Russian History through the History of Regions: Integration of Education and Science

Abstract

In 2012, the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Academic University for the Humanities, at the initiative of the All-Russian Association of Teachers of History and Social Studies, together with the leading regional research and educational centers, launched the scientific and educational project “Russian History through the History of Regions”. The concept of the project was based on the idea that each region of the Russian Federation has its own unique specificity, which does not allow universal approaches to be applied unconditionally. It is necessary to search for a historical consensus between the federal history and the history of a particular region, which would emphasize that it is thanks to the unity of the regions and the peoples of Russia tremendous strides have been made in all spheres of life, epoch-making victories have been achieved, and stable and steady development of the country has been ensured. This concept proceeds from the understanding of the region as a special historical and cultural community that goes beyond the scope of an individual federal subject of Russia, which determines the orientation towards a multilevel study of history in the unity of the local – regional – federal levels. The article discusses the experience of consolidation in the framework of the project “Russian History through the History of Regions”, from 2012 to the present, the creative efforts of professional historians, methodologists and history teachers to develop a common model for teaching the regional component of history, which could help nation-building and consolidation of Russian society.