Geocultural branding as a tool for solving the crisis state of the socio-economic sphere of a rural settlement

Dianov Sergei Aleksandrovich Doctor of History Professor, Department of Public Administration and History, Perm National Research Polytechnic University; Professor, Department of Private Law, Perm Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia 614990, Russia, Perm Krai, Perm, Komsomolsky Prospekt str., 29 sadianov@gmail.com Other publications by this author     Poluyanova Ol'ga Georgievna Postgraduate student, Department of Public Administration and History, Perm National Research Polytechnic University, 614990, Russia, Permskii krai, g. Perm', ul. Komsomol'skii Prospekt, 29, aud. 209a o.polujanova@yandex.ru

Chegodaev Viktor Petrovich Student, Small Academy of Public Administration, Perm State National Research University 614065, Russia, Permskii krai, g. Perm', ul. Genkelya, 5a, of. 3 v.jcvd.v@mail.ru

Introduction

The topic of branding of Russian rural settlements is the focus of research attention mainly of economic specialists. Moreover, economists approach the problems of rural development very selectively. As an example, we can cite an article by A.A. Kopchenov, Doctor of Economics, in which the researcher proposed to single out the able-bodied population of rural areas as the main target group for branding, and link the promising results of branding to the task of ensuring the reproduction of rural territory ^[1]. Marketing specialists are primarily interested in the issues of infrastructure marketing, marketing of the image and attractions of the village, marketing of personnel (economically active population) ^[2]. This approach significantly limits the study of the resources available in rural settlements. Entire groups of the population are falling out of the field of view of scientists and practitioners. Accordingly, it makes sense, as an alternative to the marketing approach, to offer a different approach to village branding – geocultural. The ideological and theoretical origins of the geocultural approach can be found in the works of I.M. Grevs, N.P. Antsiferov, D.S. Likhachev, M.S. Kagan, and others ^{[3, 4]}. Through their efforts, the main constructions of the paradigm of multiculturalism were formulated, which is undoubtedly in demand in modern Russian humanities. Within its framework, an urban and/or rural settlement is being studied as a political and cultural whole. This makes it possible to use the concepts of "branding" and "village branding" without necessarily linking them to the English-speaking origin, as well as the usual branding schemes, understood in the classical history of economic teachings as a business activity ^[5].

In this article, we decided to express our own position on the prospects of applying the concept of geocultural branding of territories in solving socio-economic problems of rural settlements.

As of January 1, 2019, there were 213 rural settlements in the Perm Region ^[6]. Barda is the largest rural settlement in Perm Krai, known for its unique image resources. The history of Barda has been conducted since the first quarter of the XVII century. The settlement originated on the territory of the Tulva river district – the Tulva River and its tributaries Barda, Shlyk, Malaya Amzya, Bolshaya Amzya, etc. Researchers of historical milestones of the settlement note that it was in the Tulva river that the Tatar and Bashkir cultures merged, which led to their descendants subsequently acquiring a dual ethnic identification, referring themselves to both Tatars and Bashkirs. A.V. Chernykh explains this phenomenon by the influence of the Russian non-ethnic environment and cut off from the main habitat of the Tatars and Bashkir. Over time, the ethnic differences between the "Tulva" Tatars and Bashkirs were erased, and the Tatar language became the main identifier of their ethnic identity ^[7]. Thus, this territory has become a special geocultural space, where original everyday practices have developed, which have reached the present day virtually unchanged.

The geocultural space of the territory is a system of stable cultural realities and ideas about the settlement, formed as a result of coexistence, interweaving, interaction, collision of various historical and cultural traditions, faiths, political attitudes and norms, deep psychological structures of perception, etc. ^{[8, p. 652]}

The population of the Tulva district played an important role in the history of the Urals. During the uprising of E.I. Pugachev (1773-1775), the mullah from the village of Elpachikha, Abdei Abdulov, was one of the leaders of the uprising, having received the rank of colonel from the "impostor". In the XIX century, more than a hundred Bashkirs were awarded medals for their heroism in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of the Russian army of 1813-1814. ^{[9, p. 21]} The formation of the Bardymsky district on December 30, 1925 became a new stage in the development of the territory of the Tulva district and its population. The area was classified as agricultural, its specialization was the cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. In 1929, the first collective farm "Krasny Plowman" was formed in Bard. Selfless work for the benefit of the native land, combined with the preservation of original crafts and ethno-cultural traditions, distinguished the population of Barda from the general picture of the Soviet collective farm epic. According to the All - Union Census of the USSR in 1939 , 39,567 people lived in the district at that time . During the Great Patriotic War, more than 7 thousand people went to the front, including 77 women. Sh.G. Kazanbayev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Z.H. Aminov became a full knight of the Order of Glory. The memorial slabs perpetuate the memory of 4,223 Bardym residents who died in battle. The medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" was awarded to several hundred residents of the district ^{[10, p. 59]}.

