Coverage of the 175th anniversary of Moscow University in the emigrant press

The article examines the anniversary publications of emigrant newspapers aimed at creating the desired image of the university among their readers, in particular the celebration reports, reviews of the historical past, and the assessments of the achievements of professors and scientific schools, the student movement, and the future of the university. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the proclaimed principle of apoliticality when covering anniversary celebrations and the historical mission of the university was not observed. Therefore, when studying the material of newspapers, one should consider the political orientation and position taken by their publishers and editors. It is important to take into account the editor-in-chief’s ability to involve those authors of articles and memoirs who were associated with the university in the past and could share their knowledge and memories with readers. The individual capacity of memoirists to present an adequate and complete image of their alma mater must also be considered when evaluating sources. Finally, the place of publication of newspapers is significant, since members of their editorial boards were forced to keep in mind the past relationships of the recipient countries with Russia, as well as their current government policy towards Russian diasporas. All this brings the author to the conclusion about the diversity of representations of the images of Moscow University in newspapers. The method for studying this multitude of images should be their deconstruction, allowing us to understand the goals, motives, and principles of their formation among implied readers, and, therefore, their significance for the formation of the cultural and historical identity of Russian post-revolutionary emigrants.