Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation, ksenya.maretina@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the article analyzes the transformation of key symbols of cultural memory among the Seto people in the context of dispersed settlement and digitalization. Particular attention is paid to the study of typology and representation of collective memory in online communities of Siberian Setos.
Objective: to determine the specificity of existence and appreciation of symbols of Seto cultural memory in the digital epoch.
Research materials: social networks (VKontakte and Telegram), the author’s ethnographic field materials, oral reports of informants.
Results and novelty of the research: the article for the first time examines online communities of Siberian Seto people in social media; introduces into scientific discourse data from online communication analysis and new expedition materials. Dispersed Seto communities use social media to communicate, maintain connections, preserve memory, and promote their culture. The study revealed that symbols of cultural memory such as territoriality, language, festive costume, and the leelo tradition retain major significance, including in Seto online communities. The Siberian community uses digital platforms to construct the image of a ‘Siberian Setomaa’. Language is disappearing from everyday communication, but it remains a significant element of Seto identity, while traditional costume and leelo are actively adapting to modern contexts.
Key words: Seto, Setu, cyber ethnography, cultural memory, communicative memory, digitization, ethnic identity, leelo, social networks
Acknowledgments: the work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under Grant 23-78-10079, https://rscf.ru/ project/23-78-10079/. The author is grateful for the cooperation of the State Historical, Architectural and Natural-Landscape Museum- Reserve “Izborsk”, Museum-Estate of the Seto People in the village of Sigovo, Historical Museum of Pechory, Museum “Linen Province” and expresses the gratitude for valuable advice and recommendations to E. Yu. Variksoo, T. N. Ogareva, Mare Piho, M. N. Bogacheva, V. A. Fest, A. Yu. Maretin, and the staff members of the Laboratory of Museum Technologies of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera).
For citation: Shishova-Maretina K. A. From Setomaa to Siberia: symbols of Seto cultural memory in virtual space // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2025; 15 (4/63): 756–766.