Geographical Society Research Articles

The province authorities influence on the creation of the research program of the Orenburg department of the Imperial Russian Geographical society (1868–1881)

The following paper reveals the role of the regional imperial authority in creating and functioning of the Orenburg department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The decisive role of the Orenburg Governor-General Nikolay Andreevich Kryzhanovsky was shown not only in founding the Orenburg department, but also in creating a research program. One of the key areas of the program was a comprehensive study of Central and Middle Asia in order to produce reliable knowledge which was necessary for an effective policy implementation in the named region. The content study from 1870 to 1881 shows the uneven proportions of publications devoted to Central and Middle Asia. Therefore, in the first years of the organizational activity, the Orenburg Department devoted 60% of its publications to Central and Middle Asia, which corresponded both to the historical situation and to the interests of the regional imperial authorities in many aspects. A decrease in researchers interest from 1875 to 1881 is thoroughly explained by the fact that after the annexation of new territories, the Orenburg Region turned into an internal province of the Russian Empire.

Making science for the Portuguese Empire: The Royal Maritime, Military and Geographic Society (1798–1809)

The Sociedade Real Marítima, Militar e Geográfica (Royal Maritime, Military and Geographic Society) was a scientific institution founded in Portugal by the Minister of the Navy, Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, in the late eighteenth century. Its advent was contemporary with the rise of hydrographic institutes in several European maritime powers. However, the Royal Maritime, Military and Geographic Society differed from the specialization of those institutions, being deeply involved in determining longitudes and producing good precision hydrographic cartography. Conceived as a multidisciplinary institute gathering scientific and technical knowledge and focusing on overseas and metropolitan territories, it had an intense activity, resulting in a scientific production (unfortunately largely lost) in tune with its foreign counterparts. However, and unlike other European hydrographic institutes, this Portuguese institute had an ephemeral existence.

Designing and Developing an ‘E-mentoring Tool Kit’ to Enhance Business Aptitude

Three decades after the launch of World Wide Web, the role of internet has completely changed. Today, internet is a widespread network that is available and used 24x7 by millions of people around the globe. Internet besides providing people-to-people connectivity has been extensively used as a platform for one-to-many communication. One such use of internet has seen rapid growth and development in the field of education. This intern leads to delivering online education which sans geographical boundaries, across cultures and societies where education is required.
 One such instance, is the birth of the concept of ‘e-mentoring’, a platform considered to create link between a senior, more experienced person (mentor) and fresher or less skilled (mentee) individual. The use of E- mentoring in development of business aptitude and entrepreneurial learning is increasing day by day, however, a fully developed program with a complete module and contexts along with outcomes has not been generalized yet.
 This paper suggests an online business module to get started in developing e-mentoring program. This will be helpful for both mentor and mentee, to deliver and to receive business development related information respectively. This E-mentoring module can be an alternative option to a traditional face-to-face program or completely web-based or e-mail-based program. E-mentoring, if programmed successfully, can match protégé and mentors having similar interest and business aptitude.

UAVIMALS: THE "OPEN" REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM FOR SURFACE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

Abstract. Today, there is an increasing use of airborne sensors in archaeology, especially to investigate the surface of more or less vast territories quickly and accurately. In particular, airborne laser scanning technologies from small remotely piloted aircraft are rapidly developing towards increasingly high-performance solutions for the investigation of archaeological evidence hidden by vegetation or more or less substantial soil deposits. The proposed contribution intends to insert itself within this field of archaeological research by presenting "UAVIMALS" (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated with Micro Airborne Laser Scanner), an aerial remote sensing system of "soil marks", designed for surface archaeological investigations and the result of an Early Career Grant from the National Geographic Society. The system, consisting of a customised drone based on an open architecture and software for vehicle control and data processing, integrates a solid-state laser sensor, commonly engineered for obstacle avoidance, but here exploited to process accurate DTM (Digital Terrain Model) of small land surfaces with a significant reduction in cost and acquisition time. The system, whose engineering was contributed by the BioRobotics Institute of the S. Anna University of Pisa, was tested within the archaeological context of Leopoli - Cencelle (Tarquinia, Italy). A mediaeval city that has been researched for about 25 years by the Chair of Christian and Medieval Archaeology at the 'Sapienza' University of Rome. Experimentation missions carried out on the site, which is still only partially investigated, have been successful in bringing to light some urban areas that had not yet been investigated.

