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Golovnev A. Abaza: Renewal of Ethnicity, or a Workshop of New Ethnography

A. Golovnev
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-5716-655X
E-mail: Andrei_golovnev@bk.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. Old ethnography was turned to the past, studying the origins and deep ethnic traditions; new ethnography is oriented to the future, focusing on the renewal of ethnicity in conditions when it is no longer professional scientists, but the peoples themselves who act as ethnographers, having a high level of education and the opportunity to express their positions in the media, cyber networks and academic press. The Abazins, an indigenous minority of the Caucasus and Russia, found themselves in the vanguard of this movement, becoming a laboratory of new ethnography and ethnocultural strategy. This strategy of innovation grows out of strong traditions, among which the central is abazara — the ethical code of the Abazins. The abazara is the cultural core and heritage of the Abazins; it heavily relies on the conviction in the absolute rightness of ancestors and the truth of their covenants, respect for elders, responsibility for one’s actions. Among the Abaza characteristics, abazara defines straightforwardness, honesty, stubbornness, and militancy. In today’s ethnocultural strategy, the key role is played by the leaders of the people, primarily Mussa Ekzekov, who developed an original method of activating the ethnic energy by stimulating personal initiatives within the framework of a systemic ethnocultural strategy. These approaches are implemented in the activities of the public association “Alashara”, in large-scale projects, including “Abaza — Song of the Year” and “Abaza Games”. In live dialogues, Abaza discuss topics of language and identity, ethnic history and modern technologies. The narrative in the article is built on voicing the Abaza dialogues recorded by author during recent field research in the Caucasus.

 

KEYWORDS: Abaza people, Caucasus, ethnography, renewal of ethnicity, ethnocultural strategy

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2024-3(25) -138-177
UDC 316.72 (479)

 

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