Kazan University Research Articles

«Любование стариной» в эпоху «великого перелома»: Н.И. Воробьев и преподавание этнографии в вузах Казани (1920-е – начало 1930-х гг.)

The paper examines the teaching activities of the famous ethnographer, geographer, researcher of the ethnography of the Tatars and other peoples of the Volga region, Nikolay Iosifovich Vorobyev, at Kazan University and the Eastern Pedagogical Institute in the 1920s – early 1930s. His role in organising special departments of these universities, where ethnography and related disciplines (anthropology, anthropogeography, ethnology, etc.) were taught, is shown. The views on ethnographic education of the Kazan teaching community, students and authorities at various levels are described. The paper shows that in the first years of the Soviet rule, ethnography was taught in large quantities at several Kazan institutes of higher education – Kazan University, North-Eastern Archaeological and Ethnographic Institute, and Eastern Pedagogical Institute. The main initiators of including ethnographic disciplines in the curriculum of institutes were employees of Kazan University, including N.I. Vorobyev. However, officials of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat for Education considered ethnography as a discipline that studies ‘backward peoples’ and ‘relicts’, and did not see it as a means of ideological education of students. Therefore, the number of hours assigned to this subject was reduced quite quickly. N.I. Vorobyev and his colleagues proposed a number of educational departments projects (geographical and museum-ethnographic sections of the Eastern Pedagogical Institute) in order to preserve ethnographic education in Kazan. As a result of their efforts, students of the Physics and Mathematics Department of Kazan University and the Eastern Department of the Eastern Pedagogical Institute studied ethnography and related subjects until its ‘defeat’ on the cusp of the 1920s and 1930s.

Professor P.V. Denisov – A Distinguished Alumnus of Kazan University

This article considers the role of the Kazan school of history and ethnology in the development of Professor P.V. Denisov’s views and professional expertise. Kazan University is the alma mater of numerous notable Chuvash researchers. Many studies on the Chuvash people were performed within its walls, particularly by N.V. Nikolsky, V.K. Magnitsky, I.Ya. Yakovlev, N.I. Zolotnitsky et al. P.V. Denisov, who rose to prominence as a scholar and lecturer within the scientific and educational centers of Kazan, carried on their work with great merit. Here, his collaborations with Kazan colleagues and his substantial contributions to the advancement of ethnology and pedagogy were analyzed. Based on the analysis, several conclusions were drawn. P.V. Denisov dedicated his life to promoting science and mentoring further generations of highly qualified and skilled historians and ethnologists. His academic and pedagogical endeavors were mostly connected with I.N. Ulyanov Chuvash State University, where he taught historical and ethnographic disciplines, as well as established and headed the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Regional History. Throughout his life, he published 120 scholarly works and supervised 20 holders of candidate and doctorate degrees in history. He was proud to be an alumnus of Kazan University and always maintained friendly and professional ties with his colleagues from Tatarstan. P.V. Denisov’s heritage and achievements have become deeply ingrained in Russian ethnology and pedagogy. His influence and ideas live on in the memories of his students. The obtained results hold both scientific and practical significance, shed light on the history of ethnology in the Volga–Ural region, and provide valuable material for studying and sketching the lives of famous Kazan University alumni.

Professor M.Ya. Kittary and Technical Education in the Russian Empire

Throughout its history, Kazan University has always been proud of its distinguished alumni and esteemed professors. Among them, Modest Yakovlevich Kittary, a professor at Kazan Imperial University and the head of the Department of Technology from 1850 to 1857, stands out as a strong advocate for technical education. He was one of the few who embraced and supported the state’s vision for universities as centers of academic, pedagogical, educational, and cultural progress within the province, region, and the entire nation. As a passionate civic and public activist, he championed the importance of technical education for industrialists and the general public, recognizing its potential to elevate the level of culture, literacy, and prosperity. His work prompted the revival of the Kazan Economic Society, the opening of new factories, as well as technical and technological advances. M.Ya. Kittary’s life has been the research focus of many Kazan University scholars. Here, his contribution to promoting technical education is analyzed in greater detail based on the materials from the Journal of the Ministry of National Education. Particular attention is paid to the changes in the educational system of the Russian Empire during that period, as documented by the above journal, and the central role of M.Ya. Kittary in the modernization of the higher technical education landscape.

