Comparative Historical Approach Research Articles

Возможность сохранения традиционных социокультурных ориентиров человечества при реализации трансгуманистического проекта

The article is devoted to the search for the optimal path of controlled techno-bio-socio evolution, which will pre-serve the humanity’s traditional constants. Based on the previously conducted research, the author argues that compliance with the principle of continuity is possible only if the program of moderate transhumanism, which involves a delicate modernization of human nature while preserving its essence, is implemented. A similar transhumanist narrative is also evident in early 20th-century Russian scientific thought. The conducted compara-tive analysis of the main provisions of Russian philosophy of the Silver Age and the philosophy of moderate transhumanism allows us to assert that they coincide in terms of determining the limits of redesigning human nature. The humaneness and ethical elaboration of the ideas of Russian thinkers provide grounds for their use as socio-cultural guidelines for the philosophy of moderate transhumanism. The methodological basis of the study is the principles of systemic and comparative historical approaches. According to the author, these princi-ples enable the achievement of a synergistic effect, thereby enriching the concept of moderate transhuman-ism.

Reiterated Fact-Making: Explaining Transformation and Continuity in Scientific Facts

Scientific facts are an essential element of modern life. Yet, despite an abundance of illuminating work in science and technology studies (STS), we lack a rigorous sociological framework for explaining how scientific facts emerge, gain traction, and then change over time. This article fills that gap. Drawing on Fleck ([1935] 1981), Haydu (1998), and a wealth of STS scholarship, I develop a comparative-historical approach called “reiterated fact-making” that analyzes scientific facts according to (1) the prevailing conditions of possibility; (2) the networks of expertise, social mobilization, and power built up around them; and (3) the epistemic and material path dependencies that accrue over the course of their careers. To demonstrate the utility of this framework, I draw on a mixed-methods study and explain the uneven histories of three genetic variants (XYY, Fragile X, and the 22q11.2 microdeletion) that have been used to delineate and diagnose new medical conditions associated with neurodevelopmental differences for the past several decades—taking on very different scientific, clinical, and social meanings as facts in the process. Reiterated fact-making helps us combine comparative-historical sociology and STS to explain how scientific facts can combine deep continuity and radical transformation as they are enrolled in shifting fields of research and practice.

The weather proxy: the racial technics of algorithmic surveillance

ABSTRACT This article examines the political work performed by the weather within contemporary big data predictive analytics. As a sociotechnical construction, the weather has long served as a predictive medium for forecasting human behaviour across historical contexts in order to reinforce settler colonial and imperial projects of spatial domination. Now, within twenty-first century big data systems, the weather has become a proxy for predicting human activity. Examining industrial materials from the predictive policing software HunchLab and the social media sentiment analysis platform Social Doppler, I argue that the weather proxy underwrites claims to prediction by collapsing the distinction between correlation and causation. Key here is how the proxy remediates the mechanism of impressibility that structured the weather as a racial technique for population management within nineteenth century statistical research. Through the weather proxy, big data programmes channel biopolitical frameworks of impressibility – or impressibility by proxy – in ways that causally bind individual behaviour to group-differentiated vulnerabilities of environmental exposure. At stake is how the weather proxy serves as a universal baseline condition for predicting population-level behaviour, which aims to mitigate accusations of racial bias by deferring to environmental conditions beyond human design. As a cultural construction tied to ubiquity, the weather thus is a rhetorical device that works to legitimate predictive analytics as impartial and universal while simultaneously effacing the violence that inheres within algorithmic technologies. Ultimately, by taking a comparative historical approach to the weather, I argue that we might better grasp the transformations in data science that underpin how ubiquity operates as a site of racial violence within contemporary surveillance systems.

