Presentation of the book by Andrei Golovnev Northerness of Russia

April 3 at the new permanent exhibition Imperial Hall: Multinational Russia of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, a presentation of the book Northerness of Russia by Andrei Golovnev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the MAE RAS, laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation for 2019, took place.

Northerness of Russia was released by the Publishing house of the MAE RAS at the end of 2022. It is dedicated to the research into new horizons of national history and ethnography of the North, as well as to the reflection on why "the North, being the essence of Russia, has never acted as its main dimension". This book continues the series of scientific works by Andrei Golovnev devoted to the study of the northern and Arctic regions.

“It is customary to look at the North as the outskirts. Meanwhile, after the collapse of the USSR, Russia was marked on the map as a northern country with a geographical center in the lower reaches of the Yenisei in the Arctic Circle. So why don't we change our perspective: look not at the North from Central and Southern Russia, but at Russia itself - from the North?” - Andrei Golovnev said at the book presentation.

He also told the guests of the presentation about the historical aspects and background of his research, emphasizing important milestones: the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, the Novgorod Republic, the Northern War, northern expeditions, the development of the Arctic in the Soviet period. At the end of his speech, Andrei Vladimirovich emphasized:

“For me, the most important thing is that the North gives a person power over his own destiny. I spent many expeditions in the northern latitudes, and I am grateful to the North for trials and education!”

The presentation ended with the chants of the Russian North - traditional songs of the village of Ust-Tsilma performed by Ksenia Kilimnik, head of the folklore ensemble "Evenings". A spiritual poem in a folk manner and a lyrical "hill" song sounded like a beautiful final chord of the completed presentation.

You can watch the full broadcast at the link: https://vk.com/video-20676955_456239654?list=8951d44f0d767f4a09