The bridge above the steep: on the fate of spiritual heritage of the white émigré in modern Russia

The article is dedicates to the problem of spiritual continuity of generations, the solution of which allows extrapolating our future. It is claimed that the descendants of white émigré are a thin bridge across the historical rift that separates us from the prerevolutionary Russia, the objective markers that are not deformed by the “new incubatory ideology”. The author reveals the spiritual grounds of the life of the Eastern Russian diaspora in different historical periods based on communication with M. P. Taut, a former repatriate from Harbin, involving the documents from her personal archive, publications from journals and newspapers published by the descendants of white émigré at the present time. The key research principle lies in reference to the historical sources. It is substantiated that the restoration of intergenerational link prompts the progress in terms of preservation of the centuries-old values of the Russian civilization and openness to the technological modernization of the XXI century. The author believes that in the era of the oncoming Western globalism, which threatens the national identity and historical integrity of Russia, it is crucial to build the own path of development, adopting the experience of survival and spiritual heritage of the Russian world abroad. The conclusion is made on the need for active study of the documents from the personal archives of the descendants of repatriates, as they are the reservoir of life experience and the source of national self-cognition.