Leisure practices of geological explorers of Western Siberia based on the narratives of pio-neers (1950s–1960s)

Abstract

In this paper, the main leisure activities of the geologists, identified by the author on the basis of collected inter-views with those involved at the initial stage of geological explorations in Tyumen Oblast during the 1950s–1960s, are presented. The organisation of the leisure activities, as well as the complex development of the social and do-mestic sphere amongst the geological prospectors, in one of the perspective regions in terms of the availability of hydrocarbons, was not amongst the priorities of the state at the dawn of the oil exploration and was a prerogative of the geological community. The trade unions of geologists, who were overseeing social matters, including leisure activities, due to low funding and a lack of adequate personnel and material-and-technical potential did not always successfully cope with the tasks set. The leveling of the shortcomings in this development was imposed on the initia-tive of the oil prospectors themselves, who were interested in improving conditions of their stay at the work sites. It is noted that the initiatives of the geologists expanded the possibilities of organized forms of leisure activities both at stationary places of residence and ’in the field’. The variability of leisure activities at the locations of geological par-ties, including residential places, was significantly higher than in the places of work ― ‘in the field’. However, even in conditions of remoteness from the centres of ‘culture’, oil prospectors carried out improvement of the quality and diversity of their leisure time on their own. The demand for and variability of the leisure practices were taking place in line with the ‘concept of culture’, depended on the degree of qualification and level of education of the specialists, personal development and attitude of the employees, and their environment. The implementation of leisure practices was necessitated by the need for compensating limited opportunities of the socio-cultural environment against the background of the dominance of the strenuous daily work, as well as the confrontation in the archaisation of the daily routine due to the prevalence of the deviant forms of behaviour. Many changes emanating from the oil prospectors and taking place in the socio-cultural sphere later took root and became an asset of the local population. The initia-tive of the geologists made it possible to expand and diversify leisure practices under the lack of opportunities and financial support of the social sphere, which facilitated positive changes in the daily life of the geologists themselves and population of the places where the oil prospectors were staying.