Nadezhda Abramovna Kanover — “Above all for Her Were Books”

The article tells about the Far Eastern librarian Nadezhda Abramovna Kanover, a follower of the bibliographer Z.N. Matveev, who played a great role in the development of librarianship in Vladivostok. The publication is based on the documents from the Current Archive of the Presidium of the Far East Branch of Russian Academy of Science (FEB RAS), Central Scientific Library (CSL) of FEB RAS and Society for Study of Amur Region (SSAR) that for the first time reveal unknown facts from N.A. Kanover life and characterize the situation in library science in the Russian Far East in 1930s — 1950s. Heading several libraries including the future CSL FEB RAS and library of Primorskiy branch of State Geographical Society (SFGS), N.A. Kanover put much efforts in collecting collections and making conditions for book storage, as well as promoted book culture by publishing articles and organizing book exhibitions. Thanks to her, Vladivostok received a unique old-believers’ collection that belonged to bibliophile S.Ya. Ponosov. Printed editions of the collection are now kept in the SSAR library (former SFGS library), icons and religious artefacts are in the Primorsky Picture Gallery and the V.K. Arsenyev Museum of Far East History. These organisations presented a part of Ponosov’s collection at the joint exhibition “Legend of Belovodie” (Vladivostok, February 18 — July 30, 2023). The pages of Kanover’s biography connected with the last months of life of V.K. Arsenyev, the famous traveller and explorer of the Far East, are remarkable. While working in the library of SFGS, N.A. Kanover became its last secretary, dealing with the correspondent network of the branch. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about the last years of her life, but N.A. Kanover’s work in the field of Far Eastern library science is not forgotten.

Magic bowls preserved in the Egyptian Geographical Society Museum in Cairo.

Magic bowls preserved in the Egyptian Geographical Society Museum in Cairo.

Этнография монгольских народов в Сибирском отделе Русского геoграфического общества

Introduction. The publication highlights efforts undertaken by Siberia Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (since 1851 — Siberia Department, since 1877 — Eastern Siberia Department) to explore the ethnography of the Mongolic peoples. Despite the available related publications are numerous enough, the topic remains somewhat understudied. Since the creation of Siberia Department, its members had made a great breakthrough in the exploration of Siberia, the latter’s natives, their ethnic histories, ethnogeneses, lifestyles, and cultures. It would be impossible to cover the complete scope of works performed by associates of Siberia Department for comprehensive insights into the ethnography of Mongols. Goals. So, the paper attempts a review of scientific endeavors by Siberia Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society aimed at ethnographic descriptions of the Mongolic peoples. The Department also contributed a lot to the ethnographic study of the peoples inhabiting regions neighboring with Russia, including the ones populated by Mongolic ethnic groups. The article identifies key directions of research work, significances of writings by the Department’s members for ethnographic research of Mongols, mentions important periods in the history of the Department, and shows who played critical roles in establishing trends within the exploration agenda. Methods. The study rests on the system of principles, approaches and methods inherent to historical science, including both general (analysis, synthesis, description, etc.) and special (descriptive, comparative-historical, etc.) ones. Conclusions. Despite the difficulties faced by researchers affiliated to Eastern Siberia Department when it came to investigate household life and ethnic culture, their activities yielded essential scientific findings, facilitated further historical and ethnographic analyses of the Mongolic peoples. The original artifacts collected by the Department’s members would lay bases for museum collections, their studies still remaining as unique and required by present-day scholars.

LITTORAL ICHTHYOFAUNA OF MATUA ISLAND, KURIL ISLANDS

As part of the XXI Kamchatka-Kuril expedition of the Russian Geographical Society, with the assistance of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense, a survey of the littoral ichthyofauna of Matua Island was carried out in 2017. Fishes were caught by hand under stones in tidal pools and with a net during low tide. Fishing was performed in three areas: Cape Klyuv, Cape Yurlova, and Dvoynaya Bay. The fish caught were fixed in 6% formalin. Laboratory processing was carried out: the total length TL was measured with an accuracy of 1 mm, weighed with an accuracy of 0.1 g. Representatives of the families Cottidae, Hexagrammidae, Liparidae, Pholidae, Stichaeidae, Zoarcidae were found in the littoral areas. The size characteristics of the family representatives discovered, and the areas and depth of their capture were presented. In the littoral zone, we found a number of species previously not recorded from this area in the literature. The species compositions of the littoral ichthyofauna of Paramushir Island, Matua Island, Iturup Island, Shikotan Island and Kunashir Island were compared. Only the Stippled gunnel, Rhodymenichthys dolichogaster and the Frog sculpin, Myoxocephalus stelleri were found shared by all those islands. The ichthyofauna of Matua Island shows the greatest similarity to that of Paramushir Island.

