In Search of Merjamaa. Aapo Kihlanki
Meryans` cultural heritage by practicing cultural philanthropy. Local studies, publishing, and art projects are the principal forms of neo-Meryan activity which reflects the ideals of the ethno-futurist cultural movement.
The neo-Meryan movement comprises a heterogeneous group of volunteers. Therefore, the study approaches neo-Meryan activity as a form of capital. Pierre Bourdieu`s theories on symbolic, cultural, and social capital provide the theoretical framework of the study. The study shows that these types of capital are closely intertwined in the activity of the movement.
The Meryan cultural heritage lives in cultural archetypes which constitute a source of symbolic capital. These archetypes are charted out by means of local studies, and art projects provide a way of reproducing them. However, the culturological comprehension of these archetypes is what makes one to volunteer for the Meryan cause. This comprehension is the precondition of those symbolic exchanges which turns individual voluntary initiatives into social capital.
Moreover, the study demonstrates that local studies as a type of grassroot organisational activity can effectively contribute to the post-Soviet Russian civil society. The interest in Central Russian inhabitants` Meryan habitus shows that the local can be a source of cultural capital. This habitus, manifested in local religious practices and beliefs, lays the moral foundation for civil society.
http://www.merjamaa.ru/index/in_search_of_merjamaa_aapo_kihlanki/0-43