The socialist way of life in Siberia : transformation in Buryatia

The Buryats are a Mongolian population in Siberian Russia, the largest indigenous minority. The Socialist Way of Life in Siberia presents the dramatic transformation in their everyday lives during the late twentieth century. The book challenges the common notion that the process of modernization during the later Soviet period created a Buryat national assertiveness rather than assimilation or support for the state. Maps......Page 2 Title page ......Page 6 Copyright page ......Page 7 Table of Contents......Page 10 Notes on Transliteration and Translation......Page 14 Acknowledgements......Page 16 Introduction......Page 20 Modernization and Soviet Success......Page 22 Institutions and the Culture of Progress......Page 32 Buryat Exceptionalism and Advancement......Page 36 Outline of Chapters......Page 40 CHAPTER 1: The Buryats of Siberia: From Imperial Russia to theSoviet State......Page 44 The Mongols of Siberia and Russian Expansion......Page 45 Buddhism in Buryatia......Page 48 The Buryats and the Imperial Government......Page 51 Buryat Intellectual and Political Activity......Page 60 The Civil War and the Competition over Siberia......Page 65 Autonomy and Korenizatsiia......Page 72 Conclusion......Page 77 CHAPTER 2: Stalinism in Buryatia......Page 80 Collectivization and the End of Nomadism......Page 82 Terrorizing and Purging the Buryat Elite......Page 90 Territorial Changes to Divide the Buryats......Page 95 Laying the Foundations for a New Culture......Page 97 Industrial Immigrants......Page 104 Conclusion......Page 106 CHAPTER 3: The New Buryats......Page 108 The Postwar Buryat Migration......Page 110 Buryat Professionals......Page 114 Buryat Women......Page 122 Political Leadership......Page 128 Conclusion......Page 133 CHAPTER 4: Education for Change......Page 136 Building Soviet Education in Eastern Siberia......Page 139 Buryat National Schools......Page 143 Teaching Progress, Patriotism, and the Friendship ofNations......Page 159 Teachers and Parents......Page 166 Education and High Culture for Young and Old Alike......Page 170 Conclusion......Page 175 CHAPTER 5: Buryat Literature for a New Society......Page 178 Producing High Culture Through Literature......Page 179 Geser: The Story of a National Epic......Page 184 Getting It Right: Censorship and Acceptable Narratives......Page 195 The Decline of Buryat Language Publishing and Literature......Page 207 Conclusion......Page 210 CHAPTER 6: A Means to Modernity: Newspapers, Radio, and Television......Page 212 The Local Press in Buryat and Russian......Page 215 The Development of Broadcast Media......Page 230 Radio and Television Programming......Page 237 Conclusion......Page 244 CHAPTER 7: Reform, But What Kind?......Page 246 Glasnost’ and the Buryat National Movement: 1986–89......Page 250 The Competition Heats Up: 1990......Page 260 The Buryats and the End of the USSR: 1991......Page 271 Conclusion......Page 277 Conclusion......Page 280 Bibliography......Page 292 Index......Page 310 Photo Gallery......Page 316 Back cover ......Page 324 Cover -- Maps -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Table of Contents -- Notes on Transliteration and Translation -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Modernization and Soviet Success -- Institutions and the Culture of Progress -- Buryat Exceptionalism and Advancement -- Outline of Chapters -- CHAPTER 1: The Buryats of Siberia: From Imperial Russia to theSoviet State -- The Mongols of Siberia and Russian Expansion -- Buddhism in Buryatia -- The Buryats and the Imperial Government -- Buryat Intellectual and Political Activity -- The Civil War and the Competition over Siberia -- Autonomy and Korenizatsiia -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 2: Stalinism in Buryatia -- Collectivization and the End of Nomadism -- Terrorizing and Purging the Buryat Elite -- Territorial Changes to Divide the Buryats -- Laying the Foundations for a New Culture -- Industrial Immigrants -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 3: The New Buryats -- The Postwar Buryat Migration -- Buryat Professionals -- Buryat Women -- Political Leadership -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 4: Education for Change -- Building Soviet Education in Eastern Siberia -- Buryat National Schools -- Teaching Progress, Patriotism, and the Friendship ofNations -- Teachers and Parents -- Education and High Culture for Young and Old Alike -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 5: Buryat Literature for a New Society -- Producing High Culture Through Literature -- Geser: The Story of a National Epic -- Getting It Right: Censorship and Acceptable Narratives -- The Decline of Buryat Language Publishing and Literature -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 6: A Means to Modernity: Newspapers, Radio, and Television -- The Local Press in Buryat and Russian -- The Development of Broadcast Media -- Radio and Television Programming -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 7: Reform, But What Kind? -- Glasnost' and the Buryat National Movement: 1986-89 -- The Competition Heats Up: 1990 The Socialist Way of Life in Siberia presents the dramatic late twentieth century transformation in the everyday lives of the Buryats, a Mongolian people who live in Siberian Russia. The book challenges the common perception that the process of modernization during the later Soviet period created national assertiveness rather than assimilation or support for the state. The author examines the central question of being a Buryat and being a successful Buryat in the socio-political structures of the Tsarist Russian Empire, later during Socialism and in present-day Russia. The Buryats and especially the intellectual elite of the Buryats are treated as a group which due to their historical and cultural roots and capability (determined also historically) became an integral and efficient part of the Russian administrative and cultural life. By 1991, the Buryats were overrepresented in nearly every profession in their autonomous republic despite the fact that they made up only around 25 percent of its population