“Let’s Change the Past....”: the Authorities and Historians in the Process of Developing Historical Memory
From the Editor
In our fast-moving age, the tendency of professional historians to reflect turns into a desire to assess their place in the social system. Of course, understanding the sociality of knowledge only strengthens the desire to generalize historical experience, both one’s own, native, and the instructive experience of the “other”. The historian’s natural habit is to seek answers to modern questions, revealing their genesis and the sequence of stages of development. It is no coincidence that in recent decades there has been a growing number of studies in which historical science, its individual groups and representatives appear as one of the many actors. Without claiming to cover this topic as a whole, we have chosen one of the key issues for discussion: the interaction of historians and authorities in the context of the formation of historical memory. Postmodernist turns (poststructuralist, linguistic, cultural) caused a refocusing of the view from classical historiography, familiar since Soviet times, to the study of the phenomenon of historical memory, the role of historians, politicians and different groups of society in its formation, to the analysis of the historian's activities in such different fields of a highly professional system of scientific communications and public discussions, generated increased attention to texts − research, ideological, educational and others, to the actions and behavior of a professional placed in a deeply grounded analysis of the historical context.
History, Ideology and Politics
E.S. Kravtsova
“It Has Not Only Historical but also Political Interest”: Rossica in the USSR in 1929−1941
The article presents the results of a study of the representations of historians and authorities about rossica in the socio-political context of the USSR in the period from 1929 to 1941. It is shown that in the first half of the 1930s the rossica materials were integrated into the project “History of the Peoples of the USSR” which legitimized the confrontation between the socialist and capitalist worlds. It is revealed that in the second half of the 1930s rossica had a new task: to confirm and legitimize the actions of the USSR in the international arena as a natural consequence of the historical process. It is determined that after 1939, rossica diverged from the project “History of the Peoples of the USSR”, but the publishers’ experiments with new discourses were interrupted by the Great Patriotic War.
The article was completed within the framework of the topic of the state assignment of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation “Society and Power in Russia in the 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Political Participation, Communication, Identity of Actors” (FWZM-2024-0008).
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Kravtsova E.S. “It Has Not Only Historical but also Political Interest”: Rossica in the USSR in 1929−1941 // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 11−29. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-01.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
A.I. Savin
The Question of the Heroic Personality Role in History and in the Bolshevik Narrative in the 1920s−1930s
The article focuses on the analysis of cardinal revision of the Marxist dogma, which assigned the dominant role in the historic process to the masses, while the (heroic) personality served subservient role, and held dominant position in soviet socio-political sciences during 1920s. The appearance of labor heroes became an important phenomenon of Stalinist modernization. Return of the “hero” both to the pages of history books and socio-political stage of Soviet Union was not a smooth process, which took the better part of the second half of the 1930s. However, starting from the 1940, personal heroism became an inseparable part of the new soviet identity and one of the most important instrument in the construction of socialist society.
The article was completed within the framework of the topic of the state assignment of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation “Society and Power in Russia in the 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Political Participation, Communication, Identity of Actors” (FWZM-2024-0008).
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Savin A.I. The Question of the Heroic Personality Role in History and in the Bolshevik Narrative in the 1920s−1930s // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 30−46. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-02.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
A.M. Dubrovskiy
Ideologeme “Friendship of Peoples” and Historical Science (1930−1950)
The main goal of the issue is to characterize the metaphor “friendship of peoples” as ideologeme in Bolshevik’s ideology. Thanks to this condition the concept “friendship of peoples” unfolded into a concept which can be represented as four abstracts: friendship of peoples was born in prerevolution period of the history; friendship of peoples manifested itself in the fight against the external invaders; friendship of peoples took shape in the struggle against internal exploiters; the highest manifestation of friendship of peoples is creation and existence of the USSR.
