N. V. Anisimov Udmurt State University, Izhevsk, Russian Federation, Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu, Estonia kyldysin@yandex.com
T. V. Korobova Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Izhevsk, Russian Federation, oktan85@mail.ru
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the study of ethnocultural personality is one of the main priorities for a modern Udmurt folkloristics. Expeditions demonstrate that almost every Udmurt village has individuals who preserve and transmit traditional values, customs and local culture. Their invaluable contribution to the preservation of the spiritual and material heritage of the Udmurts deserves scientific attention. This paper focuses on the personality of Vladimir Botnikov, an original local historian and activist who successfully combines traditional knowledge with contemporary practices in his work.
Objective: to reveal the V. F. Botnikov’s contribution to the preservation and development of the Udmurt ethnic and cultural tradition through a comprehensive analysis of his creative heritage.
Research materials: field data (audio-, videorecordings, photographs), publications on Vladimir Botnikov’s page on the VK social network, media materials about V. F. Botnikov and his activity, the article by D. L. Kornilov, the author’s text by V. F. Botnikov “How the Udmurt people Stayed in This Place”).
Results and novelty of the research: Vladimir Botnikov’s work is versatile and efficient. Through cultural, educational, research and creative activities he demonstrates how an individual’s initiative can become the foundation for creating effective mechanisms to preserve, develop, and transmit ethnic culture. The novelty of this research lies in the following significant aspects: it examines the interconnection between the personality and the creative activity, it reveals the mechanisms by which individuals preserve cultural heritage through personal initiative, and it conducts a comprehensive analysis of Vladimir Botnikov’s text, allowing for a deeper understanding of his worldview as a representative of the Udmurt culture.
Key words: Udmurt people, Udmurt identity, ethnocultural personality, traditional culture, post-folklore, myth-making, syncretism of beliefs, folklore studies, ethnocultural heritage, local history, popularization of culture
Acknoledgments: the research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant № 25-28-20015 “Ethnoculture of Personality: Social and Individual Aspects of the Udmurt Tradition”, https://rscf.ru/project/25-28-20015/.
For citation: Anisimov N. V., Korobova T. V. Ethnocultural personality: the role of Vladimir Botnikov in the preservation and development of the Udmurt tradition in modern realities // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2025; 15 (4/63): 768–778.