Examination of the Effects of COVID-19 on Happiness in Different Geographical Regions with Piecewise Linear Panel Data Models

The COVID-19 pandemic has recently caused the loss of millions of lives, and billions of others have been deeply affected. This crisis has changed the way people live, think about life, and perceive happiness. The aim of this study is to reveal differences between geographical regions by investigating the effect of the happiness variable on different countries during the international COVID-19 pandemic. The primary purpose is to demonstrate how such a pandemic may affect different countries in terms of happiness at the individual level and to identify possible strategies for the future. With this aim, both static and dynamic panel data models were used while applying fixed effects, random effects, and the generalized method of moments (GMM). A basic assumption in panel data models is that the coefficients do not change over time. This assumption is unlikely to hold, however, especially during major devastating events like COVID-19. Therefore, the piecewise linear panel data model was applied in this study. As a result of empirical analysis, pre- and post-COVID differences were seen between different geographical regions. Based on analysis conducted for three distinct geographical regions with piecewise linear models, it was determined that the piecewise random effects model was appropriate for European and Central Asian countries, the piecewise FGLS model for Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the piecewise linear GMM model for South Asian countries. According to the results, there are many variables that affect happiness, which vary according to different geographical conditions and societies with different cultural values.

Red or Expert: Reforming Geographers in Communist China, 1949–1953

This article investigates the Sovietization of Chinese geographers during the early People’s Republic of China (PRC) using primary sources and published biographies to examine three career paths: red, expert, and red and expert. The red geographers, led by the veteran Communist Sun Jingzhi, who monopolized the field of economic geography, shifted the orientation of geography from the Western model to the model followed in the Soviet Union. The pre-Communist geographers, under the leadership of Harvard-trained Zhu Kezhen, controlled the field of physical geography, relying on their professional training and technical expertise. These two cliques competed for control of the Chinese Geographical Society, its journal, and the Institute of Geography, whereas the Liverpool-trained Hou Renzhi used both redness and expertise to gain prominence in the field of historical geography. This article contends that the reformation of geographers in Communist China continued beyond the political purge of 1949. The twists and turns in career paths derive from the contested nature of the discipline, the changing contours of the science, and connections with institutional structures, all of which illuminate the imbrication of political allegiance, professional expertise, and personal relationships as the geographical tradition persisted in new forms after reformation. In this sense, this article diversifies a history of geography that is too often centered on Anglo-American experiences, and it furthers our understanding of the professionalization of geography as one that has taken a nonlinear course. Key Words: Cold War, Communist China, geographer, history of geography, Sovietization.

Challenges in empire: Eduards Volters’ ethnography on Lithuania, 1882–1918

This article argues that Eduards Volters (1856–1941), an important ethnographer working in the first part of his career with the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, helped demonstrate the value of first-hand observation, social connection, and social context to ethnography through his research in Lithuania from 1882 to 1918. He did so at a time few of his contemporaries embraced his methods. The article seeks to show Volters’ developing theoretical and political strategies during a period of developing Lithuanian nationalism in an emerging Lithuanian nation—a nationalism with which he was in deep sympathy. I focus on the following questions: the meaning of Volters’ travels to Lithuania Minor and Lithuania; his contributions to what are now called borderland identities studies and his critical methodological and theoretical approach to the ethnography of his day. That critical approach involved ethnography as a part of political activism on the part of both researcher and research subjects. The piece will contribute to the critique of centralization of imperialism studies and will explore by comparison Volters’ relationships with both intellectual predecessors and his contemporaries in Lithuania, Europe, and beyond.

Including the Caribbean. A commentary on David Chandler and Jonathan Pugh's ‘Abyssal geography’.

Including the Caribbean. A commentary on David Chandler and Jonathan Pugh's ‘Abyssal geography’.

