Modern Historiography Research Articles

МЕСТА ПАМЯТИ БЛИЖНЕГО ЗАРУБЕЖЬЯ, СВЯЗАННЫЕ С КУРМАНГАЗЫ САГЫРБАЙУЛЫ

The article is written within the framework of the concept of historical memoryand a promising direction of modern historiography – the history of the border regions. The image of the Kazakh dombrist-composer Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly is considered as an identification symbol of the cultural memory of both the population of Kazakhstan and the multinational population of the Astrakhan region.The article analyzes the commemorative practices related to memorial sites in honor of Kurmangazy located in the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation (the mausoleum in the village of Altynzhar and the equestrian monument in Astrakhan).They are a re-reading or incorporating the past into the relevance of the present. In their veneration, values, norms and patterns of behavior that are significant for the people are fixed.Legends and stories about his sacred gift of the great composerare given. The article contributes to the historiography of the problem of historical memory.

КРЕСТОВЫЕ ПОХОДЫ В ПОЭЗИИ И ПРОЗЕ ЭПОХИ АРАБСКОГО ВОЗРОЖДЕНИЯ

The article examines the works of the greatest Arab artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the poet Ahmad Shawqi and the novelist Jirji Zeydan, containing references to the era of the Crusades. An analysis of the work of these authors shows that, contrary to the view prevailing in modern historiography, that Arab artists began to actively refer to the Crusades era only in the second half of the 20th century, already in the Arab poetry and prose of the 19th century, numerous references to this era are found. Ahmad Shawki in his poems presents the Crusades as a time of glorious victories of Muslims, which should inspire contemporaries to fight Europeans. In his works both Muslim commanders known to Europeans and the Egyptian naval commander Husam al-Din Lulu, the savior of Mecca and Medina from the crusaders, the hero of the Arab folk tradition, appear as examples of ideal military leaders. Jirji Zeidan's writings are also characterized by a romantic view of the Crusades. The writer portrays this era as the time of noble rulers, such as Salah ad-Din and Richard the Lionheart, who were able to decide the fate of the Middle East on equal terms.

Writing Self, Writing Empire: Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary

Writing Self, Writing Empire: Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary

Diplomatic Relations of the Kazakh Khanates and the Russian Empire in late Soviet and Modern Historiography

Diplomatic Relations of the Kazakh Khanates and the Russian Empire in late Soviet and Modern Historiography

Architectural Contact Zones: Another Way to Write Global Histories of the Post-War Period?

This position paper addresses the ways that we historicise architectural modernism, especially within the context of the unprecedented global movements of people, ideas, materials and labour that characterised the post-war period. It suggests an alternative theoretical framing and corresponding historiography of global modernism, based on the concept of cross-cultural “contact zones.” A notion first coined by literature scholar Mary Louise Pratt in the context of colonial studies, architectural contact zones—competitions, exhibitions, congresses, biennales, summer schools—offer the possibility to rethink what innovation in architecture culture entails. Rather than underscoring the originality of the single genius-architect, contact zones offer a conception of architectural development that is based on a more global and multidirectional exchange of knowledge. Scrutinising the mechanisms behind architectural contact zones can result in a reframing of the history of architectural modernism as a cross-cultural, multi-authored and poly-conceptual matter.

A Bulgarian Student in Early XX Century Ukraine: Study, Lifestyle and Challenges

The paper discusses the life of Konstantin Nikolov, a Bulgarian from the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa, during his study at the Kyiv Institute of Commerce (1909 – 1915). The very “insignificance” of this person allows for some wider generalizations, given the fact that precisely such people best reflect the society as a whole. For this reason, the study of ordinary people’s biographies has become an important focus of modern historiography. Nikolov’s student years illustrate some aspects of contemporary Bulgarian history and exemplify the experience of Bulgarian students in the Russian Empire before and during the World War I. The present study is based on archive materials previously untapped by scholars. It also involves some documents relative to Svitozar Drahomanov, who was of Ukrainian origin but spent his childhood in Bulgaria and studied at the Kyiv Institute of Commerce along with Nikolov, as well as documents regarding a trip to Bulgaria by Czesław Madej, another student of the same institute. The study demonstrates that archives of different Kyiv-based higher educational institutions should be explored for more valuable materials regarding Bulgarian born students, which may help draw a fuller picture of Bulgarian-Ukrainian relations in the field of education and culture. This, in turn, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the history of Ukrainian higher education in the early 20th century. It will also provide a wider perspective on the phenomenon of Bulgarians studying abroad before and during the World War I, including the life situations of the students during this period which proved crucial for the whole European civilization.

