Century Russian Research Articles

Чиновный статус русских дипломатов в посольских отношениях Русского государства с кочевниками севера Центральной Азии в XVII в.

Introduction. The paper provides a first historiographic insight into official ranks and social status of Russian diplomats to have been dispatched on diplomatic missions to leaders of nomadic military/political associations across Northern Central Asia in the 17th century. Goals. The study aims to determine essentials of how the Tsardom of Russia tended to perceive its counterparties’ status through the analysis of official positions and social backgrounds of Russian diplomats. Materials and methods. The article analyzes a wide range of published and unpublished documents, systemizes and generalizes qualitative and quantitative data pertaining to official ranks of Russian diplomats discovered in records management papers, such as Tsar’s ukazes, nakazes and reminder nakazes, as well as those referred to as stateyny spisok (list of officers) and otpiska voevody (governor’s report). Results. The work reveals diplomatic missions to Kirghiz and Teleut lands, Dzungaria and Mongolia were usually headed by offsprings of the nobility (deti boyarskie) and regular servicemen (nachalnye lyudi) — Cossack leaders, atamans, squadron (pyatidesyatnik) and section (desyatnik) commanders. However, it was not that rare when such diplomatic endeavors were entrusted to servicemen of lower ranks and, occasionally, representatives of indigenous (non-Russian) populations. Conclusions. In terms of 16th–17th century Russian ambassadorial semiotics, the choice of diplomats from commoners and those characterized by lower social status was definitely purposeful and aimed at demonstrating that Turkic and Mongolian nomadic rulers were to enjoy fewer honors due to a higher standing of the Russian Tsar. Since the Tsardom of Muscovy was seeking to gain control over the nomadic military/political alliances of Northern Central Asia and bring nomadic elites under ‘the higher hand of the monarch’, the appointments of lower-ranked servicemen as heads of diplomatic missions were to meet the goals (and logic) of Russian expansionist policy. Low ranks of dispatched diplomats indicated not only the Russian Tsar’s political superiority over nomadic rulers but also attested to that Russians already tended to perceive nomads as potential subjects of the Tsar.

Cross-Analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in hairs retrieved from crania of Korean Joseon Dynasty Mummies and Russian Settlers in Siberia

A specific human population’s diet can be estimated by analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bones or other organic materials unearthed at archaeological sites. In the present study, we investigated the dietary patterns of two agrarian populations of the Eurasian continent to determine if they might show heterogeneities despite their temporal and lifestyle commonalities. Hairs from mummies representative of Joseon Dynasty Koreans and the remains of Russian settlers in Siberia were analyzed by a stable-isotope technique and further compared with corresponding data on Edo-period Japanese. In brief, the 17th to 18th century Russian settlers, a Western population that had partially adopted a native-Siberian dietary strategy, lived on C3 plants and protein-rich foods relative to the Koreans and Japanese. The highest δ13C value among the three groups was observed in the Koreans’ hairs, indicating that their diet had been more C4 plants-based. The second-highest δ15N value (statistically higher than that of the Japanese samples) likewise was found in Korean hairs. In this study, we could conclude that all three Eurasian groups relied on a subsistence agricultural economy during the 16th to 19th centuries but that their dietary lifeways had somewhat diverged.

Жанровое разнообразие уральской фантастики начала ХХ века

The aim of the study is to identify the genre varieties of science fiction that developed in Russian regional literature in the early XX century. The paper examines the texts of Ural writers: “The Thunderstorm of the World” by I. Ryapasov, “On Another Planet” by P. Infantiev and “The Ethereal Vortex” by N. Novikov; analyses the genre varieties to which the published texts belong. The paper argues that three genre varieties developed in Russian literature at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries (adventurous speculative fiction, scientema and adventurous-philosophical speculative fiction), later combined into the term “science fiction”. Examples of scientema can be found in I. Ryapasov’s and N. Novikov’s works, at the same time, P. Infantiev’s novel can be attributed to adventurous-philosophical speculative fiction, since it explores the idea of contact with the Other. Scientific originality of the study lies in carrying out a genre analysis of the works by Ural science fiction writers published from 1901 to 1914, which has not been carried out before. As a result, it has been proved that one can find examples of all genre varieties of “science fiction” in early XX century Russian literature, two of which are represented in the creative work of regional authors. At the same time, the paper concludes that the romantic traditions of speculative fiction also had a significant impact on the development of speculative fiction at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.

«Никакие сих развратных умов намерения нималейше успеть не могут»: российские власти и французские учителя в 1795 г.

