printPeaceful Profession:
the Path through War (Based on the Diary of A Military Veterinary Doctor, 1941–1945)
Popova I.P.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Leading Researcher, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia irina_popova@list.ru
Popova I.P. Peaceful Profession: the Path through War (Based on the Diary of A Military Veterinary Doctor, 1941–1945). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2025. No 12. P. 66-79
Personal diaries from the period of the Great Patriotic War are increasingly being analyzed by researchers from various disciplines. The possibilities of wider use of such diaries as sources for sociological research, including changes in the status, role and capabilities of people during the war, are of interest. It is known that war as a social disaster causes extraordinary mobility (P. A. Sorokin): it completely changes the context and the possibilities of adapting to it. The issues related to these changes are discussed in the article based on the materials of the personal diary of the military veterinarian P. A. Popov from 1941 to 1945. Professional practices and professional growth events are analyzed: awarding titles, awards, and professional development. This makes it possible to link changes in individual socio-professional status and changes in the status of the profession as a whole during the war years. Conclusions are drawn about the peculiarities of the processes of interrelation of personal, social and professional transformations in wartime, the role of such resources as the values of patriotism, family and memory of peaceful life. The work contributes to the understanding of the possibilities of using the method of analyzing personal diaries, the role of such analysis in the formation of public historical memory.
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