Historical memory: forms of preservation, сonstruction and presentation

The paper deals with the phenomenon of historical memory and its role in the formation of national identity. Historical memory is considered as part of the cultural capital, various forms of its presentation, which have become widespread in recent decades, are analyzed. A critical analysis of the socalled “memory policy”, which has become not only a part of educational practices, but also an important component of the general cultural policy in many countries of the world aimed at civil integration, is given. At the same time, an assessment of political practices related to the use of the historical memory resource for solving current political problems and building new historical myths that refute the previous reading of historical facts, is also given. Such practices called “war of memory”, are defined by the authors as symbolic wars with the past, those associated with the denial of inconvenient facts of history, with the exclusion from the national versions of the history of those pieces that do not fit into the new historical concepts and myths created for the image of “correct past” of the country and a symbolic revenge for its defeat and resentment. It is shown that they try to turn history into a “convenient” tool for politicians and for a society that does not accept the idea of shared responsibility for its past (including responsibility for crimes against humanity), justifying the dictatorship of dominant groups over minorities, or vice versa turning minority cultures into the core and the main symbol of the historical narrative. The authors emphasize that the most important function of historical memory is the formation of a citizen and the strengthening of a common civic identity, but it is still not fully taken into account in Russian regional educational concepts and programs.