Main areas of study of noble corporations in modern historiography

Abstract

The article attempts to identify the main trends in modern domestic and foreign historiography in the study of noble corporations in Russia. The relevance of the study is due to both the increase in the interest of scientific community in this topic, and the revival of noble communities in the post-Soviet space. The main directions and methodology of researches are revealed, their grouping according to the problematic and chronological principle is carried out. It is noted that traditionally, researchers pay attention to the problems of interaction between noble societies and state institutions, socio-economic status and socio-political activities of both individual representatives of the corporation and regional noble societies. The main trend in the study of this topic is the predominance of regional studies. An analysis of new trends in the study of problems is given. It is noted that at the present stage in domestic and foreign historiography, a discussion continues about the time and nature of the emergence of noble corporations. A tendency to increase the number of studies in which attention is paid to the analysis of the composition of corporate employees is revealed, while it is noted that this area is poorly studied. Studies of public organizations created in the 1990-ies are aimed at identifying common features and specifics in comparison with pre-revolutionary institutions, assessing their activities in modern realities. The prospects for research of a complex nature, historical and legal, genealogical, microhistorical aspects of the problem are shown. Further study of the corps of servants of noble societies will allow not only to take a fresh look at the functioning of noble societies, but also to form a biographical narrative, which will facilitate the search for their ancestors. Of no small importance will be studies affecting the noble associations formed after the revolution of 1917.