Title of the article:

“CUCKOO DOLL” IN CONTEMPORARY ETHNO-IDENTIFICATION PRACTICES OF THE LENINGRAD REGION`S POPULATION

Author(s):

Elena A. Okladnikova

Information about the author/authors

Elena A. Okladnikova — DSc in History, Professor, A. I. Herzen`s Russian State Pedagogical University, Embankment Moika, 48, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: okladnikova-ea@yandex.ru

Section

Theory and history of culture

Year

2018

Volume

Vol. 49

Pages

Рp. 64–86

Received

January 21, 2018

Date of publication

September 15, 2018

Index UDK

316.75+008

Index BBK

85.126 + 63.5(2-2СПб)

Abstract

Cuckoo doll is a relatively thorougly studied ceremonial attribute of the Semik, traditional Russian agrarian holiday concluding Green holidays. Why study it? If we stay within the framework of ethnographic analysis, it would bring little. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to expand the scope of the already known, namely ethnographically, studied rite. Its ritual stuffed doll (cuckoo) traditionally supported the system of customs of the Slavic agrarian society. We have focused on modern practices (customs), through which social functions (cognitive, socializing, translational, regulatory, etc.) are implemented today and which determine the work of social institutions in modern societies. An important aspect of the discussion is a striking antiquity of this ritual attribute and its social significance as an integrative element of women's communities in archaic cultures. Actual field socio-anthropological study conducted in the villages and urban settlements of the Leningrad region revealed following social functions of the cuckoo doll: 1) ethno-integrating (Slavic, namely, Central and South, Russian) marker of the women's communities of the modern Russian population of this region; 2) evidence of archaizing modern rural culture practices of the various functional orientation, opposing American globalization; 3) element of spiritual culture of the modern socio-cultural landscape of the Leningrad region archaizing, used as a tool by local municipal authorities for implementing patriotic policy aimed at the revival of Russian culture.

Keywords

ritual cuckoo doll, Leningrad region, socio-cultural landscape, ethnocultural identification, archaic syndrome.

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