Российская историческая полонистика XIX века как часть отечественной славистики

This article presents a brief overview of the history of Russian historical Polonistics in the 19th century, which was an integral part of Russian Slavistics, but acted according to other laws which were subject to the dynamics of Russian-Polish relations. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the formation and development of Russian historical Polonistics, which made it possible to clarify its previously accepted periodisation. This article notes the interdependence between the Polish question and Polonistic studies, which is characteristic of Russia in the 19th century, but only recently reflected in modern historiography. The author of the article suggests considering Russian historical Polonistics as the experience of Russian-Polish dialogue in the context of the long 19th century.

East Slavic historiography on the valuation of land in the Belarusian provinces in the second half of the XIX – early XX century

The article is devoted to the analysis of the main approaches to estimating the value of land plots in the Russian Empire of the second half of the XIX – beginning of the XX century. Eastern Slavic historiography of the pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern period. The objectives of the article are to determine the average market value of land in the provinces and compare it with the size of redemption payments, identify typical conditions for the implementation of the agrarian reform of 1861 for the Belarusian provinces, compare the approaches of representatives of Eastern Slavic historiography to the redemption operation and activities of the Peasant and Noble Land banks, analyze the factors that form value of land sold through the Peasant Land Bank. The article reflects the sharply negative assessments of the peasant reform of 1861 and the activities of the Peasant Land Bank in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet historiography. In this case, attention is drawn to the more favorable conditions for the redemption operation for the peasants of the Belarusian provinces, reducing the cost of peasant holdings and bringing them closer to the market value of land. Modern historiography stands in solidarity with the conclusions of the peasants’ repeated overpayment of the cost of their liberation, but connects this with the banking crisis, which predetermined the high cost of redemption. At the same time, modern researchers, on the basis of mathematical and economic methods, revised approaches to assessing the activities of the Peasant and Noble Land Banks, recognizing their role in mobilizing land ownership and solving the issue of peasant land shortages.

Georgian-Austrian Unknown Preludes of the Treaty of Georgievsk

Studying the external policy of the king Erekle II is a topical issue for the modern historiography. The information maintained in the archives of various European cities, namely of Vienna, Vatican and Venice, convey to us the fact that while exercising pragmatic attitude toward relations with the European countries the King of Kartli and Kakheti considered the interests of both his own country and of those European countries as well. Over the years 1781-82 Erekle II sends his ambassadors to Europe twice: first he sends a Capuchin monk Domenique who dies in Constantinople in uncertain circumstances not having reached the destination; after him Erekle II sends another Capuchin Mauro the Veronese who also dies for unknown reasons while still on his way. It is a very important fact that the letters sent by the King Erekle, unlike the ambassadors, reach their destination which is the Emperor’s Court in Austria.The present article shows the international political background that the king Erekle II had at that time and that he attempted to use for the interests of his country.The plan of dividing Europe anew, officially developed by the relevant imperial authorities of Saint Petersburg and Vienna, aimed at neutralizing the Ottoman Empire and dividing its territories. According to the Greek Project, it was supposed to resurrect the Byzantine Empire that would be formally independent from Russia but factually acting as a marionette with the Romanov dynasty ruling in it and build Dacia Kingdom as a buffer between the Ottoman and the Austrian Empires.This project was topical for Erekle II who was trying to get involved in the international political processes to the maximum level as the king of a sovereign and independent country, as in the result of implementation of the Greek Project Georgia would obtain an environment of Christian countries instead of the previous encirclement by Muslim countries. Thus, Georgia would find herself in an absolutely different qualitative dimension that had been a sacred dream of the Georgian Kings at all times. This was why the Greek Plan held such a great importance for Erekle II. This international project was made secret by the empress Catherine the Great and Joseph II, therefore, the official pragmatic reason that Erekle II referred to when sending ambassadors to Austria which was obtaining financial support for two regiments was merely a mask behind which in reality the ambassadorial mission served the purpose of active involvement and participation in the implementation of the Greek Project. The Austrian Emperor’s Court, on its part, was going to use this intension of the Georgian king for its own pragmatic goals which implied strengthening of the Holy Roman Empire that had been actually made fictitious by that time. The widely acknowledged and reputed international level diplomats of the Austrian Empire Kaunitz and Kobenzl were involved in the process.

