Galina Mikhailovna Zaporozhchenko,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Who Lit the Stars and How. Review: Nechkina M.V. Koval S.F. Correspondence of Decembrist Studies (1974−1985) / M.V. Nechkina. S.F. Koval; [publ., preface, comments by N.P. Matkhanova]. Irkutsk: Irkutsk Museum of the Decembrists, 2025. 288 p.
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-6-17
In a new book, the achievements of Russian Decembrist studies are related with a dialogue in the community of historians. N.P. Matkhanova, who has extensive experience in Decembrist studies, has published and scientifically commented on 124 epistolaries of Academician M.V. Nechkina and Irkutsk researcher of Decembrism S.F. Koval for 1974–1985, which are stored in the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Archive of the Irkutsk region. These documents discuss general issues of Decembrist studies and archaeography in connection with the publication of the documentary series “Polar Star” which was edited by M.V. Nechkina until her death, and was initiated and led by S.F. Koval. In terms of methodology, an ideographic approach is used, where the circumstances and mechanisms of intellectual activity become the object of scientific reflection. It is shown that the authors’ views on the objectives of the “Polar Star” project go beyond the paradigm of Decembristism, which is classic for Soviet historiography. It is intended to provide a deep understanding of one of the most important issues in the historiography of Russian history: how the government and society perceived and responded to the crisis of the autocratic serfdom system in the first quarter of the 19th century. The letters are important for understanding the personal qualities of M.V. Nechkina and S.F. Koval. The book’s high scientific level is supported by an extensive scientific and reference apparatus and a high level of editorial culture. The author’s exhaustive comments on the letters demonstrate his exceptional erudition and competence. The book significantly clarifies the process of creating the “Polar Star” series.
Publishing: 28/12/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 08/09/2025
How to cite: Zaporozhchenko G.M. Who Lit the Stars and How. Review: Nechkina M.V. Koval S.F. Correspondence of Decembrist Studies (1974−1985) / M.V. Nechkina. S.F. Koval; [publ., preface, comments by N.P. Matkhanova]. Irkutsk: Irkutsk Museum of the Decembrists, 2025. 288 p. // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 6 (44), pp. 243−256. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-6-17.pdf]
The article was prepared as part of the scientific project FWZM 2024-0008 “Society and Power in Russia in the 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Political Participation, Communication, and Actor Identity”.
Links: Issue 6 2025
Keywords: documentary series “Polar Star”; Decembrists; Decembrist Studies; M.V. Nechkina; S.F. Koval; epistolary heritage