The article investigates an archival file concerning a project submitted by French teachers to the Director of Elementary Schools in Moscow Guberniia in 1795. The project’s authors aimed at creating a trade union and a platform for legally authorized socializing and mutual aid. Fourteen individuals signed the project, about whom the archival file contains brief dossiers from the Secret Investigation Office (the administrative body in charge of domestic intelligence). The teachers’ initiative gave rise to correspondence between the Governor of Moscow and the Prosecutor General, as well as a direct personal appeal of the latter to the empress. All in all, the documents show the circumspect attitude of the Russian authorities toward the French community in Russia in the time of the French Revolution. The authors analyze this particular episode in the context of the history of the French community, and especially of French teachers, in eighteenth century Russia. The text of the Project for the Union of Teachers is published in the appendix.

The Coimbra Jesuit Course in 18th-19th century Russia

This article is aimed at examining the impact of Jesuit philosophical education, particularly the Cursus Conimbricensis, on the intellectual culture existing during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Slavic territories now part of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. We have sought to trace the movement of Coimbra Aristotelianism to the East and discern the most promising directions for further research. Although any direct references to the Coimbra Course made by Russian-speaking intellectuals of the period are hard to find, we propose an examination of the circulation and provenance of the actual volumes as a means of establishing the link between Slavic thought and Coimbra Jesuit Aristotelianism.

«Homines novi»: несколько слов о данной тематической рубрике «Одиссея»

The article serves as an introduction to the publication of papers presented at the conference on Homines novi: new social groups in society (November 2021, Moscow, IGH). The conference focused on ‘new people’ emerging in societies of the past, which is closely connected with the problem of ‘the Other’ at large. The contributors analyze the phenomenon of new literati (students, scholars, magisters etc.) emerging as new social strata in some European countries. Other new social groups discussed in the papers include a self-appointed ruler’s retinue, Knights of the Order of the Garter, and the French community in 18th century Russia.

Kyuchuk-Kajnardzhijskij dogovor osmanskogo diplomata Ahmeda Resmi Efendi i ego trudy

The 18th century, which is considered as a period when the modernization started in the history of the Ottoman Empire, also contains the reasons that led to the collapse of this great empire. This period is also important for Russian history because in this century Russia came to the historical stage as a strong state after the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca (1774) signed with the Ottoman Empire. This treaty, which ended the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), was signed by Ahmed Resmi Efendi who was Ottoman Empire's court officer and delegate. In this study Ottoman statesman Ahmed Resmi Efendi and his works were also examined.

Response

Abstract This response clarifies certain aspects of the article. The first aspect is the application of Jan Assmann’s Cultural Memory Theory in the analysis of the text of the “Tale of Ivan the Terrible’s Novgorod Expedition.” A Second is that Alexander Guagnini’s Sarmatiae Europeae descriptio has been used as a reference text, because of its distribution in print in various languages from 1578 on. Also, it is noted that the “Tale” was never part of the original Novgorod Third chronicle svod (compilation) as it was published under the name of “Novgorod chronicles,” but that it was glued onto an older manuscript only in the middle of the 18th century. The somewhat earlier, but not contemporary Novgorod chronicles used German pamphlets, especially Taube und Kruse, as a source. As the text appeared relatively late, as do other mentions of the Novgorod Raid in 17th century Russian chronicles, it seems likely that they were used at this time to comment on and criticize the reign of Aleksei Mikhailovich as tyranny rather than to describe historical events.

Smallpox good and bad: evolution of popular perceptions of the personification of the disease in the Urals in the 19th — early 20th century