Notes on mammals collected on the 1885 Geographical Society of Australasia’s Expedition to New Guinea

In 1885 the Geographical Society of Australasia sent the steam launch Bonito to chart the Fly and Strickland Rivers (now in Western Province, Papua New Guinea). The Expedition spent five months in New Guinea with the primary objectives of survey and biological exploration. The type locality of the murid rodent Melomys muscalis froggatti Troughton, 1937, described from a single specimen obtained during the Expedition, is localized to the region of the base camp at Observation Bend, Strickland River, based on the original Expedition maps and the unpublished diary reminiscence of the collector W. W. Froggatt. A review of the mammal collection obtained during that Expedition has not been reported previously, perhaps due to the poor surviving documentation. Several months after the Expedition returned to Sydney, Australian Museum curator E. P. Ramsay prepared a list of 22 mammal specimens received by the Museum. Twenty specimens attributed to the Expedition were not entered into the collection registers until 1913, half of which are likely to be incorrectly associated with the Expedition. Most specimens were registered with very limited data about collection date and locality. Of the 22 specimens originally received by Ramsay, eight rodents and two flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) have not been located in the Collection, but might remain unrecognized as specimens with no data. It is possible that additional mammal specimens were sent by the Geographical Society of Australasia to other institutions at the conclusion of the Expedition.

Другой Валиханов

Introduction. The constellation of Kazakh public activists from the imperial period is distinguished by the outstanding scientist, traveler, and commissioned officer of the Russian Empire Chokan (Muhammed Qanafiya) Valikhanov. However, another Valikhanov — Gazi — was also substantially involved in important historical events of that period. One can trace quite a number of parallels between the two figures — family ties, tragic destinies. Still, due to some circumstances the latter’s name is not that widely known. Goals. The article aims to explore genealogical backgrounds, professional and personal life of the prominent Kazakh public figure — the most honored representative of the Horde, a regular officer of pre-revolutionary Russia’s army, General and Sultan Gazi Bulatovich Valikhanov. Materials and methods. Comparative insights into documentary sources and available historiography serve to consistently trace key milestones in the biography of Gazi Valikhanov, determine his role in the history of Kazakhstan, comprehend the events and circumstances that influenced the shaping of his personality and fate. Results. The amazing intertwining of Chokan Valikhanov and Gazi Valikhanov’s destinies has led to several historical inaccuracies and preconceived assumptions. But the examined materials attest to that assumptions about somewhat complicated, hostile relationships between the two Kazakh sultans have no serious grounds. In his lifetime Sultan Gazi Valikhanov did a lot: he built a brilliant military career and was simultaneously engaged in research activities as a member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, attended the Amu Darya Expedition, was an initiator and co-founder of the Muslim Charitable Society in St. Petersburg, and also assisted some prominent educators and figures of that time, in particular, I. Gasprinsky. Gazi Valikhanov is a worthy ethnic Kazakh of the 19th–20th centuries. His name has been revived from oblivion. However, his life and results of sociopolitical, research activities need further investigation.

Yuriy Fedkovych as a full member of the South-Western Division of the Geographic Society

The article is dedicated to Y. Fedkovych as a full member of the South-Western Division of the Russian Imperial Geographic Society (1873–1876). It outlines the directions of work of this influential scientific association, which conducted, among other things, ethnographic studies regarding the study of all of Ukraine in the relevant aspect. The efforts of M. Dragomanov, an authoritative member of the Division, aimed at involving Y. Fedkovych in studies of Bukovinian Hutsulia are indicated. Starting this activity, the writer realized himself in various related forms, including purely literary ones, with colorful folklore and ethnographic content, and special research in folklore and ethnography (about customs and beliefs, calendar rituals of his fellow countrymen, etc.). It is noted that Y. Fedkovych's membership in the South-Western Division of the Geographic Society was essentially the first official recognition of his personal contributions to the field of science. Keywords: Y. Fedkovych, South-Western Division of the Russian Imperial Geographic Society, M. Dragomanov and Bukovina, ethnography of Bukovina, Bukovinian Hutsulia.

Image-Maker in Residence: Diana Takacsova

Researcher Diana Takacsova, a National Geographic Society grantee and Slovak Press Photo award winner, photographs beachgoers in Ostend and migrant labourers in Alentejo. Our April Image-Maker in Residence.

