PEASANT DWELLING OF THE RUSSIAN POPULATION IN THE MARI KRAI OF THE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURY: TYPOLOGICAL ASPECT
Authors: Eparova Anastasia V. 
Published: December 2023

The relevance of the study is determined by understanding the role of a settlement and housing complex in forming the resettlement centers of Russian relocatees in the Mari frontier-governorate, as they reflect a combination of traditional principles of forming a life support system and developing new living conditions. The importance of the chosen historical period for the study should also be noted; it contains a gradual transition to a new form of socio-economic development of the Russian Empire’s society and is accompanied by transformation of a number of cultural elements of the people, including those in the development of construction and architecture, household and everyday life.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the housing complex of the Russians in order to identify criteria that determine its typological characteristics and features.

Materials and methods. The source base of the research was the materials of written historical sources of an official, clerical, statistical and descriptive nature (circulars, orders, extracts, bills of sale, essays, notes on the economic state, etc.). A separate layer is made by cartographic material, including drawings and plans of rural settlements stored in the republican archive. The photographic material enables not only to illustrate typological characteristics, but also reflects continuity. Thus, the research uses the methods of analyzing a wide range of historical sources, including archival documents, some of which were published, cartographic material, photographic material of museum collections and ethnographic field material, historical-comparative, historical-typological methods.

Study results. The results of the study on defining the typology of a dwelling of the Russian population of the Mari frontier-governorate in the XIX – early XX century are proposed. Studying the issues of resettlement and populating the territory of the Mari frontier-governorate by the Russians makes it possible to identify the main resettlement centers of the Russian population in the region, to track the former places of residence of the settlers, in order to determine the local cultural and common characteristics of the Russians, including those reflected in the settlement and housing complex. The main criteria for determining the typological characteristics of a peasant housing complex are identified, among which the geographical and the socio-economic factors play a primary role. The article offers an attempt to reflect the combination of the tradition of Russian wooden architecture and the influence of ethno-cultural interaction due to cohabitation of the Russian and Mari populations. The typology of the dwelling is based on a whole range of criteria, including the location of the dwelling in-situ, the dependence of the dwelling’s location on the layout of the settlement itself and taking into account the landscape, availability of building material and the choice of the place for construction, the layout of a peasant yard and the internal layout of the house. Transformational processes affect both the construction technology and the exterior decoration of the house, as well as the internal improvement of the dwelling. The article emphasizes the importance of mutual influence of the Russians and the Mari, a special contribution of the Russian culture and everyday life, as well as traditional construction principles to the development of the life support system of the Mari people. At the same time, the government policy in the field of Russian colonization in the Volga region and in urban planning, regular planning and development of fire prevention measures also played a role.

Conclusions. Residential development determines the appearance and shape of the settlement, its layout and socio-economic development. At the same time, a dwelling is a reflection of the history, culture, ethnicity of its inhabitants, since the heterogeneity of its population, adherence to tradition and perception of innovations, new trends in the field of construction, architecture, economy and everyday life can be determined by the residential complex.