Max Weber’s Athens: The entanglement between charismatic domination and non-legitimate domination

Contemporary reconstructions of Max Weber’s theory of democracy have failed to recognise Weber’s comparative-historical approach vis-à-vis the question of democracy. This article addresses this gap with respect to his understanding of Athenian democracy. It demonstrates that Weber’s interpretation of Athenian democracy provides a dual understanding of domination. On the one hand, Weber describes the demagogues in Athens as exercising charismatic domination through their oratory skills over ordinary citizens. On the other hand, Weber characterises the institutional structure of Athenian democracy with the atypical case of non-legitimate domination [ nichtlegitime Herrschaft]. Weber maintains that the holders of office in Athens were ultimately accountable and responsible to the ordinary people who exercised their political power in popular assemblies and popular courts. Weber interprets Athenian democracy as characterised by the entanglement between charismatic domination and non-legitimate domination. Thus, this article argues that Weber’s concept of Herrschaft is an open concept which results in his amalgamation of charismatic domination and non-legitimate domination in explaining the institutionalisation of Athenian democracy. In the end, how to maintain political leadership within democratic institutional structures was the question of democracy for Weber.

Особливості поширення раннього християнства у римській провінції Африка

The purpose of the article is to research the first origins of Christianity in the Roman province of Africa, to establish the geographical and chronological origin of early Christian doctrine in this region, and to determine the nature of its initial development. The research methodology is based on the principle of historicism and social approach. The article uses chronological, comparative historical approach, and analytical methods. The scientific novelty consists in the wide use of various source: written (early apologetic, hagiographic), archaeological and epigraphic, linguistic comparison of written sources, as well as the involvement of the latest historiographical research on Christianity in Roman Africa. Conclusions. Roman Africa underwent its initial Romanization after victory of Rome in the Punic Wars, and Proconsular Africa became a province of the Roman state in the first century B.C. The extensive trade network of Proconsular Africa with the Eastern and Western provinces of the Roman Empire contributed to the rapid urbanization and economic growth of the region. The constant trade and economic communication of the province made it possible for early Christianity to spread to the area. The first references to Christians date back to the second half of the second century AD and are typically written Christian texts of an urbanized nature. The Latin and Greek versions of these sources indicate the initial bilingualism of the early Christian ecclesia of Africa. The spread of Christianity in Africa came from both the Roman church and the churches of the Eastern provinces, and from there thanks to the Jewish trade diaspora. The beginning of the third century AD is characterized by the rapid development of the church in Africa and the work of the early Christian apologist Tertullian, who left behind a large written heritage. The earliest references to Christians in Proconsular Africa also indicate sporadic conflict between pagan society and local authorities against Christians.

TECHNOMEDIA AS A SUBJECT OF PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION

This article analyzes the origins and significance of the practice of introducing telecommunication tools in the formation of a modern information society. The main focus is on the sociopolitical program of «media realism» and the role of technical innovations in its implementation. The author examines the philosophical concepts of M. Heidegger, B. Latour and M. Delanda, and their contribution to the development of an ontological understanding of the media space. Special attention is paid to identifying the pragmatic and cultural-psychological functions of the means of communication, their role in modern military-strategic discourse. The article emphasizes the militaristic nature of techno-media, revealing the material and technical basis of this sphere, which consists in the intensive interaction of communication actors and their struggle for control over information flows. The purpose of this article is to investigate the influence of techno-media on philosophical discourse and to discover its role in the modern media space. The research used methods of ontological analysis and a comparative historical approach to reveal the fundamental aspects of the relationship between the dynamics of the development of the media space and philosophical theories.

Обряд «вопрошания имени» русской свадебной традиции как реликт похищения невесты

The aim of the study is to determine the origin and meaning of the ritual of “name questioning”, identified in several variants of the Russian wedding tradition during which the groom, bride, and several other individuals are required to state each other’s full names including their patronymics. This ritual could take place during the pre-wedding period, at the wedding ceremony itself, and in post-wedding customs. The paper presents a collection of materials on this aspect of wedding ritual, revealing the specificity of its connection to different stages of the wedding ceremony, its territorial prevalence, the participants involved, their kinship relationships, and their specific roles in the wedding event. The scientific originality of the study lies in collecting extensive material on this ritual, analyzing it using a comparative-historical approach, and drawing conclusions regarding its origins. The study showed that this ritual action represents a relic form of the bride abduction tradition once practiced among many peoples, including Eastern Slavs, which evolved into an agreement on marriage. This is supported by linguistic data – the etymology of the word ‘невеста’ (bride), derived from ‘неизвестная’ (unknown), and a number of peculiarities in ritual actions, such as the involvement of the “groom’s companion” acting as the equivalent of the best man at the Russian wedding.