The research work was carried out within the framework of the grant of the Russian Science Foundation No. 3-28-0028 “Ukrainian Historiography of Ancient Russia of the Late 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Concepts, Sources, Trends”.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Dubrovskiy A.M. Ideologeme “Friendship of Peoples” and Historical Science (1930−1950) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 47–58. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-03.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
L.A. Sidorova
Actualization of Historical Memory during the Great Patriotic War: Personal Motivation of Soviet Historians
Using the example of the scientific and propaganda activities of academician M.V. Nechkina, the problem of personal motivation of Soviet historians in their work to promote the historical experience of Russia during the Great Patriotic War is investigated. It is shown that participation in the actualization of historical memory was due to the civic position of historians, in which the awareness of their patriotic duty was in the first place. M.V. Nechkina’s scientific and popularization activities were closely connected with her research: the latter provided material for books and lectures, and the needs of propaganda posed new tasks in studying specific problems of history.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Sidorova L.A. Actualization of Historical Memory during the Great Patriotic War: Personal Motivation of Soviet Historians // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 59−68. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-04.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
A.V. Korenevskiy
Toynbee and the “Armenian Question”: Political Pragmatics, Moral Principles, Personal Motives
The role of A.J. Toynbee in exposing the mass extermination of the Armenian population by the Ottoman troops and paramilitaries during the First World War is relatively well described in the contemporary historiography. The paper’s author attempts, based on a comprehensive analysis of ego documents and other sources, to identify the cause-and-effect relationships between these two pages of Toynbee’s biography, analyzing the motives and circumstances that prompted him to participate in the investigation of Lord J. Bryce, as well as a set of reasons that led to the subsequent revision of assessments of the events of 1915−1916.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Korenevskiy A.V. Toynbee and the “Armenian Question”: Political Pragmatics, Moral Principles, Personal Motives // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 69–79. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-05.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
M. Mellina
Italian Politicians and the Historian Renzo De Felice (1929−1996): Between Historical Memory and the Political and Electoral Climate
The article is dedicated to the career of Italian historian Renzo De Felice and the political class’s reaction to his interpretations of fascism. De Felice was the first to study documents from the fascist era when anti-fascist memory was based on political testimonies. Previously, historians refused to reconstruct the history of fascism using documents, preferring a politicized memory. Through the analysis of three episodes where De Felice interacted with the political class in debates, the research shows how politicians discussed him depending on the political climate and their own goals. The article raises questions about the role of the historian and his freedoms in a democratic regime when his work intersects with the interests of politicians.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Mellina M. Italian Politicians and the Historian Renzo De Felice (1929−1996): Between Historical Memory and the Political and Electoral Climate // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 80–89. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-07.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
E.Yu. Kalinina
Memory and Oblivion as Social Constructs in the Transformation of the State-Legal System: The Case of the Transition from Authoritarian Regime to Democracy in Spain (1976−1982)
The author considers the process of constructing historical memory as a tool for shaping identity within the political and legal frameworks during the transition of political regimes. This is exemplified by the shift from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one in Spain in the latter half of the 1970s. The article explores the complexities of this process through the lens of reconciliation policies and conflict avoidance, which were influenced by both the desire for consensus among key political actors and the inability of various political forces to lead the transition.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Kalinina E.Yu. Memory and Oblivion as Social Constructs in the Transformation of the State-Legal System: The Case of the Transition from Authoritarian Regime to Democracy in Spain (1976−1982) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 90–102. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-07.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
N.V. Grishina, V.A. Klamm
Legalized Past: The Role of Historians in the Construction a Historical Narrative (The Case of the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory and Commemorative Dates of Russia”)
The article examines the activity of historians in the process of transformation of the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 “On the Days of military glory and commemorative dates of Russia”. The Memorial Law is considered as an instrument of memory policy and historical politics of contemporary Russia. The article shows the participation of deputies with historical education or academic degree in the development of the law. The views about history as a science and the work of historians, broadcast in public discussions of legislators, are revealed. Examples of the participation of historians and scientific institutions in discussions of amendments to the law are considered.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Grishina N.V., Klamm V.A. Legalized Past: The Role of Historians in the Construction a Historical Narrative (The Case of the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory and Commemorative Dates of Russia”) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 103–116. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-08.pdf]
History, Ideology and Politics
M.K. Churkin, N.I. Churkina
Professional Community of Historians and Representation of Historical Knowledge of the Public Sphere in Russia in the Late 20th – First Quarter of the 21th Сentury
The article identifies the factors and sociocultural circumstances of the professional community of historians in the aspect of representing historical knowledge in the public sphere of Russia at the end of the 20th − first quarter of the 21st centuries. Provisions are formulated on the specifics of the public space of dialogues and discourses in a situation of authoritarianism. It is justified that the nationalization of the public sphere and the development of practices of administrative dominance on the scale of domestic public discourse create a special format of communication for actors of the public field – its academic and scientific-pedagogical segments, as well as communities of heritage institutions.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Churkin M.K., Churkina N.I. Professional Community of Historians and Representation of Historical Knowledge of the Public Sphere in Russia in the Late 20th – First Quarter of the 21th Сentury // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 117–124. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-09.pdf]
Historiography Issues. Change of View
V.I. Goldin
The Relationship Between the Authorities and Historians in the Context of the Formation of Historical Memory about the Civil War in Russia
The article examines the nature of the relationship between government officials and historians in the process of forming a historical memory of the Civil War in Russia in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. The main stages of these relationships are identified and characterized and the inherent features of each of them are indicated. Examples of interaction between government officials and historians during the implementation of a number of major historical projects on the Civil War are given. It is shown how the situation in the country influenced the relationship between government officials and historians in the formation of historical memory about that period in the history of our country.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Goldin V.I. The Relationship Between the Authorities and Historians in the Context of the Formation of Historical Memory about the Civil War in Russia // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 125–138. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-10.pdf]
Historiography Issues. Change of View
D.N. Shevelev, I.E. Rogaeva
Civil War in Russia in Historical Memory and Contemporary Historiographical Narratives: Intersection Points of the Last Decade
This article examines the key areas of interaction and points of intersection between “generally accepted” perceptions representations of the Russian Civil War (public historical narrative) and the scholarly perspective on this issue, articulated by the community of historians (academic historical narrative). The authors rely on opinions from leading specialists and data from the social network “Vkontakte” They conclude that professional historiography is today intertwined with collective memory, and that versions of the Civil War circulating in public space draw upon the opinions of professional historians.
