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Chernyaeva N. Ethnographic Prose by M. A. Krukovsky: Stories about the Peoples of Russia as Part of the Homeland Studies

Natalia Chernyaeva
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-8631-454X
E-mail: chernyaeva@kunstkamera.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. This article examines M. A. Krukovsky’s contributions to the development of children's literature and, more broadly, popular literature on the diverse peoples of Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Drawing on his works On Mountains and Valleys: A Tale of Wanderings of a Young Gymnasium Student (1910), Native Life (1910), and In the Native North (1914), the study highlights Krukovsky’s adherence to various trends in ethnographic fiction for children. His approach integrated techniques from mass literature to create engaging and accessible texts on ethnographic subjects. The article further explores the genre and stylistic characteristics of Krukovsky’s works, the distinctive construction of geographical and ethnocultural spaces, as well as the recurring motifs and literary techniques used to depict “foreign” ethnic groups. The article analyzes the transformation of motifs first encountered in Krukovsky’s documentary essays intended for adult audiences and then used in children's editions; it is shown that in children’s literature, the author enhanced the dramatic and adventurous elements of the plot, often by introducing ethnic characters. Special attention is given to the ambivalent nature of ethnic representation in Krukovsky’s ethnographic fiction: his texts oscillate between the stereotypical and individualized views of the characters, as well as between colonial and humanistic approaches. While his best works acknowledged the equal validity of cultures and civilizations, his portrayals of foreign ethnicities were not entirely free from stereotypes.

 

KEYWORDS: popular ethnography, ethnographic fiction, homeland studies, history of ethnography, image of ethnic Other, M. A. Krukovsky

 

FOR CITATION: Chernyaeva N. Ethnographic Prose by M. A. Krukovsky: Stories about the Peoples of Russia as Part of the Homeland Studies. Kunstkamera. 2025. 1 (27): 176–193. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-176-193

  

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-176-193
UDC 82-31:39

 

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