An Iranian Shāh-nāma Writer at the Court of Bāyezid II: Malekzāda Āhi

Abstract Malekzāda Āhi was an Iranian-born Shāh-nāma writer (shāh-nāmaji, Ott. şehnameci) who served at the court of the Ottoman sultan Bāyezid II (r. 1481–1512) and composed the first Ottoman dynastic history to bear the title of “Shāh-nāma.” Accompanying the sultan since his years as a prince, Malekzāda wrote his Shāh-nāma after the tradition of Ferdowsi (d. 1019–20) and Nezāmi (d. 1209), in addition to many odes (qasidas) in praise of his patron. Despite his contemporary reputation as the “master of the verse (malek al-kalam)” in the sultan’s palace, a series of unfortunate accidents led to his relative obscurity in modern historiography. Malekzāda Āhi’s experience as a Shāh-nāma writer is representative of the position held by Iranian artists and scholars in the early sixteenth-century Ottoman palace. His Shāh-nāma also should be regarded as one of the earliest transmissions of the Shāh-nāma style of history-writing to the Ottoman realm. In this article, I attempt to uncover Malekzāda Āhi’s real identity and shed light on his activities in the palace circle, based on archival documents that are studied here for the first time.

Foucault and the Historiography of Early Hellenistic Philosophy

ABSTRACT In his 1981–82 lectures The Hermeneutics of the Subject, Michel Foucault claims that a significant portion of the modern historiography of ancient philosophy tends to discredit the ethical framework of epimeleia heautou (“care of the self”). The thematic analysis of knowledge in the historiography of ancient philosophy overshadows the theme of care of the self. Taking Foucault’s claim as a point of departure, the aim of this paper is twofold. First, the paper provides a genealogy of the early Hellenistic Academy, from Polemo to Arcesilaus. Second, the paper demonstrates that for Arcesilaus, the alleged pioneer of what modern historiography has designated the Academy’s epistemological scepticism, philosophy is not restricted to a continual search for knowledge at a theoretically rarefied level of challenging arguments or discursive statements. This paper situates Arcesilaus’ opposition to early Stoic epistemology within the framework of Academic epimeleia heautou, and defends the thesis that under Arcesilaus the Hellenistic Academy undergoes a shift in the practice of care of the self.

Regional and sectoral aspects of inequality and legal delimitation of the production societas in the late USSR (1950-1980)

The article examines the factors and sources of inequality and legal delimitation of the industrial societas in the USSR in the 1950-1980s. The article raises the question of the key aspects of regional and sectoral inequality of the Soviet societas. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is associated with the paradigm of the "global intellectual history of inequality". Much attention is paid to the analysis of the concepts of "estate" and "class" in modern historiography. The article is based on the ideas of Mikhail Beznin and Tat’yana Dimoni on the legal demarcation of the production societas in the USSR and the formation of special social classes in Soviet Russia in the 1950s-1980s. An important theoretical role is played by the controversial thesis of the researcher Simon Kordonskiy on the existence of special estates – social registration groups – in the USSR. The source base of the study is represented by the official normative documents of the Soviet era, statistical data, unpublished archival documents of the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History. The article expresses a scientific hypothesis that the main criteria for inequality and legal delimitation of the production societas of the USSR included 3 indicators in the second half of the 20th century – a formally determined size of wages, social security, horizontal social mobility.

