The concept of “other” and the problem of tolerance in the Russian public discourse on migration to Siberia in the 1850-1890’s (based on publicistic materials)

Abstract

Based on publicistic materials of the second half of the 19-th century, the article analyzes the interpretation of Siberian colonization in the Russian public discourse in the form of a crossroad of a “civilization frontier” and entrance into the space of “other”. Following M. Bakhtin dialogue theory, the dialogue between “own self” and “another”, accompanying the migration to Siberia, was thought to be not an “introduction” to identification, but identification itself. In this aspect, the Russian discourse on migration to Siberia developed in accordance with the polyglossia law. The issues of the colonization process idealization of Siberian land and its participants were at the top of the discourse. The idea of Siberia colonization was commonly considered as a way to discover a new better life for the given territory and the central Russia. There was an idea of Siberia as “a Promised Land”, which was opposed to another tendency in the public discourse, i.e. demythologization of Siberia and development of “own self” and “another” dialogue. The conclusion is made concerning the fact that the research material presented can be interpreted as an important stage in the complex history of identification and self-identification in Siberian region in the form of a special territory both geographically and culturally.