Potentials and pitfalls of social capital ties to climate change adaptation: an exploratory study of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines

Climate change’s impacts vary across different geographical regions and societies, thus, underpinning the value of context-specific adaptation strategies grounded in local knowledge, social cohesion and community dynamics. This paper explores the potentials and pitfalls of social capital to climate change adaptation – an underexplored area of inquiry on climate change and Indigenous development literature. A qualitative case study design was used to conduct interviews and a focus group discussion with 14 Mamanwas and two government social workers in Eastern Visayas, the Philippines, from 2018 to mid-2019. Our findings suggest that while Mamanwas’ substantial bonding social capital ties contribute to their communal safety from weather extremes and adaptation to climate change, it has also unintentionally resulted in potentially adverse conditions, as can be deduced from their fragile bridging and linking capital ties with the broader community and government institutions. This research argues that social capital constitutes a vital social aspect of adaptation; therefore, policymakers and development workers must account for multiple scales and forms of adaptation, as well as acknowledge the importance of engaging, empowering and incorporating the political voice of Indigenous Peoples in crafting solutions on issues they consider relevant and urgent to their human development.

ТЯЖЕЛЫЕ МЕТАЛЛЫ В ГРУНТАХ И НЕКОТОРЫХ КОМПОНЕНТАХ ПРИРОДНОЙ СРЕДЫ ОСТРОВА ЗЕМЛЯ АЛЕКСАНДРЫ (АРХИПЕЛАГ ЗЕМЛЯ ФРАНЦА-ИОСИФА)

The concentrations and accumulation of heavy metals in Arctic permafrost soil, as well as snow, ice, riverine, and sea water of Alexandra Land Island (the Franz Josef Land Archipelago) were studied in the framework of the UMKA-2021 integrated Arctic expedition of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Russian Geographic Society. The content of heavy metals in Arctic soils on Alexandra Land, including the most hazardous ones, such as cadmium and lead, was low, no MPC exceeding was found. At the same time, increased concentrations of manganese were detected. The concentrations of heavy metals in water, snow, and ice samples corresponded to the natural background for tundra and the Arctic zone.

The use of cryogenic resources in the traditional economic activities of the Yakuts

The purpose of the article is a historical and anthropological reconstruction of the traditional economic practices of the Yakuts, in which the most important place was occupied by the exploitation of cryogenic resources (cold, snow, ice, "permafrost"). The work is based mainly on the analysis of observations by researchers of the second half of the XIX – first half of the XX centuries, who recorded in the course of their expedition surveys a number of stories concerning the practices of the use of cryogenic resources by the Yakuts in economic activities. Methodologically, the article is based on the principles of cryosophy, involving the study of the cold matter of the Earth through the prism of their role as an active element of the universe, a source of benefits and opportunities for humanity, as well as a historical and anthropological approach. The article for the first time shows a number of examples of successful and active exploitation of cold, snow, ice and "permafrost" in the traditional economic activities of the Yakuts within the framework of such a plan: cattle breeding and horse breeding, fishing and hunting, as well as in the organization of salt production. Based on accumulated materials, including documents from the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its St. Petersburg branch, the State Archive of the Irkutsk Region, the Scientific Archive of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Archive of the Russian Geographical Society and the Manuscript Fund of the Archive of the Yakut Scientific Center SB RAS, the authors conclude that cryogenic resources were one of the important adaptation mechanisms Yakuts to the natural and geographical realities of Yakutia.

Richard Maack and his contributions to the botany of Siberia

A brief account of the biography of Richard Maack (1825–1886) is provided, with an emphasis on his botanical travels and research presented in the context of contemporary politics and sciences. The history of three Siberian expeditions of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society is detailed: to the Viluy River in 1853–1855, to the Amur River in 1855–1856 and to the Ussuri River in 1859–1860. Scientific and curatorial treatments of botanical collections of these expeditions are reviewed. The botanical works based on the Amur and Ussuri expeditions are analysed, and more precise dates of their effective publication are traced from contemporary sources. The corrected nomenclature is provided for Carex wiluica, Chloranthus mandshuricus, Ligustrina and Nymphaea wenzelii. Chloranthus japonicus is re‐established as the correct name for C. mandshuricus in place of the recently resurrected C. quadrifolius. Lectotypes are designated for Carex wiluica, Chloranthus japonicus and C. mandshuricus; the previously designated lectotype of C. japonicus is superseded because of being in conflict with the protologue.