective memory. The views of scientists on the formation of statehood in Ukraine are studied, especially during the constitutional processes that were developed during the formation of an independent Ukrainian state; justification of the philosophical position of the nonviolent way of fighting for national liberation inherent in the Ukrainian political tradition. Conclusions. The influence of the idea of federalism in the scientific and political concepts of the scientist, the evolution of V.В.Antonovych views on Ukrainian-Russian relations are investigated. It is noted that many ideas and concepts of a scientist and a statesman are consonant with the present day and have not lost their relevance at the present stage of state-building. The weak and contradictory aspects of V.В.Antonovych historiographical heritage are singled out, which have not stood the test of time and cause reservations in modern geopolitical realities. In the article V. B. Antonovich views concerning the peculiarities of the Ukrainian nation from the position of state formation. His conclusions about the leading role of the nation in the society development, in establishing the Ukrainian state system are given.

Viola in the russian musical art of the second half of the XVIII century: the works of I.E. Khandoshkin

The history of Russian viola performance is closely tied with the development of solo, orchestral and ensemble repertoire, as well as its formation in space-time dynamics and perspective. The significance of the instrument in the cultural life of the country in the second half of the XVIII century is reflected in the the works of the renowned Russian composer I.E. Khandoshkin. In this study, scientific research, documentary and memoir materials, and other valuable sources are used to explore this topic. The main focus is on "Six Old Russian Songs", a Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra C–dur, which served as an example of a brilliant musical mystification of the mid-20th century, and its actual author, violinist M.E. Goldstein.

Агатангел Кримський і Буковина

The article using reliable facts and argued assumptions reconstructs a paradigm of A. Krymsky’s contacts with Bukovyna and Bukovynians, in particular not yet traced pages and updates a unique source base, namely forgotten, scattered newspaper and book literary-critical, memoir materials. It turns out that the paradigm of these contacts is interesting and branched out. It began in A. Krymsky’s early youth by reading the works by Y. Fed’kovych and continued in fact throughout his life. Besides the characteristic of Fed’kovych’s interests, it is said about his publication of wide scholar and artistic issues in Bukovina periodicals. The link between A. Krymsky and A. Kobylianska is discussed more deeply than up to now. Thus, we disprove preliminary statements about authenticity of their meetings in Chernivtsi in 1898, in Kyiv, and at the farmstead Zelenyi Hay near Hadiach in 1899; we point to attempts by the Soviet organisers of science to falsify materials relating to the issue. In the history of the scholar’s contacts with eminent philologist and cultural figure V. Simovych’s, they were remarkable due to their epistolary relations and personal meetings in Kharkiv and Kyiv in 1927 and in Lviv in 1940 – meaningful, businesslike, not devoid of a warm human component. A whole range of other asks were outlined, on which it is still worth concentrating in the future, comprehending the subject. So the investigation of prominent, nowadays unjustly forgotten author is completed as well as enriched history of literary, social and cultural interconnections of scientific and creative intellectuals of isolated parts of Ukraine in the late 19th – the first decades of the 20th century.

Pathologising 'Refusal': Prison, Health and Conscientious Objectors during the First World War.

SummaryThis article examines the extent to which the refusals of British conscientious objectors (COs) to fight during the First World War were pathologised through the lens of physical and mental health, and the ways in which such a pathology impacted their treatment in penal establishments. It argues that the government compromised the physical as well as the mental health of absolutist COs. The article also analyses the effects of the state’s pathologising efforts upon objectors, and the methods through which the physical bodies of COs were utilised against, or annexed by, the authorities. Drawing on Cabinet Minutes, Prison Commissioner Reports, and COs’ personal letters and memoir materials, it suggests that the case of COs offers an interesting comparison with the complex ways in which the phenomenon of ‘shell-shock’ was beginning to be understood in both somatic and psychological terms.

ŠPANSKA GROZNICA U KRAGUJEVCU 1918.