Since the late 1980s, the modern period in the development of Barda has begun. There was an increase in the population: from 7.6 thousand people in 1989 to 8.5 thousand people in 2002. Since 1993, local television has been working in the Bardym district ^[9]. At the same time, the pre-revolutionary traditions of celebrating festivals and honoring honored compatriots are being restored. In educational institutions of the Bardym district, emphasis was placed on the study of the history and literature of the native land, the work of Tatar poets of the XX century. So the name of Gabdulla Tukai (1886-1913) became not only a symbol of the triumph of poetry. On June 28, 2013, the grand opening of the bust of the poet, whose peak of creativity was in the 1900s, took place in Bard. The monument was installed near the building of the district administration. It is believed that the ancestral roots of G. Tukai are connected with the Tulva district: his maternal grandfather was a native of Barda ^[11]. Thus, the historical personality of Gabdulla Tukai can be considered the "genius of the place" of the village of Barda. The poet's poems also reflect the modern realities of everyday life ("Coming into life", "Two roads", "Native village", "Love", "Book", "Finished work, play!", "Native language", etc.). One of the last and, as it seems to us, particularly significant the work "On Russian Soil" (1913) became. Here are a few lines from this poem:

We have laid a trail on Russian soil,

We are a pure mirror of the years we have lived.

We sang songs with the people of Russia,

There is a common thing in our life and morals,

One by one the years passed, ?

We joked, we always worked together ^[12]

Let us express the opinion that these lines convey the centuries-old history of the Tulva river, Barda and its population. Bashkirs, Tatars, Russians and Udmurts jointly carried out creative activities, preserved the natural and cultural resources of the territory.

At the same time, since the second half of the 2000s, negative trends in the socio-economic development of Barda have emerged. The problems were typical for the municipalities of the Perm Region: the outflow of young people to Perm and Kazan, internal migration of the able-bodied population, low salaries in the public sector and early retirement, lack of promotion of trademarks to popularize local products in the region and beyond, crisis phenomena in the road sector, etc. The geocultural potential of the rural settlement was not in demand and was involved in the current plans for the socio-economic development of the territory. As never before, the rural settlement has demonstrated a fairly high level of "otkhodnichestvo". According to the researcher of this problem Yu.M. Plyusnin (HSE, Moscow), currently there are at least 20 million people in Russia. otkhodnikov. According to him, a third of all families in the province live at the expense of latrines, that is, a type of economic activity that is almost not taken into account by official statistics ^[13].

Against this background, cultural institutions and craft centers stood out, offering a range of services to the population. Problems in the socio-economic sector were "closed" by the organization of mass festive events (Sabantuy, "Barda-zien", "Barda-jien"), fairs of handicrafts of local craftsmen. Creative groups of local residents themselves were particularly active. So since 2007, in the village of Berezniki (12 km from the village of Barda), the production of the "Tulva skullcap" has been established ^[14]. Today, a small ethnographic museum is open to the public here, where you can see magnificent and unique skullcaps. Their ornament contains the symbolism of traditional images of the historical and cultural heritage of the Bardym land. However, the main problem of Barda's development – the outflow of population – is causing a wide resonance today. The given information allows us to conclude that today it is vital for Barda and its population to implement the strategy of geocultural branding of the village.   

Materials and methods

The theoretical and methodological basis for this article is fundamental and applied research in the field of political science and political management, geography, local history, ethnography, economics and sociology, design and technical aesthetics, museology.

The solution of the problems considered in the article is based on the concept of geocultural branding of territories in the form in which it is presented in the scientific works of Dmitry Nikolaevich Zamyatin, chief researcher of the Higher School of Urban Studies at the HSE ^{[8, 15]}, as well as on the theory of creative action by British scientist Charles Landry ^{[16, 17]}.

The key concepts of the problem under consideration are geocultural branding of rural settlements and geocultural brand. Geocultural branding of a territory is a project–network activity aimed at the applied use of the geoculture of the territory (regional identity, cultural heritage, archetypal images, local myths, cultural landscapes) in order to form and promote a socially significant and effective (attractive) territorial image ^{[8, p. 28]}. A municipal district or a rural settlement can be represented as a purposeful, structured image in detail. And this image of the territory can be built, formed as a geocultural brand. The geocultural brand of the territory is its strategic asset.

At the same time, under the strategy of geocultural branding of the village, we propose to understand a set of long-term and medium-term planned activities initiated by public authorities, cultural and educational institutions, creative workshops and the villagers themselves, aimed at identifying, disclosing and effectively using the geocultural resources of the settlement, collectively constituting its geocultural potential. Let us express the opinion that the success in developing a strategy for geocultural branding of a village depends on the fulfillment of several conditions.

