Markers of “us” and “them” in B. Bergmann’s letters: a perspective from the concept of home

The article examines markers of ‘us’ and ‘them’ through the concept of home within unrelated linguocultures - Kalmyk and German ones. The study investigates letters of B. Bergmann included in his major work Nomadische Streifereien unter den Kalmuken in denJahren 1802 und 1803 (Nomadic Travels among the Kalmyk in the Years 1802 and 1803). The paper aims to provide insights into the concept of home and identify means employed by B. Bergmann in his narratives to express the latter with due regard of ‘us / them’ markers. The study revealed that the genre of letters, a kind of travel notes, is a good illustration of the presence of the author in another culture, which results in actualized borderlines between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The ‘us / them’ opposition is most vividly manifested in B. Bergmann’s literary narratives. We can see it in his unique letters, filled with national and cultural content. Summarizing his experiences in alien ethnic surroundings and mentioning dramatic differences in behavioral patterns, lifestyles, customs, traditions, and the very appearances as such, he seeks to find a clue to explain the witnessed contrasts. The merit of Bergman is that, long before the method of participant observation appeared, he used its separate elements and, from the anthropological point of view, investigated a wide range of questions of the spiritual and material life of the nomads and debunked the established ethno-stereotype of the Kalmyk, whose manners and character were described incorrectly. B. Bergman’s study of the perception of the Kalmyks, his view as if from the outside, based on the national world picture of the Germans, is important for understanding the national character and mentality and allows us to see those aspects of the nomadic character and way of life that remain invisible to the Kalmyks.