140×215 (60×90/16), hard cover, ill., 376 pp., 2005
ISBN 5-86793-382-2

This book is the first study of the folklore and ritual practices related to the send-off to the military service in the Russian countryside in the late 19th and the 20th century. Over this period the attitude towards the military service which determined the general tone of the send-off ritual, has changed from absolute rejection of the late 19th century to high prestige in the 1960-1980’s. The reasons of these changes are analyzed in this book. In this connection, the author looks into such issues as the collective identity structure and the perception of the state by the traditional society, the system of life cycle rituals and the construction of rituals.

World rights available