 Firstly, it is the achievement of the agreement of all subjects involved in its development that the geocultural branding of the village is aimed at activities related to the cultivation of images that are particularly important for the cohesion of the rural population. Therefore, the main goal of geocultural branding is not to make a profit or additional income to the local budget, but to involve residents in various forms of cultural and other creative activities (cultural activities: spheres of artistic creativity, decorative and applied arts, technical aesthetics and design, computer?graphic modeling, etc.; other forms of creative activity: gardening, winemaking, knitting and weaving, cooking, etc.).

Secondly, it is mandatory to hold thematic round tables, forums, online surveys of villagers on the basis of cultural institutions in order to identify and study the content of geocultural resources of a rural settlement. It is desirable to include representatives of creative organizations, students of general education and professional organizations in the initiative group.

Thirdly, ensuring that all segments of the population are regularly informed about the goals of geocultural branding, as well as about the possibility of participating through the presentation of their cultural skills in the work on creating elements of the geocultural brand of the village (involving local media, social messengers).

Finally, fourthly, it is the willingness of public authorities not only to consider draft strategies for geocultural branding of the settlement and discuss them in the format of public discussions, but also to make decisions on their inclusion in the socio-economic development agenda of the territory. Local administrations have real opportunities to include geocultural branding in rural settlement development programs and strategies (socio-economic development strategy, tourism and hospitality industry development strategy, public space improvement programs, etc.). In some cases, within the framework of municipal-private partnership, municipal authorities can involve business structures in the implementation of geocultural branding strategy, local entrepreneurs interested in obtaining income from the use and development of the cultural heritage of the rural district ^[18].

British urbanist Charles Landry draws attention to the importance of revealing the geocultural potential of territories through creative actions on the part of local communities.

"Cultural resources are the material used to create the basic values of the city, the raw materials that are replacing coal, steel and gold today. Creativity is a method of exploitation and renewal of these resources" ^{[17, p. 28]}.

"As a heraldic sign, culture emphasizes the uniqueness and originality of the place. The resources of the past can inspire and inspire confidence in the future, – noted Ch. Landry. – ... Moreover, cultural heritage is being rediscovered every day, whether it is an updated building or a new use of ancient skills" ^{[17, p. 29]}.

It seems that the tactics of gradual deployment of the geocultural potential of a rural settlement can be an effective solution. At the first stage, local communities identify a list of geocultural resources, identifying those that can become image resources in the course of project activities. As a rule, a large village is characterized by the presence of no more than two or three geocultural resources. At the second stage, creative actions with geocultural resources are tested in the public and residential environment of the settlement. It should be noted that at this time creative solutions, techniques, technologies are being worked out, the cumulative result of which is to determine the parameters of a future promising model of a geocultural brand. The third stage is the development of the geocultural brand and the parameters of the geocultural branding strategy of the village. The fourth stage is the beginning of the implementation of the strategy and the achievement of intermediate results. The fifth stage is the presentation by the rural settlement of cultural industries in the context of geocultural branding on a regional and all-Russian scale.

Results

First of all, it is necessary to present the results of the work of the team of authors on the compilation of a geocultural concept, which demonstrates the image resources of the village of Barda.

The concept is based on a proposal on the conceptual content of a geocultural brand for a rural settlement – "Barda – mirror of the Perm land". When developing the semantic name of the geocultural brand, lines from the poem by Gabdulla Tukai ("On Russian soil") were used. We believe that Barda can really be considered a kind of "mirror" of the Permian land. As noted above, good-neighborly relations between ethnic communities have historically developed here, religious tolerance has taken place in everyday life, traditional types of economy and life have developed. The local product "Bardymskaya potato" most resembles the well-known regional brand "Permskaya potato". Honey from Barda is brought to Perm by ordinary housewives, and, from their experience, it can be stated that this product is of very high quality.

Next, we list the image resources that make up the conceptual basis of the geocultural brand:

– myths and legends of the Tulva district (the myth of the "Shural" is a Tatar goblin, the hero of the poem by G. Tukai; legends about geese ? a symbol of purity, prosperity and well?being, the rite of "Goose help");

 ? unique national cuisine (traditional dishes "kystybyy", "belesh", "ish belesh", "chak-chak", "golbadia");

? handicraft traditions and national ornaments (wood and twig products, weaving and linen products for household use, robes and skullcaps, "Tulva skullcap", etc.);

? natural attractions (Tulva, Barda, Kazmashka rivers, Cast Iron Mountain, Cherry Mountain (steppe cherry), Maple Mountain (326 m), Oak Mountain, etc.);

? art objects, including works of street art ("Skullcap", "Bardym potato", pixel image "Goose" on the wall of the BKCD (9 m, author A.I. Zhunev, etc.);

? environmentally friendly products of the Bardym land (Bardym potatoes, honey from households, animal products, iris "Cow");

? Gabdulla Tukai as a genius of the place.