The spiritual life of society through the prism of the activity of libraries in Europe at the intersection of the Middle Ages and Modern Times

The article is devoted to the historical influence of European libraries on the spiritual life of society, in particular, by the example of the phenomenon of witch hunting. In accordance with the basic principles of historical science, based on the analysis of a number of historical sources and modern research, the question of the influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts in Europe is being clarified. Research methods include both general scientific and specific historical methods. A comparative historical and descriptive approach is applied to the cited historical sources. The influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe is shown based on a review of historical sources about libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe. Based on a review of historical sources about libraries dedicated to the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe, the first attempt has been made to study the direct impact of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe. In this study, comparative historical and descriptive approaches of the above historical sources were used. Using these methods of processing archival documents, information on the influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts is revealed on the basis of available sources. A review of some historical sources is proposed in order to clarify the influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts in the context of certain chronological frameworks and socio-political conditions. The object of the study is the literature and libraries of Europe in transition. A problem-chronological method was used to study the influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts. The basis of the research consists of the main principles of historical science. Historicism and scientific research make it possible to assume the main influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts according to the chronology of events against the background of the specified historical period of time. At the same time, the array of historical materials found and currently published is strictly taken into account. General scientific and special historical methods constitute the methodology of the presented research.

The Library as a rhizomorphic paradoxical labyrinth (based on the works of J.L. Borges and U. Eco)

The article is devoted to the identification of the genesis, typology and characterization of the philosophical concept of chaos, discreteness, paradoxicity and rhizomorphism of being and their reflection in philosophy and postmodern fiction based on the works of J.L. Borges and U. Eco is about libraries embodied by foreign authors as rhizomorphic paradoxical labyrinths. The concept of rhizome is considered in the context of temporal chaos. In accordance with the basic principles of historical science, the issues of rhizomorphism of the labyrinth library in the context of time are revealed. The research methodology includes general scientific and special comparative methods. The comparative historical and descriptive approaches of the above sources are used. Examples of works by J.L. Borges and U. Eco in the concept of their description of the library as a rhizomorphic paradoxical labyrinth. The relevance of the article lies in the appeal to the analysis of the image of the library as a concept that initially symbolizes the storage of books, knowledge, embodying stability, logical orderliness, consistency. In the culture and art of postmodernism, this symbolism has been radically transformed, which is convincingly proved by the analysis of texts by J.L. Borges and U. Eco.

Analysis of the Social Policy Organization in Post-Soviet Russia in the Context of International Experience

Relevance. The organization of social policy was significantly modified in Russia during the post-Soviet period, due to the transformation of the economic system. Many foreign countries at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries also changed their approaches in the field of social policy, introducing market elements following the example of the United States, as well as responding to demographic changes and economic difficulties. Studying the features and dynamics of domestic and foreign social policy is valuable for consideration of the best practices and problems, for the development of political science and for making decisions.Purpose: show how the preservation of the goals of social policy in Russia after the collapse of the USSR was ensured when its instruments were changed, compare the domestic system with foreign ones.Objectives: to show what challenges did the social policy system face in Russia and abroad, how approaches to solving problems in the social sphere have changed, show the formation and functioning of pensions, the healthcare system, unemployment protection and other social policy measures in Russia and foreign countries.Methodology. The article relies on comparative historical approach, analysis of legal documents, institutions, organizational features and statistical data. The article is based on reports from government departments and analytical companies.Results. Economic and demographic problems at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries create similar challenges for Russia and other countries, but in Russia the impact of these problems was stronger, and Russia also faced administrative challenges. In the post-Soviet period, Russia attempted to reorganize social support along the lines of insurance, but a universalist approach, which involves financing from taxes. The system of social policy in modern Russia does not fall behind foreign analogues in its architecture, scale and efficiency. Its weaknesses are a lot of duplicating benefits, outpacing rates of indexation of social payments and low financing of the healthcare system.Conclusions. Russia managed to preserve the most important achievements of the Soviet period in the field of social security, namely pensions, free education and health care.