In this paper, elaboration of the image of smallpox in popular perception, which manifested itself in connec-tion with the organization of smallpox vaccination by the Russian government, is examined. In the context of the cultural dominance of the ruling class over the people and paternalistic attitude towards it, promulgation of the vaccination is a unique phenomenon for the early 19th century Russia, when the “amount at stake” forced the authorities to appeal to their subjects. It provides an opportunity to analyze the symbols generated by the domi-nant ideology and their perception by traditional consciousness. Propaganda started by means of sermons by the clergy. Numerous Exhortations emphasized contraposition of the benefits of the vaccinated smallpox and the harm of the natural smallpox. The verbal channel of the agitation was supported by a visual one — publication of ”popular prints”. Analysis of the plots in nine images from D.A. Rovinsky’s collection showed that corporeality was recognized as the main means of the visual agitation. Through the image of human body, health and beauty of persons vaccinated against smallpox was transmitted, as well as deformity and hideousness of those who went through the natural smallpox. Having absorbed the dualism of the pro-government propaganda, popular con-sciousness went to create an alternative version of perceptions of the infection and vaccination. By applying the binary oppositions ’friend-foe’ and ’sacred-profane’, people made an important change in their own system of values: unlike other epidemics, such a particularly dangerous infection as smallpox had changed its place in the traditional worldview. It stopped being associated with plague and death and became recognized as being “one’s own” and ”godsent”. Therefore, it should not be opposed but should be accepted with gratitude as a ”gift of God”. Intercultural communications on the subject of smallpox vaccination are not only a vivid illustration of the ambigu-ous impact of the dominant ideology on a folk culture; the emergence of socially and culturally differentiated im-ages of smallpox, having drawn a new demarcation line between the scholarly and folk cultures, deepened the rift in the Russian society, as well as introduced additional difficulties in the process of immunoprophylaxis and made it difficult to identify and treat the smallpox patients.

Accounting Transformation in the 17th–Beginning of the 18th Century in Russia

ABSTRACTThe paper is devoted to the development of accounting in Russia in the 17th and early 18th century. The study provides an explanation of the similarity of accounting systems of various economic entities, including state institutions and state-owned enterprises, in order to clarify the content of the transformations of Russian accounting during the period under study. The research is based on the analysis of national and local regulations published in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, as well as on documents of accounting practice described in the works of researchers of the history of state record keeping and accounting. Special attention is paid to the comparative analysis of accounting practices established in Russia before 1700 in different spheres of economic activity and identification of the main obstacles to the spread of double entry in economic practice.JEL Classifications: M41, O14.

FORMATION OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE APPLICATION OF COMPULSORY MEDICAL MEASURES IN THE RUSSIAN STATE

The issue of legal regulation of the use of compulsory treatment measures is of interest, since it contains a number of gaps regarding the development of the institution of formation itself. The article notes the importance of studying the normative material of the XVII century, since it allows you to get a more comprehensive idea of the legal status of persons who have violated the law and are subject to compulsory treatment. The methodological basis consisted of: the method of formal legal analysis of legal acts before the XVIII century; the historical and legal method made it possible to trace the formation of the institution of the use of compulsory medical measures. The aim of the work is to analyze the legal material and the positions of researchers regarding the use of compulsory medical measures before the XVIII century. Particular importance is given to the XVII century. Since that time, the state begins to pay attention to the problem of legal regulation of the situation of persons with mental disabilities and who have violated the law. In 1669 New proof articles are accepted, which for the first time speak about the insane who committed murder, endowing them with legal personality. The author comes to the conclusion that since the XVII century in Russia, the institution of the use of compulsory medical measures begins to form, as evidenced by the available legal acts. The article shows that the place of isolation and forced treatment was, as a rule, the church. Compulsory treatment was provided for males.

The Place and Role of Tradition in Renewal

The article reveals little-studied aspects of Muslim thought in Late Russian Empire in the context of modernism-tradition dichotomy. The author proposes three case studies that demonstrate the contribution made by Russian Muslim scholars Murad Ramzi, Gasan Alqadari and Khalil Rahimov to moderate modernism at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia.

