Visual forms of politics of memory in the Turkic Republics of Russia in the 2010s and early 2020s

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study historical politics as politics of memory in the modern Turkic republics of the Volga region in contexts of visualization of memory by means of cinematography. The author analyzes the role of the politics of memory in the formation of the memorial canon as a form of development of national identities in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Chuvashia. Methodologically, the article is based on the principles proposed in the memorial turn and the analysis of the politics of memory in intellectual history and the history of ideas. The novelty of the research lies in the comparative analysis of the politics of memory in the three Turkic republics of Russia in its visual contexts, while most other studies ignore the visual dimensions of memory, being focused on the discursiveness and narrative of the memorial politics. The article analyzes 1) the features of the official forms of historical politics in the context of its visualization, 2) the systemic and structural characteristics of the visualization of the memorial canon as an element of the politics of memory, 3) various current strategies and practices of commemoration within the framework of visuality in modern Turkic republics. The article shows the potential of visuality as one of the forms of historical politics for the consolidation of national identities.

Keywords

• turkic republics
• historical politics
• politics of memory
• memorial canon
• identity
• cinematography
• intellectual communities