Kyrill Kunakhovich. Communism’s Public Sphere: Culture as Politics in Cold War Poland and East Germany. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2022

The enduring interest in exploring the regimes of public spheres within communist societies has not waned in recent years. Much of this can be attributed to communism’s constraints on free expression, rendering cultural domains as almost the sole platforms for public spheres. In his book, historian Kyrill Kunakhovich, who specializes in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, sheds light on the political role played by cultural spaces under communist regimes. By focusing on Leipzig (former East Germany) and Kraków (Poland) as comparative units of analysis, Kunakhovich traces the evolution of state-society relationships within cultural realms under the communist rule, from the arrival of the Red Army in Eastern Europe in 1944 to the reunification of Germany in 1990. The author explores how these interactions reshaped the sociopolitical landscapes of both countries and brought about transformations in communist politics. Employing a comparative and transnational historical approach, Kunakhovich transcends the mere juxtaposition of national case studies examining them in tandem, a perspective that “inevitably highlights the contrasts between them” (p. 16). Given the limitation of comparative case studies that may not fully encompass the entirety of the panorama, the book seeks to illuminate the dynamics within both countries’ public spheres as they manifested in communist cultural spaces. Text in English

ON THE BORDER OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY: FIRE STRIKERS IN HUNGARY

The aim of my study is to present the types of fire-strikers that were once used in the Hungary and Carpathian Basins, their general forms and dating problems. Most of the types were in continuous use from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century, but Hungarian archaeology and ethnography know little about each other's results in this case, moreover, archaeological literature is not uniformised in terminology either. It is worth taking the names of object types and their parts from common ethnographic practice and applying them to the material recovered from excavations. The typology follows a fairly simple and logical structure, but the chronology is complicated by the lack of material communication. In connection with Biedermeier animal-shaped chirpers, earlier research has suggested medieval or even Roman dating, but this is clearly refuted by the research. In addition to their functionality, these objects are sometimes very ornate, even with scratched the year of production. In addition to everyday life in Hungary, fire-strikers also play a significant role in folk tradition, as an accessory to wedding ceremonies, folk medicine (analogical magic) or religiosity of certain groups. Although we know the European parallels relatively well, the results of the Asian research did not have a great impact on the examination of this topic in Hungary, so our further goal is to get acquainted with the material here.
 Materials and methods of research. The research materials were chairs from the archaeological and ethnographic collections of museums in Hungary.
 The research methodology is based on scientific approaches and principles; the following were applied: logical, systematic, comprehensive, comparative historical and archaeological-ethnographic approaches using interdisciplinary research.
 The work is based on an integrated approach to the object of study. During the study, a typological and chronological analysis of artifacts was carried out. Using the comparative typological method, an analysis of archaeological and ethnographic types of armchairs was carried out, and common and distinctive features were identified. For a systematic description of the artifacts, a formal typological method of studying the iconography of forms and images, supplemented by stylistic analysis, was used. To identify historical, archaeological and ethnographic connections, the historical-comparative method was used. Chronological attribution of artifacts was carried out using relative and absolute dating.

