Siberia as a socio-cultural space in G.N. Potanin's journalism of 1917–1919

The article examines the journalistic legacy of G.N. Potanin from the point of view of its impact on the formation and functioning of the cultural and linguistic landscape of Siberia. The authors set three main objectives. First, to identify the thematic repertoire of G.N. Potanin's journalism that developed in the pre-revolutionary period, within which images of Siberia as a special socio-cultural space were articulated. Secondly, to identify the nature and direction of the changes introduced by the era of wars and revolutions in the representation of socio-political issues in the region. Thirdly, to establish the factors that determined the stability of the regional narrative set by G.N. Potanin's journalism in various historical, political and cultural contexts. In the pre-revolutionary period, G.N. Potanin's journalism covered three related topics. The problems of asymmetry in relations between European Russia and Siberia. The range of issues of cultural development of the region with an emphasis on the rise of all levels of education and the formation of an intelligentsia living in the interests of the region. The diversity and specificity of the peoples and social groups inhabiting Siberia, difficulties in the relationship between the indigenous and the alien population. After the February Revolution of 1917, Potanin's thematic range remained the same, but his political involvement and involvement in discussions and direct solutions to issues related to the political structure of Siberia increased. He was concerned about the lack of political maturity among the region's population. Actualizing topical and long-term problems of the development of Siberia in the public field, G.N. Potanin built a sociocultural space in which these problems unfolded. An imaginary space was located on the border of the intersubjective common world and the world created by its author. At the same time, the construction took place on several levels: spatial (Siberia is a special territory, a part of a country with specific conditions and its own interests in various fields); ethnosocial (Siberia is a region with a special historically formed population, combining indigenous and alien elements, and possessing a unique set of features); temporal (the backward colonial past of the region is contrasted with the advanced technocratic future). Thus, in G.N. Potanin's journalism of 1917-1919 Siberia acted as an integral part of Russia; as a cross-border zone of economic, social, scientific and cultural contacts that contributed to its development and the sustainability of relations with neighboring countries; as well as a place of application of advanced scientific ideas and a field for scientific and cultural research and experiments carried by local scientists and educators.