“YOU DIDN’T PUT THEM THERE, YOU ARE NOT THE ONE TO REMOVE THEM”: STRATEGIES OF BEHAVIOR OF THE RURAL POPULATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE FIGHT AGAINST ICONS IN THE ALTAI KRAI IN THE 1950s–1960s
Authors: Рыков А.В. , Аксенова И.Ю. 
Published: July 2024

Предметом данной статьи являются стратегии поведения сельского населения в рамках антирелигиозной кампании 1950–1960-х гг. Главный акцент авторами сделан на изучение поведения сельского населения Алтайского края в ходе кампании против использования икон в повседневной жизни. В методологическом плане авторы опирались на положения крестьяноведов Т. Шанина и Дж. Скотта. Отношения власти и общества по религиозным вопросам остаются малоизученными в рамках антропологии. Источниками для работы стали справки и отчеты районных органов государственной и партийной власти, а также устные исторические источники. Проведенное исследование позволило установить, что сельское население Алтайского края в 1950–1960-е гг. использовало три основные стратегии поведения: продолжение верующими проведения обрядов с использованием икон в тайне от надзорных органов; открытое противостояние представителям власти; полное подчинение требованиям властей.

The article discusses the strategies of behavior of the rural population within the period of the anti-religious campaign from the 1950s to the 1960s in the Altai Territory using the example of the iconoclasm. There are significant differences between the strategies that were used by authorities and society in different periods of existence of the Soviet state as well as in the relationship between the authorities and society concerning religious issues. Due to the wideness of these relations, the main emphasis is placed on the consideration of the process of iconoclasm among the population. The methodological basis of the study was made by peasant scholars T. Shanin and J. Scott. They consider the process of building relations between the authorities and the traditional peasantry. From the authors’ point of view, the behavioral patterns of the peasantry in the 1950s and the 1960s related with religion mainly remained within the old tradition. In modern historiography, the “view from below” in the relations between the authorities and society on religious issues remains poorly studied, despite the significant potential of regional subjects in this regard. The source base of research is archival materials from the Altai Krai State Archives, which were presented by references and reports of district bodies of state and party power, as well as oral historical sources and field materials collected during historical and ethnographic expeditions of the Altai State Pedagogical University. The article’s conclusion is that the rural population of the Altai Krai used three main strategies during the 1950s and the 1960s. The most common practice was for believers to continue performing ceremonies using icons in secrecy from the supervisory authorities, which aligned with the traditional peasant worldview. Other identified strategies were open opposition to those in authority and complete submission to the demands of the authorities to stop the use of icons in everyday life. The traditional peasant mentality led to a decrease in the popularity of these strategies.