Collective trauma as a social resource: commemorative practices of Churapchinsky migrants

The article explores the phenomenon of collective trauma related to the historical experience of the forced relocation of the Churapchians during the Great Patriotic War and its transformation into a resource for forming resilient life strategies. Based on sociological research and analysis of commemorative practices (family narratives, institutional forms of commemoration, media channels), it examines how the traumatic experience endured by the first generation of migrants is processed into socially adaptive qualities in subsequent generations. Special attention is given to the mechanisms of "trauma processing" and its role in shaping collective identity, social solidarity, and a high level of patriotic sentiment among the residents of the village of Churapcha. The conclusions of the study are of significant interest for further research in the field of memory sociology, intergenerational studies, and the study of the ethno-cultural diversity of Russian society. The study employs the methodology of cultural trauma by P. Sztompka; the theory of cultural memory developed by A. Assmann; and the theory of "social frames of memory" by M. Halbwachs. The empirical basis of the research consists of the results of a sociological survey of 250 descendants of migrants and 100 residents of the village of Churapcha, materials from in-depth interviews with residents of the village of Bakhsy, and archival data. The main conclusions of the study are that the historical experience of forced relocation has a significant and lasting impact on the life strategies of descendants, manifesting in their social adaptation, professional self-identification, and migration attitudes. In the process of intergenerational transmission, this experience transforms: the traumatic narratives of the first generation of Churapchian migrants evolve into adaptive strategies in the second and are integrated into the ethno-cultural identity of the third. The formation of these resilient strategies is determined by family memory, social support, an emphasis on education, and a combination of traditional and modern values. Ultimately, the historical experience is reinterpreted in collective memory, transforming from vulnerability into a resource for adaptation, which indicates the mechanism of "trauma processing" into socially adaptive qualities.

collective trauma, forced relocation, descendants, resilience, Churapchin settlers, ethnic identity, Great Patriotic War, commemorative practices, social adaptation, sociology of memory