Everyday Life and Survival Strategies of the Old Believers of the Buryat-Mongol ASSR under Soviet Modernization (1920s–1930s)

The article presents a comprehensive study of the everyday life of the Semeiskie Old Believers in the Buryat-Mongol ASSR during the pivotal 1920s–1930s. Based on archival materials from the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia (SARB) and periodicals, the author reconstructs the domestic life, economic practices, religious rituals, and family relationships of Old Believer communities amid radical sociopolitical transformations. Key aspects analyzed include traditional clothing and its adapta-tions, food practices regulated by the church calendar, and the patriarchal family structure characterized by early labor training for children and complex marital rituals. Special attention is given to the strategies of adaptation and resistance employed by the Semeiskie in response to Soviet policies, including collectivization, anti-religious propaganda, and cultural transformation. The article examines the communities’ am-bivalent attitudes toward state education and official medicine, as well as the growth of internal conflicts resulting from the weakening of traditional norms, manifested in rising alcoholism and breaches of marital codes. The study shows how the repressive policies of the 1930s, aimed at dismantling religious institutions, caused significant damage to the cultural heritage of the Old Believers. The article concludes that, despite severe persecution and partial integration into the Soviet system, the Semeiskie managed to preserve the core of their ethno-confessional identity. This resilience was achieved through survival strategies honed over centuries, including community insularity and the maintenance of traditions within the family, demonstrating the remarkable durability of traditional culture under external pressures.