The Spanish flu pandemic occurred during 1918-1919, spreading all over the planet in three waves and continuing for the next couple of years. It did not bypass Serbia, either, and approximately 3% or more than 100,000 residents died. This work aimed to determine the occurrence and the aftermath of the world pandemic in Kragujevac and the villages that belonged to the parishes of two churches in Kragujevac, based on the analysis of the available church records, memoirs, and registers of the deceased. From the memoir materials, the memories of Milica Jakovljević Mirjam, have been preserved and are available, indicating that the deadly outbreak of the pandemic came before the arrival of the liberators from the Thessaloniki front. People welcomed them in masses and festively, which only contributed to the additional accelerated spread of the disease, from which, as Duke Petar Bojović reported to the Supreme Command from Kragujevac, the entire population and the army had fallen ill. For many citizens, this disease was fatal, like Milica's mother Simka, who died on October 28th (November 10th). Her daughters recovered from the flu relatively easily, while the Head of the Medical services of Drina division, colonel dr Milan Pecić, suffered from it for several months. Analysis of the two church registers of the deceased from Kragujevac showed that in Kragujevac, the pandemic, in its deadliest outbreak, claimed at least 72 lives (0.053%) in the fall of 1918, while 107 parishioners (1.19%) died in villages near small towns. The assumption was that in further, remote rural areas the mortality was even higher. The next outbreaks of the pandemic, the third wave from the beginning of 1919, and the fourth, from the end of 1919 and the beginning of 1920, also had deadly consequences in the Kragujevac region, but were much milder than those from the fall of 1918.

XIX–XX A. PIRMOSIOS PUSĖS ŽVEJYBOS VERSLAI KURŠIŲ MARIŲ REGIONE

The article analyses the fishing and related occupations in the Curonian Lagoon region in the 19th – first half of the 20th centuries. A brief history of fishing in the Curonian Lagoon from ancient times is presented, thus providing historical context which might provide a better understanding of the processes that took place during the period analysed in the article. Available information from historical sources shows that besides fishing the lagoon fishermen were forced to engage in other occupations. The main reason for this was hard natural conditions of the region. Auxiliary fishing occupation soften were related to the fishermen’s skills acquired in fishing, such as boat building and management. Material of archaeological excavations carried out in 2012 at the site of former Kopgalis village is presented in the article. The material shows an important turning-point that took place in the 19 than 20th centuries in the region of the Curonian Lagoon – the transition from traditional fishing to a new activity – resort business. For the first time memoir material of Henrikas Cyrulis – native resident of Kintai village is presented in the study.

К биографии Вяч. Иванова: «четные Среды»

The article examines the history of the latest literary and philosophical meetings in the legendary St. Petersburg salon of Vyach. Ivanov and L. Zinovieva- Annibal on Tavricheskaya St., known as “The Tower”. On the basis of archival, epistolary and memoir materials, an attempt is made to reconstruct the events and interpret their contradictory assessments by contemporaries, to find out the fullest possible circle of guests and the program of the evenings. The second season at “The Tower”, with its traditional meetings on Wednesdays, was organized by its inhabitants on even days, but due to the fire at first and then to the hostess’ illness, it actually ended after four meetings between October 1906 and February 1907. The work also supplements and clarifies some facts and circumstances familiar from the memoirs of visitors of the “Ivanov Tower” (N. Berdyaev, M. Sabashnikova).

Bellezza , Simone Attilio The Shore of Expectations: A Cultural Study of the ‘Shistdesiatnyky’ (review)

