Corporate memory of Leningrad antiquity researchers of the 1920s

Abstract

This article draws on commemorative volumes dedicated to A. I. Malein (1922), S. A. Zhebelev (1926), I. I. Tolstoy (1928), and O. F. Waldhauer (1929), analyzed through the lens of memory studies. The image of the mentor constructed in these publications embodies the traits of the ideal scholar characteristic of 19th-century classical science. The regular transmission and reproduction of this image in the 1920s contributed to shaping the identity of St. Petersburg/Leningrad classicists and reinforcing the notion of a genealogical link with the pre-revolutionary scholarly tradition. This continuity is reflected in the thematic focus of the articles, research methodologies, and stylistic and typographic design, all reminiscent of similar late 19th–early 20th-century publications. For the authors and contributors, the process of compiling these volumes was of primary importance, serving as a means of consolidating the scholarly community, while the scientific output – published articles – played a secondary role. The scholar’s professional jubilee became an occasion to reflect on and articulate the essential elements of the Russian academic identity at a turning point in national history. The effort to formulate these features, even for a limited audience, likely aimed to preserve them as constants amid a period of social upheaval. To a great extent, it was the strength of collective memory that enabled classical scholars to maintain their professional identity and revive their legacy for future generations. The small size of the academic community specializing in Greco-Roman antiquity also played a role in this process. The forewords to the analyzed volumes are filled with optimism and faith in the continued development of traditions rooted in the past.