Диалог по случаю столетия Пушкина: епископ Антоний (Храповицкий) и Т. И. Филиппов (1899)

The article is devoted to a brief epistolary dialogue, the occasion for which was the Pushkin anniversary (1899). Among the many responses to this cultural event contemporaries appreciated the speech of Bishop (later Metropolitan) Anthony (Khrapovitsky), which he delivered at Kazan University. The ceremonial speech became one of his first detailed statements about Russian literature and subsequently served as a pretext for a special article about the poet. In June 1899, Bishop Anthony presented a separate edition of his speech to the prominent statesman and public figure Tertius Philippov (1825/1826–1899). The author of the article clarifies the circumstances that accompanied this gesture of donation and publishes the bishop’s covering letter and Philippov’s response. In addition to the high assessment of the work read, the response letter of the state controller expressed in a concise form a judgment about the spiritual significance of Russian literature. This brief description hiddenly contains the ideas of another writer, equally close to both participants in the dialogue – Dostoevsky. The researcher also notes other points that bring the heroes of the article together. In particular, this is a negative attitude towards the synodal structure of church government.

Tatar Dialectological School in Kazan University: Origins, formation and development

One of the well-developed scientific areas in Tatar linguistics is dialectology, its main task being the study of the living spoken language of indigenous peoples, that is, local dialects. It studies the phenomena of folk speech that are not included in the literary language, conducts the scientific analysis in this field and determines the territory of their usage.For several centuries, consistent and systematic research workhas been carried out in the area of Tatar people's spiritual culture, the history of various ethnic groups, the characteristics of their language, their way of life and customs. This work, devoted to studying live speech, to recording materials related to individual subdialects and dialects of the Tatar language, to collecting factual material and its scientific interpretation, began in the first half of the 18th century. The scientific study of Tatar dialectology at Kazan University has a history of more than two centuries, so a wealth of experience has been accumulated in this area; the tradition of studying Tatar dialects and subdialects at the university continues to this day, being one of the most relevant and sought-after scientific trends followed by the Department of Tatar Linguistics. For the first time providing its systematic study, this article describes the formation and development of the Kazan University Dialectological School, which is the main object of our research. This constitutes the scientific novelty and relevance of the article. The study of the history of this scientific school in an educational institution goes hand in hand with the study of the scientific research of the outstanding scholars, who made great contributions to Tatar dialectology, leaving rich scientific and methodological heritage.

Scientific heritage of Kazan university scholars (on the anniversary of Prof. G. Gilazetdinova)

В 2024 году Казанский университет отмечает свой юбилей – 220-летие со дня основания.

Scientific heritage of Kazan university scientists (on G.A. Khairutdinova’s anniversary)

220-летие со дня основания Казанского университета дает возможность еще раз обобщить многолетний опыт ученых-филологов и наметить перспективы дальнейшего развития казанской русистики.

The architectural-ensemble problem in the construction of public buildings in Kazan in the late 1960s–1980s and the principles of their placement

The article discusses the development of city structure and principles public building placement in it. The location of Kazan on a hilly terraced terrain ensures visual perception of its central part, and most public buildings contribute to the architectural and spatial composition of the city. In accordance with the general plan of the city, the composition of Kazan’s central area tends to display a rational functional structure and desire to treat it as an integral organism by artistic means. However, the ill-conceived infill towers of Kazan University in the central part of the city, alien to its filigree character, disrupted the expressive silhouette of Kazan. At the same time, the places of greatest compositional value have not been treated properly: the edge of the city’s upper terrace, the connection of the Kremlin with the embankment of the Volga River, the panorama of the Kaban lake, etc. The study provides generalized recommendations for further construction of public buildings in the city.

