| Abstract | After Latvia regained its independence the question of ethnic and cultural self-identity is returned for the Russian minority as a problem about the common historic memory of the Russians in Latvia. The Russian minority in Latvia nowadays is not a homogeneous one, both in social and in cultural aspect, partly it is the result of the Soviet period, but in part it is the historical peculiarity. The Old Believers' communities exist on the territory of Latvia since the middle of the 17th century, so the identification with the common past and with the cultural heritage of the ancestors in this ethno-religious group is more distinct when compared to other Russian residents in Latvia today. The purpose of this article is to show the Old Believers' culture studies in Latvia as an attempt to construct the image of the ideal "Others" voluntarily remaining separated from the dominating majority and tolerantly accept the national self-determination idea of the titular nation. Especially in the last decade, implementation of the Old-Believer studies in the academic circles has contributed to the existence of scientific research publications in Latvian, thus, firstly attracting attention of professional scientists and students in a way that a wider audience of readers has had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Old-Believer culture as one of traditional cultures in Latvia. The accent laid on research of the Old-Believer history and studies on the Old-Believer cultural heritage marks a politically neutral vector, which allows us to perceive Old Believers with less suspicion about their disloyalty than other Russians.
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