National University of Science and Technology MISIS (4/1, Leninsky Ave., 119049 Moscow, Russian Federation)

Introduction. The issue of childrearing was acute enough for the ‘first-wave’ Russian émigrés (1918–1941), and the function was largely performed by children’s movements, the most widespread of the latter having been scouts and organizations that broke away from them. In addition to the traditional tasks of socialization, spiritual and physical development, they were to preserve national culture and maintain the memory of Russia. In Manchuria, that was supplemented with the need to confront the Soviet institutions widely represented in the region. Goals. The article attempts a comprehensive study into the history of scout-type movements in Harbin and along the Chinese Eastern Railway. To facilitate this, the paper shall examine key emigrant children’s organizations, reveal some specifics of their development in comparison to those of the European diaspora, and identify the reasons behind the rise and decline of these movements. Materials and methods. The study focuses on documents from the State Archive of Khabarovsk Krai and the State Archive of the Russian Federation, as well as emigrant periodicals from the specified period. The work employs the descriptive and historical-genetic methods for insights into the phenomenon of Harbin emigrant movements in their entirety and development. The historical anthropological approach proves instrumental in better understanding everyday practices and roles of particular individuals in shaping the unique image of Harbin-based emigrant community. The comparative method makes it possible to recognize the specifics of children’s organizations of Far Eastern émigrés in comparison with their Western counterparts. Results. The Russian Civil War led to that Harbin hosted a significant number of scout leaders and teenage members who fled toward the eastern part of the Russian Empire. Since Harbin was a piece of Russia in Manchuria, the scout groups did quickly attract a wide range of children. Subsequently, three other movements separated from the scouts ― only to change ideological essentials with retained working methods. Conclusions. In the 1920s–1930s, the development of children’s movements in the region did depend on the political situation and those who exercised actual control over the CER ― China, Soviet Union, Manchukuo, Japan. And despite scout organizations tried to adapt to the changing agenda, external factors led to their decline by the late 1930s, and after the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II ― to their complete disappearance in the region.

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