“We Were Factory Folk”: The “Factory Text” and Historical Memory in Former Factory Settlements of the Urals

Альманах
Key words
mining factories, identity, historical memory, tales, Ural
Author
Alexandr V. Chernykh, Artyom V. Vostroknutov
About the Author
Alexandr V. Chernykh
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7670-3912
E-mail: atschernych@yandex.ru Тel.: +7 (342) 239-64-35
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russian Federation
DSc in History, Corresponding Member, Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Perm State National Research University

Artyom V. Vostroknutov
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6133-0503
E-mail: art-vostr@mail.ru Тel.: +7 (342) 239-64-35
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russian Federation
PhD in History, Researcher, Perm State National Research University
Received
Date of publication
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26158/TK.2022.23.4.004
Acknowledgements

This study was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation grant, project 20–18–00269, “The Mining Industry and Early Factory Culture in Language, Written Folk Texts and Folklore.”

Body

One of the main features of the Ural region since the eighteenth century has been its development as a Russian industrial and mining center. The establishment of factories and the formation of factory settlements significantly shaped the area’s cultural landscape. The so-called “factory text” may be seen not only in factory settlements and industrial centers but also as a factor in regional and local identity, in historical narratives and traditional practices. This article examines historical memory in narratives related to the past of areas that were mining factory settlements. It is based on materials from several settlements: the villages of Anninsk and Ashap, Bizyar, Bym, Kurashim, Uinskoe, Shermeika, Kalinino and the settlement Yug that were formed around copper-smelting factories. Nowadays these settlements externally preserve traits of their factory past such as precise urban planning, ponds, and dams. Locals recall tales about the foundation of the factories, about factory owners and salesmen, and about factory production. The residents of former mining factory settlements self-identify as “factory citizens” as opposed to “villagers” and use factory subdialects. The foundation and operation of the factories, despite their short duration, are considered key events of local history and still play a leading role in historical narratives. Research in former factory population areas of the Western Urals demonstrates that the factory past as evidenced in historical and toponymic traditions, in the cultural landscape and in local identity is an enduring component of historical memory.

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For citation

Chernykh A. V., Vostroknutov A. V. “We Were Factory Folk”: The “Factory Text” and Historical Memory in Former Factory Settlements of the Urals. Traditional Culture. 2022. Vol. 23. No. 4. Pp. 42–55. In Russian