Participation of Belarusians in the Formation of Kaliningrad Society

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2022-2/28-41

Abstract

The paper shows the place of Belarusians in the formation of the Kaliningrad society and the Kaliningrad socio-territorial community, based on close social ties, regional culture, and possessing a number of features of regional identity. The authors give a demographic portrait of the Kaliningrad Belarusians in dynamics, from the time of the formation of the Kaliningrad region to the present day. The conclusion is made that there is a gradual change of self-consciousness among young people. Young men and women with Belarusian roots are involved in the formation of the Kaliningrad society based on the Russian language and elements of local culture. At the same time, two multidirectional processes are observed in the Kaliningrad region. Along with integration of different groups of population and the process of formation of common cultural elements and regional identity which has been going on for decades, there are processes of unification of residents along ethnic lines, and their interest in traditional culture, history of their families and their ancestral homelands is growing. Due to the general activation of ethnic life in the country, in the Kaliningrad region the mobilization of the ethnic component is noticeable, also among the Belarusians. The study is based on the results of surveys of high school students, statistical data and other sources.