Ethnofuturism and Traditional Udmurt Ideas about the Future

Introduction. The problem of the traditional ideas of the Udmurt people about time and space, including their attitude to the future, is significant for modern science. Despite the numerous publications on this issue, there is practically no research on the refraction of traditional Udmurt ideas about the future in the Udmurt ethnofuturist movement, and their vision of the future of ethnic culture in this context. The purpose of the study is to try to fill this gap by examining and analyzing exactly what traditional ideas exist in Udmurt culture and how ethnofuturists use them in their work. Materials and Methods. The research material was the works devoted to the topic of the future in the traditional Udmurt culture, as well as sources (articles in periodicals, collections, catalogs), where the vision of the future by ethnofuturists is presented. The study was conducted based on a comparative analysis of the sources and the phenomena described in them. During field research, the interview method was used. Results and Discussion. The study proves that some modern manifestations and forms of the ethnofuturist movement are associated with the image of the future in traditional culture. The traditional Udmurt model of a bright and ideal future is presented in the concepts of ethnofuturist festivals and the manifesto of ethnofuturists. In traditional culture, there are also examples of a negative (eschatological) scenario of the future, recorded, for example, in the ending of the Udmurt epic and some legends. A reflection on the future of their people close to them is found in the works of poets and writers close to the ethnofuturist movement. Conclusion. The author’s conclusions contribute to the development of modern ethnological science in the context of studying the relationship of new cultural phenomena in the life of the Udmurt people and their traditional culture and worldview. The materials of the article can be useful to ethnologists, cultural scientists, art historians, folklorists, socio-cultural workers, and anyone interested in modern Udmurt ethnic culture.