SUMMARY:

The article is focused on the growing politicization of historical knowledge in Russia in the context of a larger problem of the fragmented modern historical consciousness. In the Russian context, the state plays the leading role in the conflict between multiple possible subjects of historical interpretation. In his analysis of this conflict and the Russian society’s historical consciousness, the author considers three types of dealing with the past: “history of politicians”, popular memory, and professional history. The article advances its own vision of an integrating historical narrative for Russia and discusses the role historians are to play in the current popular politicized debates about history. The latter are expected to act as a professional and dynamic community of experts that can negotiate between the “history of politicians” and memory groups without serving any of them. The author believes that such a professional community already exists in today’s Russia.