Siberian Federal University

Issue

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2017 10 (7)

Authors

Oiun, Oksana

Contact information

Oiun, Oksana:Tuvan State University 36 Lenin Str., Kyzyl, Republic Tuva, 667000, Russia;

Keywords

political hunger strike; Republic of Tyva; Tuvinian nomads; opposition

Abstract

This article deals with the analysis of the first political hunger strikes in the history of Tuva that were initiated and organized by representatives of the scientific and creative intelligentsia in 1991 and the political elite in 2007. The research topic is relevant not only due to the interest of a historian to study the phenomenon of political hunger strikes that are not peculiar to the mentality of Tuvinian nomads who did not previously live under the democratic regime, but also due to the necessity to introduce archival materials into the scientific discourse. The article examines the reasons for the hunger strikes caused by the political crisis in the Republic, the inability of the authorities to find a compromise with ideological adversaries and to establish a dialogue with the society. The position of the opposition and the current executive authority is also analyzed. The article also studies a social composition of participants in political hunger strikes, their goals and tasks. The consequences of political hunger strikes for its participants are revealed. For example, when the participants of the political hunger strikes in 1991, as well as their wives who lost their jobs survived thanks to the clan system of mutual help, mutual assistance of relatives and friends, which is characteristic of the Tuvinian traditional society. In 2006-2007, in the conditions of the political crisis in Tuva, political parties fulfilled their function of being a mediator between the society and the authorities bringing the people’s aspirations to the executive power. The authorities have learnt a lesson from the political hunger strikes, which implied that for the normal functioning of the state’s vital activity, it is necessary to take into account not only the opinion of the majority that was formed into a public opinion, but also into an opinion of the minority expressed by representatives of the creative, scientific and political elites

Pages

995-1001

Paper at repository of SibFU

https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/33652

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).