THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHERN ASIA AS A SPHERE OF REALIZATION OF SIBERIAN MERCHANTRY’S SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES
E.V. KOMLEVA
Institute of history SB RAS, 8, Nikolaev Str., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
Keywords: Северная Азия, освоение региона, инкорпорация, социокультурные практики, просветительская и благотворительная деятельность, North Asia, region’s development, incorporation, Siberian merchants, socio-cultural practices, educational and charitable activities, сибирское купечество
Abstract
The article deals with the socio-cultural practices of Siberian merchants to develop remote and hard-to-reach territories of North Asia. Merchants proved themselves both as discoverers and explorers, active participants in the economic colonization of new areas, and generous benefactors, with the assistance and direct participation of which the region’s mental development took place, i.e. its inclusion into the country’s unified cultural and spiritual space. To a large extent, development of public education, establishment of educational institutions, scientific researches, and church construction were carried out thanks to merchant donations. The merchants’ support of the Russian Orthodox Church’s missionary activities was of great importance. The ethnic and religious composition of merchantry, upbringing of merchant youth, along with changes taking place over time in the cultural and educational level of the Siberian merchants influenced their socio-cultural practices. In particular, expanding intellectual horizons stimulated the activity of merchants in the field of public education, scientific research, accumulation and promotion of information about the region’s nature and population. It is interesting, that since the late XVIII century merchants had highly valued their professional activities to develop the state, considered themselves useful members of society, whose efforts led to spreading civilization and progress. A brief overview of all multilateral activity of merchants shows that it should be considered as a complex system of actions to incorporate the region into the Russian Empire. Moreover, this result was achieved regardless of what goals were pursued by individual representatives of the merchant class and how consciously they sought to help the state in developing new, inaccessible and sparsely populated territories. Largely thanks to their efforts, these areas were secured as part of the state being included in its economy and entering a single Imperial mental space.
|