Визуализация представлений о душе в украшениях национальных костюмов саха (якутов) и тувинцев

Introduction. The cultural heritages of the Sakha (Yakut) and the Tuvan are distinguished by a similarity of basic worldview ideas pertaining to the structure of the Universe, multi-storeyedness of each of the Three Worlds, the pantheon of deities, etc. Goals. The article aims to interpret semantics of ethnic jewelry as a visual narrative articulating the ideas of individual soul in traditional Sakha and Tuvan cultures. To facilitate this, the paper shall summarize the available descriptions of these ideas from ethnographic material, identify some facts confirming jewelry used to serve as markers of soul, consider semantics of traditional jewelry signs. The study hypothesizes as follows: when it comes to soul visualizations, folklore sources manifest repeated indications localizing one of the three souls (aorta, blood, belt, etc.) ― hence, the other two must also have some certain locations and related beliefs, too. Methods. With due regard of the dynamics in religious and aesthetic preferences, the employed interdisciplinary and comparative historical approaches comprise the structural/functional, interpretative, and axiological methods. The method of mosaic reconstruction proves as instrumental in revealing jewelry symbolism. Results. The paper confirms adornments (jewelry pieces) act as means to visualize some valuable worldviews, ideas of human soul and its whereabouts, prestige and behavioral norms. The former are defined as utmost identity signs for an inhabitant of the Middle World that serve as markers and protective amulets for each of the three human souls, also viewed as mediators between the sacred and profane worlds, triggers in ritual communication, and social status indicators. Conclusions. Being a universal form, circle (silver disk, bead, infinity knot, and button) denotes the place and function of each soul. For instance, the air one of the Sakha and the middle one of the Tuvan are placed in the head and identified with head adornments (jewelry pieces). According to Sakha beliefs, the maternal soul is localized in the mediastinum (pulse and blood ― heart and liver), while Tuvans place soul one into the navel. Yakut women of fertile age tend to mark this soul with solar breast jewelry, with no identified symbolic parallels in the Tuvan costume. Yakuts believe the third earthly soul be indicated with a belt buckle and dwell in the navel, while the Tuvan tradition says the good soul dwells in the belt. So, the Yakut have retained somewhat more archaic version of the symbolic corpus. And the differences are largely determined by the late influence of Manchu-Chinese culture and Buddhism on worldviews of southern Tuvans.

Turkish-Israeli Relations: Partnership, Problems, Perspectives

Since the second half of the 20th century the Turkish-Israeli relations have developed in an uneven and unstable manner. Depending on the current situation in the conflict-torn Middle East, these relations tended to normalize, or descended into mutual hostility. During the 21st century, we could observe several rounds of confrontation and cooperation between the two states. Thus, the events of 2010 (the Freedom Flotilla incident) and 2017 (the transfer of the capital of Israel to Jerusalem) finally led to a rupture in relations between the two countries. A new round of stabilization has been marked since March 2022 and is associated with the visit of the President of Israel to Ankara at the invitation of the Turkish President R.T. Erdogan. The authors of the article see this step as the beginning of the process of finding agreements on achieving stability in relations between the countries of the Middle East region. The article attempts to analyze the evolution of the modern Turkish-Israeli cooperation, taking into account the patterns of their development since Türkiye has recognized the state of Israel. Using a comparative historical approach, the authors analyze the political problems of the modern bilateral relations, and consider the impact of such factors as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iranian nuclear program, the consequences of the “Arab Spring,” the foreign policy activities of the US Democratic and Republican administrations in the Middle East region, as well as the crisis over the status of Jerusalem. The authors underline that despite the pragmatic character of Türkiye’s foreign policy, any tension caused by the Palestinian issue will have an impact on Turkish-Israeli relations, which in turn might start a new round of conflict between the two sides. The authors have concluded that Turkish-Israeli relations are characterized by instability, which depends largely on the current balance of power in the Middle East region. It is obvious that the normalization of Turkish-Israeli interaction is a positive factor for the intensification of integration processes in the Middle East region as a whole.

