Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2022 number

The ethnographic expeditions took place in Pritom’e (Chebulinsky, Tyazhinsky, Mariinsky districts of Kemerovo Region) in 2018-2021, where the author managed to work with the descendants of the Old Believers (who called themselves Kerzhaks) retaining a stable cultural identity to this day. The article objective is to identify the stable identity reasons of the Old Believers in the XX century. The main source of research was the story by A.V. Lepshakova, born in 1955, a resident of Prokop’evo village, Tyazhinsky District, Kemerovo Region, whose maternal relatives were Old Believers. Besides, materials collected from informants, whose ancestors were Old Believers as well, were added. The author used the interview method (in-depth interview) and audio recording at the stage of field study. The methodology is based on an ethnocultural approach to understanding identity, where an important marker of the latter is the continuity of the cultural choice of a group united by a common memory, belief, common material and spiritual culture. The study applies descriptive and comparative-historical research method as well. Old Believers of Prokop’evo village, despite the active processes of the family and social life transformation in the XX century, show the stability of cultural identity. The reason for this was the Old Believer’s religious beliefs, which left their mark on the social and family way of life. Kerzhaks did not marry people of another faith, distanced themselves from the outside world (they settled in a separate village, then a separate street), were distinguished by household cleanliness and the long-term preserving a large patriarchal family. The policy of the Soviet leadership (attracting women to social and cultural activities, joint work of the Old Believers and Russian settlers on the collective farm, the younger generation mobility, etc.) led to the loss of cultural markers by the Old Believer’s descendants and their mixing with Russian settlers through marriage. However, the descendants of the Old Believers (being such only through one parent) retained their identity under such conditions that should be explained by the prestige of the Old Believer identity in their families.