Development of the Economic and Legal Concepts of Financial Instruments in the PreRevolutionary Period. G.F. Shershenevich’s Contribution

Many experts believe that we are on the cusp of a new system of legal understanding, construction, and formalization, as well as state regulation of the relations and processes governed by “financial instruments”. However, this term remains polysemantic and thus is a compelling subject for the discourse. It has multiple legal interpretations, uncertain legal applications, and diverse or even conflicting theoretical frameworks. In this article, the historical ideas of the pre-revolutionary Russian scholars were discussed in connection with the current legal understanding of financial instruments. The analyzed works certainly contain brilliant thoughts, logical reasoning, generalizations of the foreign experiences, and novel ideas. They all became the basis for the law and legislation development in subsequent periods, up to the present day. Special attention was paid to the legal heritage of G.F. Shershenevich, a prominent figure of classical Russian jurisprudence who worked at Kazan University. It was concluded that the scholar’s views reflected both a narrow understanding of private law and a more complex approach that links the legal manifestations of phenomena with their social, economic, and commercial essence. The results obtained show that the principles of current economic and legal models can be traced back to the conceptual aspects of the categories (such as financial instruments) introduced by the earlier scholars.

P.B. Umansky as a Scholar and Pedagogue: The Origins of American Studies in Kazan

Petr Borisovich Umansky (1930–1993), a distinguished scholar and Kazan University lecturer in the latter half of the 20th century, stands out as a key figure in the Kazan school of world history and American studies in Russia. After graduating from university in 1952, he was mentored by another famous Soviet historian, G.R. Levin. In 1962, he defended his Сandidate’s dissertation titled “F. Douglas and the abolitionist movement in the United States between the 1830s and 1850s” at the Leningrad State Pedagogical Institute. He later became widely recognized as the founder of the study of American historiography of the War of Independence. His works were featured in the publications of Kazan University and major central journals like “Novaya i Noveishaya Istoriya”, “Voprosy Istorii”, and “Istoriya i Istoriki”. He also actively participated in various scientific gatherings, such as the First All-Union Historiographical Conference and the First Symposium of Americanists in Moscow. At Kazan University, P.B. Umansky played a vital role in shaping the school of researchers specializing in American studies. Many of his former students now teach at his alma mater and continue to pass down their knowledge to new generations of historians. With a career spanning from the 1950s until his death, P.B. Umansky was widely hailed as one of the top international lecturers in Tatarstan. The article is supplemented with the memoirs of the historian’s son, E.P. Umansky.

Вклад Михаила Дмитриевича Рузского в изучение фауны птиц Волжско-Камского края

Mikhail Dmitrievich Ruzsky is one of the last encyclopedic scientists of the 20th century, known for his works on zoology, ichthyology and ornithology, hydrobiology, and entomology. Professor Mikhail Dmitrievich Ruzsky (1864-1948) is one of the country outstanding biologists and founders of the national science of ants, the first researcher of the myrmecofauna of Russia and neighboring countries. He made a significant contribution to the development of not only individual sciences, but also the formation of university education in Russia. The Kazan period of his biography is significant for his life and career. Mikhail Dmitrievich began his bird watching in Kazan and its surroundings while still being a very young researcher. His formation as a scientist began in Kazan Imperial University. Ruzsky had his first publications on birds in 1889, although he began conducting ornithological observations from the first years of university. The significant coverage of the territory allowed him not only to obtain new data on the distribution of birds in these areas, but also compare the lists of species and changes in their composition. His interest in studying fauna was influenced by the works of his predecessors - famous local historians and scientists of Russia - Pallas, Eversman, Bogdanov, and others. Ruzky gave the first list of birds of the Kazan province. In 1893, he presented his master’s thesis, Materials for the Study of Birds of the Kazan Province, whose results were published in the Proceedings of the Society of Naturalists of Kazan University. Ruzsky was the curator and collector of the Zoological Museum of Kazan University; within just one decade (from 1887 to 1896), he delivered 439 specimens of birds to the museum. His works made it possible to compile the first list of the avifauna of Kazan. He noted 56 species of birds directly inhabiting the city, and about 50 species found in the vicinity. A comparison of Ruzsky’s regional avi-faunistic lists with the data from recent years made it possible to present the dynamics and main changes that occurred in the composition of the bird fauna of the Volga-Kama Region over two hundred years. He was one of the organizers of the Kazan City Museum (now the National Museum of the Republic of T atarstan), chairman of its Council (1912), and having received the title of honorary member of the museum staff, he became director of the Natural History Department (1908-1913). Mikhail Dmitrievich was directly involved in the formation of the third Zoological Museum in Kazan located in the Veterinary Institute (now the Kazan State Academy of Veterinary Medicine), where he also worked for some time. The studies conducted on the avifauna of the Volga-Kama Region laid the foundation for subsequent large-scale work on both zoogeography, species distribution, and species ecology. In 1913, Mikhail Dmitrievich Ruzsky was elected professor of the Department of Zoology in Kiev and Tomsk Universities. He faced the choice and gave his preference to Tomsk devoting next 35 years of his life to working for the benefit of science in Tomsk University. The article contains 2 Figures, 13 References. The Authors declare no conflict of interest.