Deities and spirits in the ideas of the Khanty of the Surgut Ob region (based on materials from 2002 to 2017)

The research is aimed at the characteristics of deities and spirits in the traditional beliefs of the Khanty of the Surgut Ob basin (the territory of Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk, and Nefteyugansk Districts of KMAO — Yugra and Uvatsky District of the Tyumen Oblast). The common traits are identified and differences between the categories of deities and spirits clarified; the transition of personified spirits to the category of deities is shown, as well as the transfer of the forgotten deities to the category of spirits. The sources for the research are represented by publications of the scientists of the late 19th — early 21st c., as well as by the author’s field materials collected in 2002–2017 amongst the Surgut Khanty on the rivers of Lyamin, Pim, Tromyogan, Agan, Bolshoy and Malyy Yugan, as well as on the Demyanka River (the right-bank tributary of the Irtysh River). The comparative-historical approach is employed in this work. Concerning the study of the communicative nature of the relationships between the man and supernatural beings, the concept of M. Salinz (1999) on reciprocal relations and the theory of gift-exchange of M. Moss (2011) are used. Also used are the theoretical and practical exploratory work of E.S. Novik (2004) and E.P. Martynova (2021, 2022), who observed a close link between the traditional perceptions of the peoples of Siberia and the reciprocal and gift-exchange relationships between the human world and the characters of traditional beliefs. Traditional beliefs of the Surgut Khanty include the narratives of a series of supernatural beings who influence all aspects of human life and environment. The author proposes the revision of the intension of the term ‘spirits’ frequently used by the majority of researchers to denote the whole variety of the characters of the traditional beliefs of the Khanty of the Surgut Ob basin. Taking into account the social significance, characteristics, functions, as well as the terminology of the Surgut Khanty, the author proposes to return to the division of their traditional characters into two categories — the łungx (“deities”) and the spirits (“demons” “the evil spirit”), inclu-ding kułet, yelek-kanlekh otet, kaltet, potchek, por ne, mengk, yuli, ves etc. Despite the difference of the characteristics of the personages of both categories, the landscape-geographical and morphological characteristics of the places of living of the dei-ties (yimung togi) may have features similar with places of living of the spirits (atym togi). In the study, specifics of the reciprocal and gift-exchange relationships between humans and characters of the categories of deities and spirits are recorded.

Формирование и функционирование социального государства в Испании

The article presents the history of the Spanish social support system development from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the XXI century. The purpose of the article is to analyze the background and features of the Spanish social policy. To study the development of the Spanish welfare state, the article uses the comparative historical approach and the analysis of institutions, legal documents and statistical data. The experience of Spain and other countries is compared, approaches to the typology of social policy are considered, economic factors and transformations of support measures and principles of redistribution are analyzed. Despite the fact that some trends manifested in Spain earlier than in other countries, the Spanish welfare state formed relatively late. The country has developed a unique configuration of social support, combining the German logic of a corporatist approach with a British universalist one. The Spanish experience of organizational decisions in the field of social policy is of interest, since Spain is facing the problem of an aging population against a background of persistently high unemployment creating serious pressure on the social system, which retains its functionality due to a periodic revision of priorities.

"Social question" in political philosophy of N.A. Berdyaev, S.N. Bulgakov and S.L. Frank: comparative analysis of concepts

The difference in organizational forms in social policy is caused by different economic and political reasons and different political and philosophical approaches to social problems. The hierarchy of values defines opinions on the social question and ideas about the appropriate architecture of social policy. The decisions that laid the foundations for social policy in Europe were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and their logic resembles the philosophy of the “Christian socialism” most. The purpose of the article is to identify and compare the attitude of Russian authors who were closest to Christian socialism towards the social question and their approaches to solving it. The key works of the authors on the social question were studied. The comparative historical approach, hermeneutics, discourse analysis, and institutional analysis were used. All authors tend to problematize both the social question and its' solutions, rather than offer their own proposals. All three talk about the importance of human internal development and criticize socialist ideas about environmental determinism and human renewal through mechanical reorganization of the economy. All authors moved from Marxism to its criticism, although Berdyaev's views shifted in his later works to the left, to the most radical position of the three thinkers, to the conviction that capitalism has to be abolished, which he blames for oppression and exploitation. Bulgakov sympathizes with the logic of economic organization in socialism, but considers it possible to change economic relations while maintaining the political system. Frank is convinced that limited social reforms within the framework of a market economy are sufficient to provide social support to those in need. Berdyaev and Bulgakov think that justice is the most important value, while Frank thinks that duty is. Berdyaev and Bulgakov follow the key arguments of Christian socialism, and Frank - those of liberal conservatism.

