From Communicative to Cultural Memory: Intergenerational Transformation of Perceptions of the Great Patriotic War

Abstract

This article analyzes the intergenerational transformation of the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War in the context of cross-generational change. The relevance of the study is determined by fixation of the norm for protecting historical memory in the new version of Russian Constitution and the need to understand the mechanisms of its transmission in the context of the natural death of witnesses to the events, the continued socialization of millennials, the entry of a new generation of zoomers into adulthood, and the creation of a new digital communication environment. Based on a secondary analysis of data from VCIOM (Russian Center of the Public Opinion Research) surveys (2001–2025) and using the generational classification proposed by prof. Vadim Radaev, the dynamics of six generations of Russians’ perceptions of the war and Victory are examined. A faceted multidimensional classification is used to analyze open-ended questions, allowing us to identify the semantic aspects of historical memory. A shift is established from the communicative memory of older generations, based on personal experience and family histories, to the cultural memory of younger cohorts, primarily shaped institutionally. The study revealed a predominance of emotional associations among millennials and (not yet) unexplained rationalization of memory among the digital generation. High levels of awareness were found among the generations of stagnation and the reform generation. Paradoxical characteristics of younger millennials were discovered, demonstrating a critical potential for official memory policy. Despite a high consensus regarding the significance of Victory in society, hidden intergenerational differences in the interpretation of key aspects of the war were identified, requiring consideration when designing social processes.