The study was carried out with financial support from the development program of Tomsk Research University “Priority 2030” within the framework of scientific project No. 2.3.5.24 ONG.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Shevelev D.N., Rogaeva I.E. Civil War in Russia in Historical Memory and Contemporary Historiographical Narratives: Intersection Points of the Last Decade // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 139−156. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-11.pdf]
Historiography Issues. Change of View
V.I. Isaev
Historiography of the Everyday Life of Workers in the USSR in the 1920s−1930s: From Propaganda to Reality
The article considers the development of the historiography of the everyday life of Soviet workers at various stages of Russian history. In the twenties of the twentieth century, the approaches and methods of pre-revolutionary scientific schools were to a certain extent preserved in the study of the everyday life of workers; issues of nutrition and domestic life of workers, budgets of the working family, problems of restructuring of everyday life at the stage of transition from capitalism to socialism were actively and thoroughly studied. In the 1930s the topics of research are sharply narrowed, serious scientific books have become a rare occurrence, and the party and state propaganda declaratively states the growth of workers’ well-being and the formation of a socialist way of life. In the 1940s and 1950s, attention to the topic significantly weakened, since the possibilities for objective research were practically absent. In the 1960s and especially in the 1970−1980s. Interest in the problems of everyday life is gradually reviving, not least due to increased attention to the subjective factors of the historical process. However, throughout the Soviet period, with the exception of the late 1980s, the idea of the steady improvement of the workers’ lives in the USSR, prescribed by the Communist Party, prevailed. Objective study of the workers’ lives in the pre-war period began only in the post-Soviet period. At present, this topic is often the subject of research, serious failures of the Soviet state in the field of social policy are noted, especially in the 1930s, when the country was going through a period of forced socio-economic transformations.
The article was made on the topic of the state task “Socio-Economic Potential of the Eastern Regions of Russia in the 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Management Strategies and Practices, Dynamics, Geopolitical Context” (FWZM‑2024-0005).
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Isaev V.I. Historiography of the Everyday Life of Workers in the USSR in the 1920s−1930s: From Propaganda to Reality // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 157–171. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-12.pdf]
Historiography Issues. Change of View
O.A. Makhmudov, O.G. Pugovkina
The Revolutionary Events of 1917 in Turkestan: The Shift of Paradigms and Discourses in Uzbek Science (The End Of 1980s − Early 2020s)
The revolutionary events of 1917 in Turkestan are one of the most interesting and controversial in the history of Soviet Uzbekistan. Speaking about this period, we mean two important historical events that radically changed the entire further flow of the historical development of the peoples of the Central Asian region − the Great Russian Revolution, with its constituent periods: the February Revolution and the October upheaval of 1917. Undertaken research showed that both the country’s leadership and employment of modern methodological concepts by Uzbek historians played a big role in formation of new look on Soviet history and the history of Uzbek people in general, the opening of secret archival funds, positive changes in the very structure of historical science.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Makhmudov O.A., Pugovkina O.G. The Revolutionary Events of 1917 in Turkestan: The Shift of Paradigms and Discourses in Uzbek Science (The End Of 1980s − Early 2020s) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 172–185. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-13.pdf]
Historiography Issues. Change of View
D.N. Moskalenskaya
Historical Memory of Repression through the Prism of Modern School Education (2014−2024)
The article provides a comparative analysis of the content of textbooks on the history of Russia of the 10th grade, published after the adoption of the Concept of a new educational and methodological complex on national history in 2014, including a new unified textbook on the history of Russia in 2023, regarding the coverage of the repressive policy of the Soviet state. It is concluded that there have been no drastic changes in it, the topic of mass repression occupies a modest position. At the same time, the focus has shifted from repressive to rehabilitative policies.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Moskalenskaya D.N. Historical Memory of Repression through the Prism of Modern School Education (2014−2024) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 186–195. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-14.pdf]
Organization of Scientific Research
I.A. Shipilov
The History of Academic and Government Expeditions to Siberia in the 18th Century in the Light of the Relationship between Government and Scientists
The article examines the process of scientific development of Siberia in the 18th century through the prism of interaction between the Russian state and scientists participating in academic and government expeditions. The role of the state as the main initiator, organizer and source of financing for expeditionary research in Siberia is shown. It is established the application of the principle of historicism by travel scientists was both the result of the implementation of the state program for the scientific development of the region and the personal initiative of researchers. The author concluded that during the preparation and conduct of academic and government expeditions, a multifaceted system of relationships developed between government authorities and scientists, which included, along with interactions within the framework of the subordination scheme “power and subordination”, various options for dialogue and cooperation, as well as manifestations of personal initiative, objective judgment and independent actions of researchers.