Redefining Russian Literary Diaspora, 1920–2020 ed. by Maria Rubins

Reviewed by: Redefining Russian Literary Diaspora, 1920–2020 ed. by Maria Rubins Yuri Leving Rubins, Maria (ed). Redefining Russian Literary Diaspora, 1920–2020. FRINGE. UCL Press, London, 2021. xiii + 264 pp. Notes. Bibliographies. Index. £45.00; £25.00; free open access e-book. This collection, edited by Maria Rubins and published in UCL’s FRINGE series (an acronym standing for Fluidity, Resistance, Invisibility, Neutrality, Grey zones and Elusiveness), is the result of a collective project that began as a workshop on the meaning and status of Russian diasporic literature. It approaches conceptions of the Russian-language literary diaspora over the past hundred years, ‘with an emphasis on working “up” from particular texts and case studies rather than “down” from preconceived models of diasporic literature’ (p. xi), and unfolds in four parts. Part one consists of an introduction by the volume’s editor, who discusses conceptual territories of ‘diaspora’. As Maria Rubins explains, for the purposes of the present project, the contributors chose ‘diaspora’ as an umbrella category embracing various modalities of Russian ‘extra-territorial existence’, including exile, emigration, cross-border migration and russophone enclaves in the ex-Soviet republics. This is prompted by the plasticity of the very Greek word ‘diaspora’, which designates both ‘scattering’ and ‘sowing seeds’, and enables the balancing of such contrasting ideas as banishment, punishment and exile, on the one hand, and settling, establishing communities in new locations and ultimate redemption, on the other. Such a broad understanding of the diasporic mission allows the book’s nine authors to present various case studies that are grouped mostly around three key themes: performativity, language and space(s). Parts two and three of the book each consist of two chapters, focusing on performing diasporic identities in transnational contexts and on defining evolutionary trajectories (adaptation, ‘interbreeding’ and transcultural polyglossia) respectively. Andreas Schönle writes about exile as emotional, moral and ideological ambivalence, taking Nikolai Turgenev as his case, which ‘reveals several fault lines or pressure points in the performance of exile in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia’ (p. 53). Pamela Davidson extrapolates this line of inquiry to include Bunin, Nabokov and Viacheslav Ivanov, and questions how émigré authors related to the well-established national tradition of Russian literature as prophecy after the Revolution [End Page 539] when they found themselves displaced from their homeland. To varying degrees, Nabokov remains the focus of the next two chapters. Adrian Wanner considers the self-translations of Marina Tsvetaeva, Vladimir Nabokov and Joseph Brodsky, while David Bethea traces the little-known story of Nabokov’s awareness of the work of the émigré scientist, Theodosius Dobzhanskii (1900–75). Dobzhanskii’s first major book, Genetics and the Origin of Species, appeared in 1937 (when Nabokov was completing The Gift), and was considered ‘a world leader in refining the concept of species, which became one of Nabokov’s keenest interests once he joined the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard in 1941’ (p. 143). Bethea even mentions that Nabokov corresponded with Dobzhanskii in 1954 (one wishes that he could have provided a few more details about this undoubtedly intriguing correspondence). Part four, ‘Imagined Spaces of Unity and Difference’, is the longest in the volume with three chapters by Katharine Hodgson, Mark Lipovetsky and Kevin M. F. Platt. Katharine Hodgson examines the role of the poetry anthology in the construction of a diasporic canon and, more specifically, how poetry anthologies function as a way of shaping a diasporic canon, both in the diaspora and in the metropolis. As she argues, anthologies compiled principally for readers inside Russia, and those aimed at readers in the diaspora, differ in their presentation of diasporic poetry (p. 166). To prove this point, Hodgson compares editions that have appeared since 1991, attempting to establish whether they are shaped ‘principally by a discourse of repatriation which presents diaspora poetry as an expression of a national tradition’, or whether there are ‘signs of a revised understanding of poetry written in Russian which is connected to, but extends beyond, the national’ (p. 167). A more radical and methodologically innovative question is raised by Mark Lipovetsky in a chapter tellingly titled, ‘Is there Room for Diaspora Literature in the Internet Age?’. Lipovetsky...

From the history of agricultural printing. Journal «Russian Agriculture» (1869-1876)

The article presents the history of the creation of the journal "Russian Agriculture", one of the first branch scientific journals. On the basis of the method of bibliometric analysis, the quantitative indicators of articles for the period of publication of the journal, their subject matter, typology, and its composition of authors are determined. Examples of publications of scientists and public figures are given. The article analyses the role of the journal editors: a famous scientist I.A. Stebut and a graduate of the Gorygoretsky Institute in 1860 A.V. Neruchev. The journal is a valuable source of historical information on agricultural science at the initial stage of the emergence of its branches. It is concluded that in the second half of the 19th century in Russia the publication of agricultural journals was increasingly oriented towards a wide range of specialists, and not just large landowners. Scientific knowledge is gradually becoming in demand, and this is the main role of the «Russian Agriculture» journal in shaping this need.

Beijing — Port-Arthur — Vladivostok: Organization of the Academy of Sciences’ Magnetic and Meteorological Observatories in the Far East in the 19th–Early 20th Сenturies

The professional tool’s investigations of climate in the world began relatively recently. Since the second half of the XIX century Russia was one of the meteorological investigation’s leaders. Study of the history of meteorology in the Russian Far East and in China, systematization, and analysis of research results would be a great contribution to a better understanding of the importance of Russian research in the development of meteorology. The article discusses about the background of the creation of the observatory in Vladivostok. The author analyzed the chain of political and scientific decisions about the transfer of the magnetic and meteorological observatory of the Academy of Sciences from Beijing, through the plans of the creation an observatory in Port Arthur to the construction of an observatory in Vladivostok. In addition, the observatory’s budget and plans for its equipment are considered. Such materials are usually not the subject of close attention of researchers. In the historiography lacks an investigation about the role of the Russian Academy of Sciences to the development of a network of magnetic meteorological stations and observatories in the Russian Far East and in adjacent territories (Korea, China). The author introduced into scientific circulation new archival data from the Russian State Archive of the Navy and the St. Petersburg branch of the Archive of the Academy of Sciences.

