Regional politics of memory during the commemoration of the anniversaries of historical events in the Republic of Ingushetia
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikhum-2025-4-9
- Pages
- 105-120
Abstract
The article analyzes regional memory politics in the Republic of Ingushetia using the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Ingush people and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Ingush statehood as case studies. Employing an actor-oriented approach based on the works of M. Bernhard and J. Kubik, along with discourse analysis, the author examines how various actors shape and promote competing narratives of the past. The study demonstrates that the narrative of the 1944 deportation consolidates Ingush society, enabling regional actors to sustain a “victimhood” discourse and to preserve the memory of trauma through discursive practices and other channels, including education and memorial infrastructure. By contrast, the memory of Ingush statehood is supported by both regional and federal actors. This narrative excludes references to tragic events and focuses on the region’s socio-economic well-being and its integration into Russia. The celebration of the anniversary of Ingush statehood is embedded within the logic of the nationwide narrative and is reinforced through the organization of mass cultural events aimed at promoting the region, as well as through the construction of monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is shown that, although a “consolidated” model of memory is being formed in the republic, its substantive content and institutional environment vary depending on the configuration and strategies of the actors involved.