SEER, 98, 4, OCTOBER 2020 786 memoirs to the siege canon (p. 66). While works from both eras more candidly relayed the horrific conditions of the Blockade and criticized city leaders, their presentation of the heroic Soviet people and of the victory as a triumph of Soviet humanism over fascist barbarism remained consistent with wartime accounts (p. 68). In part two, Voronina draws on Hayden White’s Metahistory (Baltimore, MD, 1973) to demonstrate ‘the dependency of historical texts on literary forms’, and delves into historical scholarship from the Soviet and postSoviet eras, which ‘turned out to be written like socialist-realist novels’ (p. 149). Even when new evidence came to light, historians ‘did not attempt to dispute it [the master-narrative] and only added to it with new subject matters’ and evidence (p. 149). For instance, historians framed new forensic data about the death toll (p. 178) as lives willingly, meaningfully sacrificed. The book’s most powerful material appears in part three on siege survivors’ organizations, which have successfully lobbied the Soviet and post-Soviet states for material benefits. Presenting themselves not as civilian victims but as veterans who heroically defended the city, they have leveraged the SocialistRealist elements of the siege story to their advantage (pp. 264–65). ‘Earlier heroism was determined by the usefulness and significance of actions aimed at saving the city’, Voronina observes, but through survivors’ efforts, ‘lawmakers began to understand heroism as the very fact of being in a blockade’ (p. 265). Activists therefore joined professional writers, historians and memoirists to become co-creators of the Blockade myth. This insight is the capstone to a fascinating study about the interplay of personal experience and public discourse in the politics of memory. I only regret that the book’s analysis ends in 2006, leaving readers to wonder about the applicability of Voronina’s argument to the resurgence of the war cult in Russia today. Department of History Alexis Peri Boston University Bellezza, Simone Attilio. The Shore of Expectations: A Cultural Study of the ‘Shistdesiatnyky’. CIUS Press, Edmonton, AL and Toronto, ON, 2019. xxiii + 357 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $34.95: £26.99 (paperback). What we know about the post-Stalinist ‘Thaw’ remains heavily weighted towardsRussiaanditsmetropolitancentres.Increasingly,though,scholarshave turned towards other parts of the Soviet Union, comparing and contrasting the dynamics of Russian cultural liberalization and crackdown with those in Central Asia, the Baltics and other republics. Simone Attilio Bellezza’s study of the shistdesiatnyky — a key post-Stalinist Ukrainian cultural and political movement — is a valuable addition to the scholarship on the Thaw and REVIEWS 787 dissidence, as well as Ukrainian cultural history. Methodical and thorough in its collation and critique of a rich array of sources, from memoirs to party and state security archives, the book presents a linear, chronological account of the rise and fall of the movement. It recounts in detail every major incident in its history from the death of Stalin to the movement’s collapse in the early 1970s, with thorough biographies of its key protagonists along the way, including Lina Kostenko, Ivan Dziuba, Valentyn Moroz and many others. As such, it is the most comprehensive and up-to-date account of the movement in Englishlanguage scholarship, though the vast array of protagonists and publications might prove somewhat disorientating to non-Ukrainianists. The book’s three lengthy chapters are each devoted to a sub-period between 1953 and the mid-1970s. They trace the emergence of the movement out of the post-Stalinist literary renaissance, through to more overtly political samizdat (samvydav in Ukrainian) and public demonstrations, harshly punished by the authorities until the movement collapsed; subsequent Ukrainian dissident groups, surveyed in the epilogue, were of a quite different character. The account of shistdesiatnytstvo is largely descriptive, and at times too detailed, with a tendency to quote sources at excessive length and a structure driven by successive events rather than a consistently clear line of argument. However, it does also persuasively challenge previous views of the movement as nationalist in origin. As demonstrated through nuanced analysis of biography and memoir material, the majority of key participants held sincere Marxist-Leninist views, shaped by Soviet education and Komsomol experience. Most only...

History of Russian Reception of Drama I.-V. Goethe’s “Torquato Tasso”

The history of Russian translations of the I.-V. Goethe’s drama “Torquato Tasso” (1789) is discussed in the article. Responses testifying to the familiarity with this work of many Russian writers, in particular, V. A. Zhukovsky, N. V. Kukolnik, N. A. Polevoy, I. V. Kireevsky, N. I. Nadezhdin, I. S. Turgenev, A. I. Herzen and others are systematized. The history of Russian Reception of the “Torquato Tasso”, dating back to the 1840s (A. N. Strugovschikov, N. M. Satin, A. N. Yakhontov, etc.), and its influence on aesthetic reflection in the era of romanticism and afterwards is discussed in the article. Particular attention is paid to the previously unknown translation of V. G. Benediktov (presumably the 1850s), preserved in the archives of the writer in the Russian National Library. Subsequent translations created by V. A. Sorgenfrey (1920-1921) and S. M. Soloviev (1933) are also analyzed. With the involvement of diary, epistolary and memoir materials, the activity of A. A. Blok as a translation editor by V. A. Sorgenfrey is conceptualized. The relevance of the study is due to the need to clarify the large-scale picture of the translation and literary critical reception of the West European classics in Russia.

U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS IN THE SHADOW OF THE 1999 KOSOVO WAR