KAFKASÖTESİ’NDE İLK “BABİY BUNT” HAREKETİ

In the early 20th century Russian Empire a number women-led riots called “Babi Bunty” manifested. The underlying reason of such actions was actually the economic outcome of the WWI. Famine and scarcity at the end of the war led women whose spouses were fighting to a number of spontaneous protests. The protests that in a short time reached even the furthest margins of the Empire, demonstrated their impact over South Caucasia, a significant part of the Empire. Baku, a substantial industrial city of the Empire became the epicenter of protests by February 1914. 
 This study discusses the short history of these women-led riots and then it comprehensively analyzes the February protests in Baku by referring to contemporary memorandums and media coverage. The paper focuses on the aims of the rioting women and the reaction of local administrators to the protests. 
 Moreover, such actions in the Russian Empire could be evaluated as a logical continuation of women’s movements manifesting in the modern world.
 Keywords: Woman, press, Baku, Russian Empire, riot, Babi Bunty.

N. N. Zeddeler and A. P. Somova-Zeddeler: the forgotten names of early 20th century Russian art. Japonism in Russian printmaking at the beginning of 20th century

The term japonism refers to a movement within 20th-century Russian art that has so far been insufficiently explored. In the meantime, its popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries coincided with the extraordinary blossoming of Russian color printmaking. N. N. Zeddeler and A. P. Somova were among those artists, who, along such revered masters like A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva and V. D. Falileeva, made a substantial contribution to the development of this art style. To date, their work has not received close attention from researchers. Likewise, there is no literature that would provide a systematic analysis of their legacy, save for brief mentions in the periodic press of that period or publications dedicated to exhibitions of 1900-1910s, in which the artists took part. N. N. Zeddeler and A. P. Somova-Zeddeler were well-known in the Russian and European artistic circles at the beginning of the century. Having acquired their education in Munich and Paris, they produced an oeuvre that fit perfectly into the context of early 20th century art and added essential touches to the aesthetic vision of the world emerging at that time. However, the work of these masters was not met with the appreciation it deserved and was eventually forgotten. It is worth noting that the task of mapping out the full biography of both artists appears to be extremely challenging due to a variety of reasons: their departure from artistic practice after the outbreak of the First World War, fragmentary and meager archival material, a small number of works that have survived till our time, the tragic and difficult fate of N. N. Zeddeler and A. P. Somova-Zeddeler… Thus, the purpose of the article is to fill in one of the gaps in the Russian history of art of the 20th century. The author examines the engravings by N. N. Zeddeler and A. P. Somova-Zeddeler from the collection of the Pushkin Museum created between 1900 and 1910, which were previously not studied by researchers.

Rol' prokuratury v proizvodstve doznaniya po delam politicheskogo haraktera vo vtoroj polovine XIX — ​nachale XX v. (na primere Kurskoj gubernii)

The article examines the system of organization of prosecutorial supervision over the process of consideration of cases of a political nature in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century in Russia (on the example of the Kursk province). The article analyzes the basic rules for conducting an inquiry on state crimes, the role of the prosecutor’s office in investigating this category of cases, and other supervisory powers of prosecutors related to the organization of countering the spread of political crime.

Don't Take It Lying Down-Vocation as an Antidote to Weltschmerz.

Don't Take It Lying Down-Vocation as an Antidote to Weltschmerz.

A cartography of translation

AbstractSpace as an epistemological category has a long history within the humanities in general and has attracted increasing attention more recently in translation studies. It has come to be understood predominantly as a discursive category (e.g., cultural spaces in a figurative sense) and the product of social interactions (cf. the relationship between agents). This contribution focuses for the first time on the physical movement within an eminent translatorial project at the beginning of the 19th century in Russia. Where do these translators come from, where do they move to and where do they leave after finishing the translation? In addressing those questions, this case study brings to the fore the relevant spatial relations of translators, translations and other agents engaged in a translation. Several thematic maps are produced, which are helpful for visualizing these movements in space and for situating a translation space in the context of its physical surroundings.