КАЗАХСКИЕ СТУДЕНТЫ Г. КАЗАНИ ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ XIX В.: ДЕЛОПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННАЯ ДОКУМЕНТАЦИЯ И ИСТОЧНИКОВЕДЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ

Today it is necessary to conduct research that systematizes historical documents and reconstructs the history of education and the fate of Kazakh students in higher educational institutions of the Russian Empire. Based on this, the purpose of my article is to analyze the office documentation of Kazakh students of the Imperial Kazan University and Veterinary Institute. For the scientific analysis of office documentation of Kazakh students of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. a systematic approach and source study synthesis were used, which allows us to see the integrity of historical sources and opens up opportunities for expanding social research, involving in the field of studying socio-cultural changes in the Kazakh steppe of the second half of the 19th century. Additional materials. The type of documents we studied is varied: petitions for admission to students of a certain faculty, graduates of higher educational institutions, metric certificates, information about health status; certificates of completion of gymnasiums; certificate of scholarship amount, educational programs, commission protocols on passing state exams, etc. The source analysis of the office documentation of Kazakh students in Kazan turned out to be perspective, because it reveals not only little-studied aspects of the life of Kazakh students in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, but also identified Kazakh families where Kazakh families where the importance of gaining knowledge and educating their children in educational institutions has become a pattern. And accordingly, from the second half of the 19th century, Kazan became one of the centers of formation of the Kazakh intellectual elite.

Microbiologists M.R. Sharipova and A.M. Mardanova are Talented Students and Teachers

The history of the formation and development of the microbiological discipline at the Imperial Kazan University began in the middle of the XIX century. Then the first attempts were made to control infectious processes in the Kazan province (cholera, influenza, smallpox). With the advent of the microscope, university researchers have gained a new opportunity to observe microorganisms. At the end of the 19th century, the issues of medical and general microbiology were widely discussed in the scientific community of the city. At the very beginning of the twentieth century, the Bacteriological Institute was opened at the Faculty of Medicine, which became the flagship of these studies. However, microbiological research began to develop at other faculties of Kazan University already under Soviet rule (the work of A.P. Ponomarev and his student S.I. Limanova-Kolosova). They mainly dealt with issues of ecological and geological microbiology. At the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the University Laboratory of Microbiology was headed by M.I. Belyaeva, who in 1969 achieved the opening of the Department of Microbiology as part of the Biology and Soil Faculty of Kazan State University named after V.I. Ulyanov-Lenin. She was the founder of a new modern direction — the study of enzymes of microorganisms. Her students, who later became professors, R.P. Naumova and I.B. Leshchinskaya, have already educated their talented followers. This article is devoted to a review of the scientific and pedagogical activities of professors M.R. Sharipova and A.M. Mardanova, employees of the Department of Microbiology of Kazan Federal University. Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases, December 2023;10(2):104-109

Kowalewski Apropos the Chinese Book “Ming Xin Bao Jian”: Following up a Diary Entry