The paper examines the changing relations between the U.S. and Russia since the end of the twentieth century, shaped by the experience of NATO’s war with Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over Kosovo. The first decade after the termination of the Cold War brought about the American ‘unipolar moment’, and with it the attempt of Russian political elites to approach the unipole and find a sustainable modus vivendi with it: the relationship between Yeltsin and Clinton administrations is a vivid example of such endeavors. At the same time, policies such as NATO expansion induced suspicion on the Russian side with regard to the possibilities of achieving an understanding and allowing Russia to become a legitimate part of European security architecture. When, in March of 1999, NATO began with the attacks against FRY (a country perceived as traditionally friendly towards Russia) without the consent of the United Nations Security Council, a long shadow was cast over the prospects of a Russian – American rapprochement. All subsequent episodes of cooperation and competition between Russia and the U.S. have been observed through the lens shaped by the Kosovo war. Drawing from contemporary Russian and western academic literature and memoir materials (Primakov, Guskova, Narochnitska, Baranovsky, Tsygankov, Sushenkov; Wohlforth, Walt, Clarke, Hill, Galen Carpenter et al.) and building upon the traditional realist concepts of great power competition and balancing, the author assesses the development of U.S.-Russian security relations in the context the Kosovo war experience. It is argued that, in addition to being an attack against a country perceived as a traditional Russian friend or protégé, NATO bombing of FRY in 1999 posed a major concern to Russia because it was a signal that the alliance was ready to change its strategic posture and engage in out-of-area operations.

«Он все в себе мирил…»: личность и поэзия В.А. Жуковского

The article offers an understanding of the life and creative path of V.A. Zhukovsky, his role in the development of the Russian literature of the first half of the XIX century. The general review of Zhukovsky’s poetic heritage, characteristic of the main genres and literary directions are combined with the analysis of some works that are most important for understanding the creative specificity of the poet. When considering the biography, a wide range of memoir material is involved, journal articles of the time are used; the critics’ statements as well as the modern literary scholars’ observations help to understand more precisely and fully the uniqueness of the place occupied by V.A. Zhukovsky in the Russian literature of the “Golden age”. The general methodological direction of reflections on the phenomenon of Zhukovsky, figuratively expressed in the title (quote from F.I. Tyutchev’s poem “In memory of V.A. Zhukovsky”), can be considered a statement about the harmonious nature of the creative talent of the poet, his high moral qualities and genuine Christian faith, which could not but affect the works, always imbued with the ideal, organically combining the aesthetic perfection and educational value. Opening the poems of Zhukovsky, the first Russian romantic poet, genial translator, mentor of the future Emperor, author of the words of the hymn «God save the Tsar», friend and poetic teacher of Pushkin, educator, guardian genius, we let into our soul the silence and light that gives us strength to resist everyday thunderstorms, reminds us of eternity.

The Rumyantsev Museum’s History in Russian Memoir Sources

The article provides an analytical review of the memoirs on the history of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museum (now the Russian State Library), which started with the collections of count N.P. Rumyantsev. The author considers the memories on the Rumyantsev Museum since its foundation in St. Petersburg in 1828, its transfer to Moscow, the activities of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev museums from 1862 to 1917. The author notes the role of memoir literature for the study of the history of librarianship. The article gives description of the sources containing the unique bibliogra­phic information, which reflects publications of me­moirs, diaries, letters about the Rumyantsev Museum in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The article presents the history of the transfer of the Rumyantsev Museum from St. Petersburg to Moscow and gives fragments from the memoirs of V.V. Stasov and “Diary” of V.F. Odoevsky about this event. The author also presents publications dedicated to the leaders of the Rumyantsev Museum and analytically discloses the memoirs placed in them. The article gives excerpts from memoirs, diaries, letters, which reflect the events and facts from the history of foundation and formation of the Rumyantsev Museum, the role of individuals who have made great contribution to the development of the Museum and its library. The author presents information from the memoirs, diary entries of readers about visiting the Rumyantsev library, their contribution to the accession of collections. The article also gives information about the publication of memoirs of the descendants of V.D. Golitsyn, the last Director of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums who became its first Soviet Director. The author reveals the potential of memoir materials for further research of the history of the Rumyantsev Museum and its library, its role in the history of culture and spiritual life of Russian society.

It was on Damanskii Island

ABSTRACTIn this article memoir material from Soviet General V. Schur is presented relating to events at Damanskii Island on the Soviet-Chinese border (1969) with commentary. This article also contains additional new information on important details of the Sino-Soviet border conflict at the time.

