Formation of historical memory of Russians: continuous process of reproduction of socio-cultural otherness

the article argues that socio-cultural communities are historically transient. They arise when a certain group realizes its own otherness and begins to separate «its own» from «strangers». Self-identification becomes possible due to the fact that the community of contemporaries discovers common roots, a common history. The article is aimed at defining the historical memory essence and its structural organization, at presenting the role of the education institution formation as the foundation for the reproduction of the «Russians» community. Using transdisciplinary methodology, the author came to the following conclusions: Historical memory is a past events' representation and is continuously constructed by mnemonic actors (the educational institution, first of all) and is unified as a result of everyday individuals' interactions. «Memories» preserved by historical memory unite people on the basis of common victories and defeats, passions and interests, substantiate their otherness and thereby constitute them into a reproduced socio-cultural community. Educational structures, being a key link in the infrastructure for the historical memory reproduction, ensure that new generations master key events and heroes of the common past that have acquired symbolic meaning, myths (ideologies that organize and regulate life). Thus, they broadcast a basic values' system for the community and initiate students' self-reflection.