Paper short abstract:

Based on ethnographic field work and bringing concepts of epistemology, power, cultural heritage, and others, this conference paper is dedicated to the explanation of different and contested ways of understanding and justifying Tatar minority heritages in Estonia.

Paper long abstract:

Based on ethnographic materials collected in Estonia in 2019, I will talk about contested discourses of Tatar heritage at a meaningful event for the Tatar community – the festival “Sabantuy”. I will try to explain in my conference paper how different actors and political figures interpret Tatar heritage in different ways and try to show how it is contested within everyday contexts. For some, Tatar heritage is connected with the long history of Tatars living in Tallinn, as evidenced by the historical quarter in the city called “Tatari”. For others, the Tatars and Russians have a long joint history, and therefore Tatar heritage is organically linked with the Russian state, and with Russian history. Yet another approach has Tatar heritage connected with Tatarstan and, its capital Kazan. Experiencing ethnographically the “everyday encounters” of Tatar-ness at the “Sabantuy” festival demonstrates the plurality of meanings around Tatar community memory and heritage.