NOTABLE HISTORY OF «NON-FLEA» DIMENSION. AN OUTSIDER’S OPINION

Abstract

In the second half of the previous century, the Humanities underwent revolutionary changes. The traditional modern paradigm, characterized by a linear and progressive approach to macrohistorical processes, faced constant criticism. Global, unpredictable events further fueled academic skepticism and shifted the emphasis from traditional ideological, institutional, and political subjects towards the consideration of private subjects of the invisible everyday life of the “little man”, Memory Studies, new intellectual history, Cultural Anthropology, and Public History. The complex of historical sources has significantly changed, with a notable increase in the utilization of family ego-documents, visual and gender perspectives on the past. The presented article attempts to analyze the key themes explored in the book written by I.V. Narskii and N.V. Narskaya, dedicated to the study of the flea market phenomenon through the methodological lens of the “cultural turn”. The authors, professional historians and sociologists, define the genre of their work as “lyrical historiography”. They have sufficient experience in “participant observation” of the functioning of “flea” markets both in Russia and various European countries in recent times. The book includes a detailed exploration of the history of the tradition of buying and selling antiques, as well as a discussion of basic concepts and the norms and practices surrounding the studied phenomenon. The innovation of the authors are noted in the paper, since previously, “flea” markets did not become an object of special academic interest. One of the book's undeniable strengths is its accessible language and presentation of a variety of material, which contributes to the academic and literary style that dominates the text. The book being analyzed in the article has a strong potential to become a notable phenomenon in modern Russian historiography.