Гуманитарный вектор (Dec 2020)
Family Life of Poles in Western Siberia in the Second Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century
Abstract
The article is devoted to the family life of the Poles in Siberia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The relevance of the research topic is due to the weak study of the history of family life of the Poles in pre-revolutionary Siberia, as well as the importance of the family institution in society. The Poles in Siberia were a specific national-confessional group. Their family life was greatly influenced by the formation of the Polish community in the region, as well as local social and demographic characteristics. The aim of this work is to examine the features of formation of family building and family life of poles in Western Siberia in the second half of the 19th – early of the 20th century, given the social circumstances in the region. The methodological basis of the research is the concept of frontier existence of cultures and the theory of modernization. Exiles who came to Siberia for many years tried to live a full life: they got married, children were born and brought up. The difficulties of life in the harsh region, especially significant for exiles, forced them to look for support, first, in family members and relatives, since family cooperation helped them survive. The demographic characteristics of Polish families during this period were significantly specific in contrast to other national groups. The prevalence of mixed marriages of the Poles with representatives of other Christian denominations in post-reform Siberia indicates the intensity of ethno-cultural interactions. In the resulting ethnic-mixed families, in most cases, a combination of elements of the spiritual culture of various peoples of the region was found. At the same time, religious issues usually receded into the background. Children raised in such families perceived a respectful attitude to their parents’ past, to their origin, and national and religious tolerance was developed in family life.
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