Universal Religion: Ways of Realization in the Teachings of Swami Vivekananda and N. K. Roerich

The article deals with the views on the concept of “universal religion” in the works of the Indian public figure Swami Vivekananda and the Russian artist N. K. Roerich. The one of the most serious problems of today’s society are interreligious differences. Searching for ways to eliminate these differences makes it relevant to study the creative legacy of thinkers who proposed their vision of a single religion for humanity. The purpose of this work is a comparative analysis of projects of religious unity in religious-philosophic works of Swami Vivekananda and in artistic and journalistic works of Nicholas Roerich. For the purpose of the research the author uses hermeneutical and comparative-historical approaches. The comparation of the conceptions of the Divine underlying on the basis of a single religion projects, as well as the attitude of the philosophers to the ritual side of religions are carried out. The development paths of Vivekananda and Roerich's projects at the present time are considered. The research reveals the closeness of the philosophical approaches of Indian and Russian thinkers to ways of realization of a single religion. Philosophers have similar views on the divine as an impersonal Absolute, as well as a respectful attitude to the ceremonial side of religion. The difference in the approaches of thinkers caused by the peculiarities of their creative preferences. The author concludes about the equal value and viability of their projects of religious unity in reality.

The role of key Sherpa holidays in preserving and broadcasting their traditional culture in modern Tibet

The aim of the work was to identify the role of holidays of the Sherpa ethnic group in the preservation and continuity of their traditions. The tasks were to analyze the characteristics of traditional holidays, such as the Sherpa New Year, religious holidays and agricultural holidays, and to find out their role in modern Tibet. The author comes to the conclusion that, despite the strong influence of external cultural factors, a significant layer of the traditional local holiday culture of Sherpas remains. Using comparative historical and typological approaches and the method of system analysis based on a large amount of information, the characteristics of Sherpa holidays are systematized. The novelty lies in the vastness of the collected information and its analysis and generalization, previously such research results have not been published. The author comes to the conclusion that, despite the strong influence of external cultural factors, a significant layer of the traditional local holiday culture of Sherpas remains. Thus, the study of the holidays and the festive culture of the Sherpas showed that, along with the influence of external cultural factors, the Sherpas still retain a significant traditional layer of their local culture. Thus, the New Year is more influenced by external factors and changes in time and customs, while agricultural and religious holidays preserve traditional customs. Among the agricultural and religious festivals, one can see the manifestation of the traditional folk beliefs of the Sherpas. Chinese Sherpas, being a very small ethnic group, are becoming an important subject of study, as is the protection of their cultural heritage, and holidays and festivals, as vivid indicators of their traditional culture, are even more valuable for research.

The Weimar/Russia Comparison Revisited

Abstract Just over a quarter-century ago, the authors published a widely read essay comparing Weimar Germany and Post-Soviet Russia in historical perspective. After Russia’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine, comparisons of Vladimir Putin’s regime with Nazi Germany are once again tragically relevant. Reexamining our arguments from 1997 shows the continuing relevance of the variables we emphasized in that essay: the burdensome legacies of the past imperial regime, intense international pressure to marketize post-Soviet Russia’s statist economy, and Russia’s weak party system. Three main issues in our earlier article, in retrospect, required greater development: pinpointing the time span needed to assess regime change, distinguishing mobilizational and patrimonial forms of ‘anti-liberal statism,’ and exploring more fully the foreign policy options for would-be defenders of the liberal global order facing powerful revanchist challenges. We conclude that this sort of ‘replication’ of earlier research should be encouraged more often among political scientists adopting the comparative-historical approach.