To sense an Empire: Russian education policy and the origins of mass tourism in the Northwest region
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Rusijos imperija; Vakarinės provincijos; Vidinė kolonizacija; Turizmas; Kelionių maršrutai; Kelionių vadovai. Keywords: Russian empire; Western provinces; Internal colonization; Tourism; Travel itineraries; Travel guides.Reikšminiai žodžiai: 20 amžius; Rusija (Russia); Imperija; Švietimo politika; Rusifikacijos politika; Spaudos draudimas; 20th century; Empire; Education policy; Russification policy; Press ban.
ENSeeking to summarize the assertions made in this chapter, the question arises as to the specific consequences that resulted from tour organization policies. Was this approach actually effective? How did it change the worldview of people living in the Northwest Region? Did new techniques help create a modern, integrated imperial society? Unfortunately, the lack of historical data prohibits me from reaching a defined, unambiguous, and credible answer to these questions. There is no doubt that organized tourism was effective on a regional level. According to Plath, “[v]isiting Heimat was a form of giving social networks… a spatial dimension and creating personal mental maps.” However, it seems that when extended to the country-wide educative method, group travel had a contradictory effect. After an analysis of the expansion of the Russian imperial railway network, for example, Schenk perceived a certain duality. He claimed that improved transportation possibilities and the resulting increase in travel frequency not only deepened the integration of the imperial space, but also contributed to its fragmentation, by emphasizing the country’s regional differences. Willard Sunderland perceived a similar duality in the country’s development. In his research on Russian colonization policies, he came to the conclusion that the late imperial period witnessed the emergence of opposite processes of homogenization and differentiation because state power was used both for the unification of the empire and for the fostering of the country’s internal differences. [Extract, p. 257]
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