The following local institutions of rural settlement will help to significantly support the geocultural brand "Barda – mirror of Perm land"::

– branches of political parties, political associations;

– library and museum organizations (Bardym Center of Culture and Leisure, Bardym Central Library, Bardym Museum of Local Lore, etc.);

– ethnographic centers and educational organizations;

– local religious organizations;

– public associations and foundations;

– commercial organizations and associations of entrepreneurs.

At the same time, the main role in promoting the geocultural brand is assigned to the residents of Barda themselves. The forms of their active participation should include the development of an individual household, crop production and animal husbandry, the initiative improvement of house territories, the development of craft specialization and its application in practice both in the household and in the public environment. Traditional images of the Tulva river district can be used in the decoration of facades of residential buildings (apartment and private), and in the development of the "Bardym style" to rely on elements of local ornament, using, at the same time, techniques for creating modern design forms. Students are encouraged to take part in the formation of student communities in Perm universities. Such an initiative has already taken place in the region in 2003-2005. For example, the student community, consisting of young residents of Vereshchagino and Vereshchaginsky district, successfully functioned at the Perm State Pedagogical University.

At the same time, a serious problem hindering the launch of geocultural branding of the village should be recognized as the absence of a developed sphere of the hospitality industry in Bard. Without this, the task of developing a tourism cluster seems almost impossible.

Discussion

Attempts to develop, discuss and promote a brand image for Barda have already been made in the recent history of the settlement. So in 2009, within the framework of the regional program "Perm Krai ? territory of Culture", a competitive selection of applications from municipalities took place. Among the winners was the project "Barda ? here she is! There is!" (budget 7.7 million rubles). The project included five blocks of thematic brands: "Barda is the country of Gain", "Barda is the territory of health and longevity", "Barda is a youth breakthrough", "Barda is the rural capital", "My house is my fortress" ^[19]. The brand names reflected really important directions for their long-term development. At the same time, in aggregate, they did not give at least the most general idea of the geocultural potential of the Tulva district. The project "Barda ? here she is! There is!" was developed in line with the marketing approach, since the program "Perm Krai ? territory of Culture" itself was an organic part of the Perm "cultural Revolution" (2008 – 2012). Upon completion of this project, these brands were in a state of deep "conservation". The brand name "Barda – rural capital", at first glance, looks original. However, it should be borne in mind that this name at this point in time intersected with the megaproject "Perm – the cultural capital of Europe". And it should still be noted that the "rural capital" significantly narrows the resources and capabilities of Barda.

In order to discuss the concept of geocultural branding for rural settlements of the Perm Region, as well as the Barda geocultural brand, the authors' team held four round tables in 2021 on the topic "Geocultural branding of cities and territories of the Perm Region: Strategies and brands" within the framework of the All-Russian scientific conference "Modern City: Power, management, economy". These events were held at the sites of the Perm National Research Polytechnic University, the municipal libraries of Vereshchagino and Ochera. The scientific reports of S.A. Dianov, O.G. Poluyanova, V.P. Chegodaev highlighted the problems of socio-economic development of rural settlements, issues of involvement of local communities and residents in cultural activities. The participants of the discussions were invited persons living in Barda.

Following the results of the last round table, held on December 15, 2021 in PNRPU, its participants adopted a number of practical recommendations, among them:

– university and professional creative communities in 2022-2023 to continue the practice of conducting scientific events on the issues of the "Strategy of geocultural development of rural settlements";

– to support the initiative of the authors' collective to create a scientific and creative laboratory for comprehensive studies of the geocultural potential of small towns and rural settlements of the Perm Region;

– to invite representatives of local self-government bodies to actively participate in the scientific and practical discussion of the tasks of branding and development of the geocultural potential of rural settlements of the Perm region;

– to provide expert, consulting support to the author's creative initiatives on geocultural branding of rural settlements of the Perm Territory, which are based on historical and cultural phenomena of the Perm land.

Conclusion

The conceptual idea of the geocultural brand for Barda "Barda is a mirror of the Permian land" is based on the phenomenal core of the geoculture of a rural settlement. We consider it necessary to start procedures for a broad public discussion of the prospects for the implementation of a geocultural brand. If a public consensus is reached and the transition to the first steps in the implementation of the geocultural branding strategy, Barda will be the first rural settlement of the Ural region, where it will be possible to transition from traditional, and sometimes routine, brand programs to truly progressive, innovative geocultural branding. Especially important is the process of educational activities, conveying the importance of geocultural branding of the village to the young residents of Barda as the most active and mobile social group.