The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “The Past in the Manuscript Sources of the 16th − 20th Centuries: Preservation and Development of Traditions” (FWZM-2024-0006).
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Shipilov I.A. The History of Academic and Government Expeditions to Siberia in the 18th Century in the Light of the Relationship between Government and Scientists // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 196−208. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-15.pdf]
Organization of Scientific Research
V.V. Tikhonov
Documents of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the failed All-Union Meeting on the Preparation of the Multi-Volume “History of the USSR” and the Histories of National Republics (1933−1934)
The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the project of organizing a meeting on the preparation of the All-Union history of the USSR, as well as the histories of the Union and autonomous republics, based on the office documentation of the Foundation of the Institute of History of the Communist Academy, stored in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This issue has not previously come to the attention of historians and has not been studied specifically in historiography. The analysis of this plot allows not only to fill a certain factual gap, but also to revise the stages of the process of creating national histories of the peoples of the USSR.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Tikhonov V.V. Documents of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the failed All-Union Meeting on the Preparation of the Multi-Volume “History of the USSR” and the Histories of National Republics (1933−1934) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 209–216. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-16.pdf]
Organization of Scientific Research
Y.K. Kholmatov
“The Work Was Suffered because of Personal Relationships”: Conflict between Ural Historians in the Preparation of “Essays on the history of the Urals” (“Ocherki Istorii Urala”) (Late 1950s − Early 1960s)
Based on clerical sources and private letters from Ural and Moscow historians, the article reconstructed the conflict between Sverdlovsk and Perm researchers who were involved in the preparation of the collective work Essays on the History of the Urals in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The reasons for working on the project, the peculiarities of the relationship between historians, as well as the circumstances of the inclusion of historians of the Institute of History of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the work on the two-volume work. The final part of the article noted the need to study the preparation of such collective works on regional history for a deeper understanding of the ways to create collective memory in the USSR.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Kholmatov T.K. “The Work Was Suffered because of Personal Relationships”: Conflict between Ural Historians in the Preparation of “Essays on the history of the Urals” (“Ocherki Istorii Urala”) (Late 1950s − Early 1960s) // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 217–226. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-17.pdf]
Organization of Scientific Research
A.S. Zhanbossinova
Scientific Research Trends of Historical Science of Kazakhstan
The article analyzes the main trends and priorities of the development of historical science in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The role and place of history in the structure of power are highlighted, with the focus on the participation of research institutions and centers in solving the tasks of state policy on the formation and development of conceptual provisions of national history, national memory. An analytical review of the current situation made it possible to demonstrate the updating of research priorities, the formation of new thematic plots of design research and to identify the interaction of departmental scientific institutions with government agencies in the formation of historical knowledge and regulation of the content of historical memory.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Zhanbossinova A.S. Scientific Research Trends of Historical Science of Kazakhstan // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 227–238. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-18.pdf]
Scientific Life
D.O. Nikulin
“Translation of Scientific Ideas: Problems and Practices”: Youth Conference at the Institute of History of the SB RAS
The material presents an overview of the work of the All-Russian Youth Scientific School-conference with international participation “Actual Problems of Historical Research: The View of Young Scientists”, held in Novosibirsk from September 18 to 21, 2024, including the composition of participants, the topics of the scientific school, the sections, and the roundtable.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Nikulin D.O. “Translation of Scientific Ideas: Problems and Practices”: Youth Conference at the Institute of History of the SB RAS // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 239–241. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-19.pdf]
Scientific Life
L.L. Mehrishvili, V.P. Karpov
Tyumen Region: History of the Region, Modern Problems, Contours of the Future
The article is an overview of the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Industrial Development of Russia: Stages, Features, Prospects of Study” that was held in June 2024 on the basis of the Institute of History and the Institute of Economics and Organization of Industrial Production of SB RAS. The event brought together specialists in the field of economic and social history, who considered the problems of industrial transformations in Russia in a broad chronological framework. The review provides information on reports on the history of Russian and Soviet industrialization and on the discussion which took place at the round table.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
How to cite: Mekhrishvili L.L., Karpov V.P. Tyumen Region: History of the Region, Modern Problems, Contours of the Future // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 242–246. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-20.pdf]
Scientific Life
Congratulations on the Anniversary of Sergey Alexandrovich Krasilnikov!