Professional Trajectories and Social Adaptation of Teachers in Russian Lapland in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century

Introduction. The research problematique encompasses issues pertaining to the functioning of the cultural milieu under ‘borderland’ conditions and the adaptation of ethnic cultures and their representatives to both the North and to one another throughout the period under consideration. This work examines the process of the formation of the socio-professional group of teachers within the European Arctic region from the late 19th to the early 20th century, alongside the nature of interethnic interaction with the Sámi population. The study aims to analyse the variability of individual teacher trajectories and to identify the specific characteristics of the teachers’ social adaptation within the Sámi pogosts of Russian Lapland. Materials and Methods. This article is based on previously unstudied documents introduced into the scholarly domain for the first time, including service records of teaching personnel, reports from district school inspectors, and personal petitions from teachers. Engaging with this specific corpus of sources is complicated by the fragmented nature of the archival base. The materials do not constitute a unified collection but are instead dispersed fragmentarily across several repositories: the State Archive of Arkhangelsk Oblast, the National Archive of the Republic of Karelia, and the State Archive of Murmansk Oblast. The research methodology employed both general scientific and established historical methods, including analysis, synthesis, comparative typology, and a problem-chronological examination of issues. To investigate professional trajectories, the study utilises the historical-biographical method. Results and Discussion. Within contemporary historiography, the professional biography is increasingly incorporated as a distinct methodological lens for gauging sociocultural processes. This article reconstructs the professional trajectories of instructors within parish schools located in the Sami pogosts of Russian Lapland, providing data pertaining to their social origins and educational attainment. Biographical evidence indicates that the majority of these teachers were young, unmarried individuals for whom the Kola North constituted their first appointment following their formal education. In their professional capacity, these educators were compelled to adapt to the specificities inherent to an “allogenous” school system, notably the abbreviated academic year, irregular attendance of children engaged in the economic activities of the adult community, and the necessity of reciprocal bilingual communication. Successful adaptation within a Sami pogost facilitated an expansion of the social functions delegated to the teacher. Furthermore, the article analyses behavioural models that precipitated confrontation with the local populace and resulted in the individual’s compelled relocation. Conclusion. Social practices of interaction with the Sami population influenced both the professional and domestic spheres of a teacher’s life. The findings of the study indicate that a teacher’s understanding of local cultural specificities was a determinant of their successful adaptation and aligned with the expectations of the local community. The attitude towards the teacher was projected onto the school as a whole and was formally recorded in the resolutions of village assemblies. The obtained results hold significance for historical, cultural, and social inquiries and can be applied to the study of intercultural communications in the Arctic regions of Russia.