Far Eastern cemeteries as an object of study

The article is devoted to the actualization of the study of Far Eastern cemeteries as objects of historical value, forming and preserving national memory. The selected topics have an interdisciplinary character, including historical, cultural, legal, urban planning, philosophical and other aspects, and differ not only in scientific, but also in social significance. At the regional Far Eastern level, there is practically no comprehensive approach to the study of churchyards, including within the framework of the auxiliary historical discipline of necropolystics (or necropoleology), although its importance cannot be overestimated. The Far Eastern cemeteries, the earliest burials of which date back to the second half of the XIX century, contain a whole layer of information concerning different epochs, the peculiarities of social life, economics, culture, the style of tombstones, the content of epitaphs, biographies of historical figures. A special place is occupied by disappearing and partially lost cemeteries, which are not officially objects of cultural heritage, but are of scientific and local history value. The main research methods used were the historical-comparative method, which allows to identify similarities and differences in graves of different eras; the chronological method, which makes it possible to consider the evolution of churchyards through the prism of temporary changes, and a number of others, taking into account the principles of historicism, objectivity and systematic analysis. Microhistoric and cultural hikes, the theory of everyday life were involved. The paper examines some features of burial sites, the main milestones of their study, characterizes a number of Far Eastern churchyards, important from the point of view of scientific analysis and preservation of national memory, substantiates domestic cemeteries as complex monuments with historical value, forming and preserving the collective memory of the people. The conclusions drawn in the article suggest that the study of Far Eastern cemeteries remains sketchy and unsystematic, although this is a promising area of regional historical science that can significantly complement and enrich it with new data, generalizations and meanings. Scientific research should go in parallel with public activities to preserve existing churchyards, restore tombstones and perpetuate the memory of people who have left a significant mark on the life of the region and the country as a whole.

Russian Far East, necropoleology, necropolistics, cemetery, history, tombstone, burial, national memory, historical memory, monument