Historiografi Pesantren di Indonesia

The aim of this research is to describe and analyze the historiography writing style of pesantren in Indonesia. The pesantren has historically been a “ genuine ” model of the Islamic education system in the archipelago. At the beginning of its establishment and development, pesantren is a form of education and learning of Islamic religion (recitation assemblies) which is managed by a kiai. At this stage, the pesantren has the main elements, namely: kiai, mosques, and santri. We know this type from the name of pesantren salafiyah. Then it develops according to the times and knowledge in terms of management and learning systems as well as the knowledge being taught to develop by incorporating general knowledge, which became known as khala f pesantren. Then there is another one, namely a combination of the two, between salafiyah and khalaf. The themes of writing the history of pesantren in Indonesia are various. First, the theme of the pesantren development. Second, the study of figures or biographies of the kiai. Third, the dynamics of pesantren with the social conditions of the community. Fourth, the pesantren education system. The writing of pesantren historiography in Indonesia is the story of pesantren, so all writings can be categorized into three forms: traditional, colonial and modern historiography. Keywords: historiography , pesantren, methodology.

The canonization of Piccarda Donati

Starting from the early 14th century, Piccarda Donati and the story of her abduction from the Clarissan convent of Monticelli were subjected to a creative process of reconfiguration and retelling that “made” Piccarda into a virgin martyr and a champion of the Clarissan order. By reading early modern Clarissan and Franciscan historiography against the grain of Paradiso 3–4 and the information preserved in early commentaries of the Commedia, I demonstrate that this process was likely initiated and favored by the Poor Clares of Monticelli, who appropriated and subverted the devotional potential offered by Piccarda’s story as told by Dante in Paradiso 3 and incorporated Piccarda within the canon of the early saints of female Franciscanism.

The Political and Economic Origins of the Roman Revolution

The paper considers some economic and legal aspects of the struggle for the public land in Late Republican Rome. This period is one of the most controversial in ancient history; it brought many significant changes to the socio-economic and political life of Rome and contributed much to its transformation from Republic to Principate. Nevertheless, there is no special paper examining the competition between the Romans and Italians for the ager publicus populi Romani which started with the agrarian reform of Tiberius Gracchus in modern historiography. The first episode ended after the enactment in 111 B.C. of the lex agraria, when a large amount of public land was brought into private hands by its Roman possessors. A further part of the ager publicus populi Romani was still public and remained in hands of the socii. The logic of historical process, the economic changes of the second century B.C. which led Rome from Republic to Principate, demanded the formation of a new class of landowners. The latter would be the basis of the political system of the Roman Empire instead of the nobilitas; its political power would be based on private ownership of land. This was impossible without the full privatization of public land, and it is logical that the struggle for the ager publicus populi Romani was not ended in 111 B.C. Only after privatization of that land, which was possessed by the allies, the agrarian question in Rome could be fully resolved. The latter problem is of crucial importance for the further history of Rome, because it not only caused the Social War but also radically changed both the social structure and the political balance within Roman society during the last decades of the Republic.

Communicative sphere of activity of the governors on the example of Yakutia

The object of this research is the communication means used in administrative activity by the office of the governor of Yakutia. The author examines the communicative sphere of activity of the governor as one of the crucial. The governor is the representative of the interests of federal government, government policy in the region, and informant about its state for the central authorities. To fulfill all the listed functions, the governor must convey various information to his subordinates and the population, as well as acquire information on the entrusted administrative-territorial district. Characteristics is given to the main communication channels of the governors along the lines top-bottom and bottom-top. Special attention is turned to the governor's reports and “congresses of competent persons". The governors of Yakutia have actively used the communicative capabilities of the annual report as the official communication channel with central authorities and the monarch. The example of information potential of such communication means is the development the questions of exile and transformation of the Cossack regiment. The “Congress of Competent Persons" held at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries in Yakutia has become a communicative platform for discussing the relevant for Yakutia problem of land use, as well as an effective instrument for establishing dialogue between the government and local society. The novelty of this research consists in articulation of the problem, and is defined by poor development within the modern historiography of the regional component of communication system of the Russian Empire. Viewing the governor’s power through the prism of communicative space contributes to more profound understanding of the mechanisms of political culture in the Russian Empire.

Проблема определения хронологических рамок истории Великого княжества Литовского в современной западной историографии

The problem of historical processes periodization is quite debatable in modern historiography. There are many state historical schools’ traditions that because of political conjuncture are trying to make their statehood history more ancient. This article is devoted to the problems of periodization of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The authors attempt to change generally accepted chronology of that state formation.

