“Memorial to the Victims of Political Repressions of the Balkar People (1944–1957)” as a Site of Memory and a Projection of the Future
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.16Keywords:
memorial, Balkars, Great Patriotic War, deportation, memory studiesAbstract
The article analyzes the significance of the Memorial to the Victims of Repressions of the Balkar People (1944–1957), opened in 2002 in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Russia). The memorial is dedicated to the tragic events associated with the deportation of the Balkar people to Central Asia and Kazakhstan; therefore, its concept is closely linked to the commemoration of the victims of deportation and political repression. Of value is its electronic database containing a list of individuals subjected to repression between 1944 and 1957. At the same time, the memorial’s exhibition presents materials from different stages of the people’s history and includes significant artifacts of Balkar material culture and folk art.
The memorial functions not only as a repository of historical memory but also as a platform for disseminating knowledge and fostering public discussion, thereby playing an important role in the cultural life of the republic. It also performs the function of intra-ethnic communication and consolidation, contributing to the development of the political and sociocultural agency of the people.
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For citation:
Gegraev Kh. K. and Gegraev I. Kh. “Memorial to the Victims of Political Repressions of the Balkar People (1944–1957)” as a Site of Memory and a Projection of the Future. New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 2, pp. 245-268 (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.16
Author Biographies
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Khakim K. Gegraev Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Deputy Director for Research, Social and Humanitarian Institute, Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh. M. Berbekov.
Postal address: 173 Chernyshevskogo St., 360004, Russian Federation, Nalchik.
E-mail: gegra70@mail.ru
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Ilyas Kh. Gegraev Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov
Postgraduate Student, Department of Russian History and Caucasian Studies, Social and Humanitarian Institute, Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh. M. Berbekov.
Postal address: 173 Chernyshevskogo St., 360004, Russian Federation, Nalchik.
E-mail: ylgeg2001@gmail.com.
Supervisor — A. Kh. Abazov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor.
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