Features of the Collective Memory of Russian Koreans: Trauma of Deportation

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the collective memory of Russian Koreans about the deportation of 1937. The author’s goal is a meaningful analysis of the semantic and sociopsychological aspects of the memory of deportation among different generations of Koreans, the nature of their experience of historical events, the degree of reflection, as well as the influence of memory on their social well-being and definition of identity. The methodological basis of the research is the theory of cultural trauma of Alexander, the conception of collective memory of Eyerman, the historical memory of Assman, and the structure of ethnic identity of Shnirelman. The method of empirical research is an in-depth biographical interview. Results: features of the collective memory of Russian Koreans were revealed; semantic aspects of the memory of deportation among different generations of Koreans are highlighted: the trauma of a lack of freedom; loss of identity; the decapitalization of the ancestral experience; a tendency towards conformism and loyalty to the current government; avoidance of critical assessments of deportation and its consequences. The necessity of a comprehensive study of social and cultural trauma by the Korean community is substantiated. The article is based on field materials — interviews with representatives of three generations of Russian Koreans, conducted by the author in 2020 in Yekaterinburg.