This article examines the notes of the prominent Russian mongolist of Polish origin Józef Kowalewski (1801–1878) in his “Diary of studies for 1832”, the manuscript of which is kept in the Department of Manuscripts of the Vilnius University Library. This diary entry has been previously published several times in the form of a facsimile. It is an excerpt in English from the annotation on the Chinese book Ming xin bao jian (明心寶鑑, Precious Mirror for the Enlightenment of the Mind) from the Protestant missionary magazine published in Malacca. The article clarifies and significantly supplements the previously published commentary on this entry, defines The Indo-Chinese Gleaner magazine as the source of the English annotation and William Milne (1785–1822) as its author. It is assumed that J. Kowalewski’s acquaintance with W. Milne’s note had determined later choice of Ming xin bao jian as a Chinese language teaching material at The Imperial Kazan University. The very fact of choosing this book by a Protestant missionary to be presented as an important manual on the Chinese language and the traditional worldview of the Chinese is discussed. The conclusion is made that, formally remaining in opposition to the earlier Catholic missionary work, Protestant preachers in assessing Ming xin bao jian were in consent with their predecessors.

An example of enlightener

Vagiz Fatkhullovich Fatkhullin (1937-2005) was a researcher in the field of structural mechanics, candidate of technical sciences (1973), Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Republic of Tatarstan (1996).In 1964, he graduated from the Kazan Institute of Civil Engineering (now Kazan University of Architecture and Civil Engineering) and began his teaching and scientific career at his home university. He was the Dean of the Faeulty of Civil Engineering (1984-2005) and a professor in the Department of Reinforced Concrete Stractnres (1994-2005), with a break in 1980-1983.He tanght at the University of Annaba (Algeria).

Medical microbiology at the Medical Faculty of Kazan University (1900s - 1930s)

Medical microbiology at the Medical Faculty of Kazan University (1900s - 1930s)

Textology of the Fairy Tale «Karamergen» from the Collection of Turkicologist N.N. Pantusov

Books published in Kazakh before the October Revolution are important for the study of folklore, ethnography, literary, cultural life of modern Kazakhstan. Valuable sources allow modern researchers to get new information about how the oral literature of the Kazakh people was collected, where it was preserved, how and by whom it was published. Before joining Russia, books in the Kazakh language were not published in Kazakhstan. There were separate editions in Arabic, Persian and Chagatai languages. Books including Kazakh poems, heroic epics, fairy tales were published in St.Petersburg, Kazan, Orenburg, Tashkent. They were published in the Karimov and Kusainov printing houses at Kazan University. By the middle of the XIX century, Russian scientists began to collect materials, study and comprehensively analyze the way of life, lifestyle, religion, language and oral literature of the Turkic-speaking peoples, including Kazakhs. Among them are famous orientalists-turkologists N.F. Katanov, A.E. Alektorov, P.M. Melioransky, V.V. Bartold, I.N. Berezin, A.V. Vasiliev, N.Ya. Sarkin, M.N. Bekimov, A.A. Divaev, A.D. Nesterev, N. Pantusov, N.I. Ilminsky, G.N. Potanin and others. In result of study of rare publications in libraries and materials in archives, it was found that most of the folklore works collected and studied by researchers were published a century ago, or even earlier. Manche of these works of oral literature wurden not republished, either in Soviet times or during the period of independence. In this article, a textual study is carried out based on a comparison of the text of a work published before the October Revolution with a version published today. Due to comparative analysis in the historical context, it is established whether there is a difference and differences between the text in the original and its later edition. The article examines the textual structure of Kazakh fairytale «Karamergen», which was collected and studied by Russian Orientalists and Turkologists.

