Events of the past in the historical memory of the youth in the ethnic regions of the Volga federal district

Introduction. Memories of past events often become objects of political manipulation, when the interpretation of events that are significant for Russian history turns out to be dependent on the political preferences and attitudes of public actors. Manipulations are aimed primarily at schoolchildren and university students, them being the most active part of society with significant protest potential. The article, based on the study conducted, systematizes the representations of past events in the collective memory of young people in the multiethnic regions of the Volga Federal District (Russia) to evaluate the influence of alternative ethnic and regional narratives on the state and potential development of the ethno-confessional situation in the regions under examination. Materials and Methods. The study was based on the materials of a mass sociological survey conducted among students (n = 1,246, October 2020), in the Republic of Mordovia, Chuvash Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. First- and second-year students of the largest universities of the republics were interviewed. To identify regional differences, respondents who came from other countries and regions were excluded from the data obtained. Results. The results of the mass survey conducted among young people in the Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan and the Chuvash Republic have revealed the fragmented perception of Russian history. In the historical memory of the youth living in the ethnic regions of the Volga Federal District, significant events of the Soviet past have dominated, although in some cases they have been perceived and reconsidered through the prism of ethno-confessional practices. At the same time, alternative ethnic and regional narratives that could negatively affect the socio-political situation in the republics have practically not been captured in the historical consciousness of the youth. Discussion and Conclusion. At the present stage, the regional symbolic memory policies of all three republics do not fundamentally contradict the memory policies of the federal center. The results of the study will be useful to social scientists, as well as public figures engaged in youth policy.