"Urban anthropology and the "silver" volunteers of Uryupinsk": Interview with Nikita Petrov

Abstract

Nikita Petrov is a Candidate of Philological Sciences, Head of the Centre for Theoretical Folklore Studies, School for Advanced Studies in Humanities at Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (SASH RANEPA), Associate Professor at Centre for Typological and Semiotic Folklore Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities (Russia, Moscow). In 2020, Uryupinsk (Volgograd Region) hosted a large-scale celebration of the 400th anniversary of the city, which included the 3rd Artemoff urban culture festival. Nikita V. Petrov took part in the festival as the curator of the anthropological section and also gave a lecture entitled “Urban Text and Storytelling”. Participants of the anthropological section demonstrated presentations of their projects for further implementation (for example, the project “Uryupinsk Goats” by Ekaterina Lapina or the concept of the exhibition at the museum “What Crafts Smell Like” by Natalia Yakovenko). Nikita also visited the local Art and Local History Museum, where he met the “Silver” volunteers, an association of retired women who actively participate in the life of the city. Together with Natalia Yakovenko, the museum director, the “Silver” volunteers wanted to change the format of city excursions so that the walks would be fascinating immersions into the urban environment of Uryupinsk rather than simply a set of facts about buildings, monuments, and streets. During the discussion, it became clear that the easiest way to do this would be to learn the basics of urban anthropology, collect oral interviews about the city, and apply to the Presidential Grants Fund to implement everything planned. The “Silver” volunteers submitted the application, won the grant, and invited a city anthropologist to give a course of lectures and conduct practical classes. In the interview, Nikita explained how he trained the “Silver” volunteers in field research methods and what results were ultimately achieved.