Folkloristika Tartu ülikoolis 1941–1944: eriala järjepidevuse küsimus

The article looks at the teaching of folklore at the University of Tartu during World War II and the German occupation. It covers three academic years, from the autumn of 1941 to the spring of 1944. In previous studies, the period under review has been presented as a disruption: these years were either ignored altogether or described as an aberration in the development of the Soviet university. Yet it is noticeable that, when discussing the contribution of scholars whose professional biography also covers this period, their work is presented in the context of years, not political periods. All three approaches are characterised by the ideology of an authoritarian state: if research done during the German occupation was spoken of positively, it could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. Therefore, this topic – the everyday life of the University of Tartu during the German occupation and the war – is expected to become relevant. The gap in knowledge needs filling. Was there any activity in folklore at all during this period? The Chair of Folklore was established at the University of Tartu in 1919, when the Estonian-language university was opened. In the Tsarist era (1802–1917), studying the Estonian language and culture was possible in lectureship courses only. Jaan Jõgever (1860–1924) systematically taught folklore as part of the lectureship course from 1909. In 1919, Jaan Jõgever became the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and one of the leading architects of the structure of the chairs of the Estonian language, culture and history at the university. Walter Anderson (1885–1962), an alumnus of Kazan University, who was already internationally renowned, was invited to the post of professor of folklore. In parallel, courses in Estonian folklore were taught by M. J. Eisen (1857–1934), who had previously worked as a pastor but, as a folklore collector, was a good expert on Estonian folklore. After Eisen died and Anderson left Tartu (in the course of the Umsiedlung in 1939), three alumni of the Estonian-language university engaged in teaching: Oskar Loorits (1900–1961), Elmar Päss (1901–1970), and the literary scholar August Annist (1899–1972). Elmar Päss moved to Tallinn at the end of the 1930s. Oskar Loorits, who was also the director of the Estonian Folklore Archives, became in charge of the chair. Due to conflict with the German occupation authorities, he could not continue working at the university at the end of 1942. However, folklore-related activities at the university continued: literary scholar August Annist delivered lectures and gave examinations in the specialisation. In autumn 1944, when the Soviet university reopened, Eduard Laugaste became the head of the Chair of Folklore. Annist continued as a lecturer of literature but was arrested in the early summer of 1945 and spent the next six years as a political prisoner. After he was released, he did not return to the university. This excursus reveals that, despite favourable and unfavourable circumstances, the teaching of folklore at the university that had started in 1909 was not discontinued during the war. However, it also shows that in the first half of the 20th century the government’s role was decisive in shaping the independence of the discipline by establishing the institutions. Today, it is important to analyse the development of the discipline, considering the interactions between the state, the institutions and the researcher(s), to gain a complete picture.

A.F. Samoilov: from synapse to systemic organization of functions

One of the world’s leading physiologists of the late 19th — the first third of the 20th centuries, Doctor of Medicine, Professor, Head of the Department of Physiology of Kazan University, Lenin Prize winner, Honored Scientist of the RSFSR Alexander Filippovich Samoilov (1867, Odessa — 1930, Kazan) is known as one of the creators of the theory and practice of electrocardiography, introduction of this method into the clinic. In 1924, A. F. Samoilov proved the chemical nature of the transition of excitation from a nerve to a muscle. Many fundamental works of the scientist are devoted to spinal and central nervous mechanisms. As a student and follower of I. M. Sechenov, A. F. Samoilov proceeded to formulate the principles of systematic organization of functions in animals and humans based on the material of his works. The scientists studied the systems of coding characters in the notation of notes. On the example of the circular rhythm of muscle excitation described by him in 1929, A. F. Samoilov anticipated the model of an automatic self-regulating system and systemic social circular interaction.

Faddey Gregorovich as the Pioneer of Penitentiary Law Doctrine at the Kazan University: His Fate and Legacy

This article traces the life of Faddey Vladislavovich Gregorovich, a prominent professor of the Department of Criminal Law and Procedure at the Imperial Kazan University who has almost faded from the memory of most scholars today. The documents from the State Archives of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Kalvaryja Cemetery in Minsk are analyzed. New documents that give a picture of F.V. Gregorovich’s family circle, which influenced his choice of profession, and solve the dispute on the exact date of his death are introduced and discussed for the first time. These new documents not only fill in some gaps in F.V. Gregorovich’s biography but also reveal how the scholar developed a strong passion for the theory of criminal law throughout his life. The myth about a conflict between F.V. Gregorovich and A.A. Piontkovsky is proven to be groundless. The cause of F.V. Gregorovich’s early retirement is identified: he was diagnosed with a nervous disease, and it led to his negative image in historiography. Since F.V. Gregorovich took part in the V International Prison Congress of 1895, it means that the academic community of the period under study recognized the establishment of prison studies as a special branch of jurisprudence at the Kazan University.