Religion, civility and the ‘British’ of Ireland in the 1641 Irish rebellion

AbstractThis article examines the 1641 Irish rebellion through a neglected manuscript account from 1643, written by Henry Jones and three of his 1641 deposition colleagues. The ‘Treatise’ offers important insights into the rebellion, but also advances a broader understanding of the significance of the early modern efforts to civilise Ireland and the impact of these schemes, especially plantation, on the kind of conflict that erupted in the 1640s. It is an evaluation that brings together both the long pre-history of the rebellion, and what eventually unfolded, offering new perspectives into a crucial and contested debate within modern historiography. The ‘Treatise’ also presents the opportunity to interrogate the position of the settler community, and their careful construction and presentation of a religiously- and culturally-driven improvement of the country. While it was a period of crisis, the rebellion offered an important opportunity to reflect on the wider project of Irish conversion and civility. It was a moment of creation and self-creation, as the emerging ‘British’ community not only digested the shock of the rebellion, but sought to fashion narratives that underlined their moral claims to Ireland on the grounds of true religion and civility.

The role of M. M. Vinaver in political communities of the first-wave emigrants

This article analyzes the activity of the politician, former deputy of the First State Duma of the Russian Empire from the Cadet Party – M. M. Vinaver (1862 – 1926) during the period of emigration. Leaning on the materials from the personal archive of Maxim Vinaver stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, memoir of his contemporaries, as well as the achievements of modern historiography on the topic, the author explores the role of M. M. Vinaver in the work of such political anti-Bolshevist liberal organizations of the first-wave emigrants as the Crimean Regional Government, Russian Society of the League of Peoples, Russian Democratic Association, as well as private-held sessions of the former members of the Constituent Assembly. The scientific novelty of this research consists in gaining historical experience of the formation and evolution of anti-Bolshevist liberal political projects and acquiring historical knowledge on the emigrated political elite of the Russian Empire during the transition historical period. The research result lies in tracing the evolution of views of the politician on the methods, strategies and form of struggle against the Bolsheviks; as well as in the analysis of his projects on reconstruction of the Russian State based on the legal principles of civil society, as well as some of his psychological characteristics. The author indicates the active participation and crucial role of Maxim Vinaver in life of the white émigré overall and its political liberal organizations in particular.

ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ ПОНЯТТЯ “УКРАЇНА” В РАННЬОМОДЕРНІ ЧАСИ У ВИСВІТЛЕННІ СУЧАСНОЇ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ІСТОРІОГРАФІЇ

Анотація. Мета дослідження полягає у вияві основних тенденцій сучасного наукового дискурсу щодо інтерпретації проблеми еволюції в ранньомодерні часи самоназви “Україна”. Методологія дослідження передбачає використання симбіозу методів компаративістики, контекстуального аналізу, сходження від абстрактного до конкретного і навпаки. Наукова новизна визначається тим, що з’ясовано основні закономірності сучасного наукового дискурсу в Україні, пов’язаного з осмисленням функціонування в ранньомодерній Україні самоназви “Україна” та похідних понять – “український народ”, “українці”. Простежено тематичний і концептуальний перегук між сучасними інтерпретаціями, виділено наукові новації, які з’явилися останнім часом, окреслено перспективні напрямки подальших досліджень. Висновки. У перші десятиліття ХХІ ст. спостережено поновлення дослідницької уваги до інтерпретацій функціонування в минулому самоназви «Україна», проте акцент зміщено з проблем походження та первісної семантики цього поняття до з’ясування особливостей його вживання в ранньомодерні часи. Зокрема, простежено обіг поняття в середовищі української шляхти та козацтва, місце самоназв “Україна”, “український народ”, “українці” у практиках еліти Гетьманщини до кінця 70-х рр. ХVII ст., розглянуто функціонування поняття “Україна” в козацьких наративах XVIII ст. Виділено дві важливі тенденції наукового дискурсу: еволюція самоназви “Україна” не вийшла за географічно-територіальні рамки; назва “Україна” перетворилася на політонім, а поняття “український народ” та “українці” стали маркером ідентичності еліти Гетьманщини. 
 Ключові слова: Україна, українці, український народ, сучасна історіографія, науковий дискурс, концепція, ключові тенденції.