Abstract
<jats:p>Justice in a multi-ethnic society is not merely a matter of financial resources, social benefits, or parliamentary representation. The article advances the thesis that its symbolic dimension is of no less importance: the recog-nition (or non-recognition) of the history, heroes, and language of ethnic groups. Drawing on N. Fraser’s con-cept of symbolic justice and J. Assmann’s theory of cultural memory, the article demonstrates that the restora-tion of historical memory among small peoples is not a museum tour but a direct condition for interethnic peace. The example taken is not abstract but concrete – the activities of the Chuvash writer and social activist Yukhma Mishshi. It was he who, having encountered in childhood the absence of Chuvash people from history textbooks, spent decades restoring names, legends, and facts. Crucially, he did not confine himself to books. The All-Chuvash Social and Cultural Center he founded, the Chuvash cultural centers opened in regions with compact Chuvash populations, as well as Chuvash newspapers, journals, and books – these are not merely cultural projects but a veritable mechanism of justice. When a people is seen and heard, social tension sub-sides, and society becomes more stable. Conclusion of the article is that the neglect of the cultural rights of small peoples generates symbolic inequality. However, this inequality can be remedied, whereby it transforms from a threat into a resource for stability. The example of Yukhma Mishshi demonstrates that such work is fea-sible, effective, and does not conflict with the interests of other peoples or the state.</jats:p>