РЕКОНСТРУКЦИЯ ПИСАТЕЛЬСКОЙ БИОГРАФИИ ПО ТЕКСТАМ КАК НАУЧНАЯ ПРОБЛЕМА

The article deals with the possibilities of reconstructing a writer’s biography on the basis of literary texts, epistolary and memoir materials. This approach, little studied in the literary aspect, is one of the most topical and productive types of the study of the personality, world outlook and creativity of the artist of the word. A number of interrelated conditions are considered that allow reconstructing effectively a writer’s personality: the low degree of the study of life and creativity, the “non-peak” scale of a writer’s personality, intentional demonstration of views, genre specificity. As an illustration, the author offers specific examples from the creative work of writers of various levels, primarily V. V. Krestovsky and F. M. Dostoevsky.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOUTHERN UKRAINIAN HISTORIANS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIC CASE (THE SECOND HALF OF THE ХІХ AND EARLY ХХ CENTURIES)

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOUTHERN UKRAINIAN HISTORIANS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIC CASE (THE SECOND HALF OF THE ХІХ AND EARLY ХХ CENTURIES)

Мирон Кордуба в роки Української революції (за мемуарними джерелами)

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of Myron Korduba’s biography during the period of revolutionary events based on his memoirs. It has been found out that the problem of reconstruction of life and work of M. Korduba during the Ukrainian revolution was quite an issue for his contemporaries (e.g., O. Popovich) and researchers of our time (especially I. Fedoriv, O. Pikh, V. Pedych, V. Telvak and others). It has been indicated that in their research memoirs of M. Korduba were used only sporadically, which makes it impossible to display a full biography of the scientist. This is why the research is topical. The aim of the article is a reconstruction of the life and work of M. Korduba during the Ukrainian revolution based on his memoirs. It has been investigated that from the first days of October 1918 M. Korduba actively participated in the national liberation struggle of Ukraine. He became a member of the National Committee, took part in its organizational and international meetings. As a lieutenant of the committee, he participated in the formation of the Ukrainian National Council. By his initiative, the council was convened in Chernivtsi November 3, 1918, which proclaimed the peaceful transition of power in the region to Ukrainians. M. Korduba took an active part in the process of Ukrainization of political life in Bukovina, which was stopped by the Romanian occupation of land. M. Korduba was elected as Provincial Committee ambassador to Kyiv, where he sought help from the Hetman Skoropadsky. However, an armed conflict between Hetman and Directorate made the assistance impossible and Bukovina was fully occupied by Romanian troops. As a result, it has been noted that the memoirs of M. Korduba revealed significant information which uncovered the little-known pages of his biography. It has been proved that a remarkable scientist appeared to be a bright representative of Ukrainian intelligentsia: responsible for the fate of people, proactive in finding opportunities to realize assignments entrusted to him, tolerant and respectful to his opponents. It has been indicated that due to his efforts, Ukrainian Bukovina felt itself the master of its life and tried to realize the dream of statehood at least for this brief period of time. However, the objective historical circumstances (lack of statehood experience, small amount of intelligentsia, more advanced organization of his neighbors), led to the defeat of the Liberation Struggle in Western Ukraine. The further involvement of Korduba’s discourse of his memoir materials, can reveal little-known pages of the biography of this prominent figure.

A place to put these butterflies: finding form in zuihitsu

The 1,000-year-old Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon (Makura-no sōshi) is a definitive example of the genre of Japanese literature known as zuihitsu—literally, ‘as the brush flows’. An autobiographical account of the cloistered world of a lady-in-waiting at the Emperor’s court in tenth-century Japan, this ground-breaking text comprises a fragmented ‘miscellany’ of loosely associated ideas, personal essays and lists. Beyond its singular importance as a historical record of daily life which is almost microscopic in its detail, The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon endures to this day as a source of inspiration for writers, filmmakers and scholars interested in experimenting with narrative form. This paper offers a creative, scholarly examination of formal aspects of Shōnagon’s landmark zuihitsu in relation to my own creative nonfiction work, currently being undertaken as part of a PhD in creative writing at Griffith University. In particular, the fragmentation that is the Pillow Book’s defining feature, along with the associative linking techniques seen in many of the lists scattered throughout, have informed the structural interplay of the memoir material.

Subiektywny wymiar ubóstwa

This article is devoted to the relational-symbolic dimension of contemporary poverty, which is personified today in homo sacer, that is, the excluded person. Relations between the world of wealth and the world of poverty are dominated by contempt, rejection, and a sense of alienation. The result is the perpetuation of social inequalities and problems of identity in increasingly numerous spheres of impoverished people. These are challenges that contemporary society must meet. Science and public discourse are thus concentrating less on describing the symptoms of the problem and more on what excluded people themselves think and feel. Researchers are trying to hear the voices of the poor; qualitative research and analyses of memoir materials are useful to this end. In turning to such sources, the author presents the viewpoint of poor people, their feelings and subjective appraisal of their situation, and their strategies for dealing with poverty.