Local Historians Research Articles

Ternopil regional museums in the funds of the State Archive of Ternopil Region

The article highlights the activities of museum institutions of Ternopil Region based on the documents and materials of the State Archives of Ternopil Region. A brief description of the documents composition and a list of archival collections containing information on this issue are given. The current state of museum and archival affairs development allows numerous researchers, local lore researches and historians to find necessary information for writing scientific papers on various topics. Public interest in the historical past is growing every year, and museums, as specialized institutions, provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the artifacts of the past. Documents kept in state storage in the State Archives of Ternopil Region (hereinafter – the State Archives) allow us to better cover this issue. The emergence of this study is determined by the tasks of clarifying the content and composition of documents related to the activities of museum institutions in Ternopil and the region and stored in the State Archives. All of this together actualizes the research issues. The purpose of this study is to analyse the composition and content of the documents and materials of the State Archives related to the activities of museum institutions of Ternopil Region. The object of study is the activity of museum institutions of Ternopil Region since their foundation on the basis of documents of the national archival fond. The subject of the article is the documents of the State Archives concerning the work of museum institutions of Ternopil Region. A holistic study of the problem will allow to better highlight the activities of the museum institutions, and will give impetus to further research in this area. The work is the first to provide the most comprehensive analysis of the State Archives source base related to this issue, and this is the scientific novelty of the study. The scientific and practical value of the results and main ideas of study is that the analysed factual material, theoretical provisions and conclusions can be used in writing generalised works on the history of Ukraine, the history of museum affairs, in archival studies, historiographical and local history publications, in the preparation of relevant special courses, and in practical teaching. This study is an attempt to simplify the search for information for further researchers of Ternopil museums, local historians, and all those interested in the museum business of their native land.

Переписка И. А. Шляпкина с А. А. Титовым

The article presents a study and a publication of the correspondence between Ilya Alek-sandrovich Shlyapkin (1858–1918) and Andrey Aleksandrovich Titov (1844–1911). Shlyapkin was a professor at St. Petersburg University, a corresponding member of the Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences and of the Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature, and an antiquarian, while Titov was a merchant and a philanthropist, a collector of manuscripts and an archaeographer, a local historian, and an enthusiast of everything pertaining to the past of the city of Rostov. The correspondence between Shlyapkin and Titov includes letters and postcards from the 1880s to the 1900s (51 items in total). They are currently located in the Department of Manuscripts of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkinskij Dom) of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg (fonds 341, inventory 1, no. 2177), the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art in Moscow (fonds 1296, inventory 1, no. 153) and the State Archives of the Yaroslavl Region in Yaroslavl (fonds 1367, inventory 1, no. 2020). In his letters, Titov reveals interesting facts about his collection, the process of his acquisition of archival and manuscript materials, the work on the description of the collection, and the preparation of the manuscripts in his collection for publication. Shlyapkin wrote about his scholarly activities, particularly about his master’s thesis “Saint Dimitry and his Time (1651– 1709)”, which he successfully defended at St. Petersburg University in 1891 after ten years of work. The correspondence also shows that Titov assisted Shlyapkin with some information that the latter needed for his thesis. Moreover, the letters of the two men reveal the history of their personal relationships as well as some features of their daily life. The author provides a detailed commentary along with her publication of the letters in an appendix.

Борьба Сакской подпольной организации с нацистскими оккупантами. 1942–1944 гг.

In the article, based on both previously unknown and published documents, there is considered the history of the underground struggle of Valentin Vyacheslavovich Kamler in the territory of the city of Saki of the Crimean ASSR. The author used materials from: the funds of the State Archive of the Republic of Crimea, the archival department (municipal archive) of the administration of the city of Saki, the museum of local history and mud therapy of the city of Saki. The actions of the underground workers are analyzed, including the following aspects: anti-fascist propaganda and agitation; collection, manufacture and storage of ammunition, military equipment; intelligence activities; the attraction of personnel from Nazi-allied foreign military contingents to the side of the Soviet government. In this work for the first time since the end of the Great Patriotic War, the names of the provocateurs who extradited V. V. Kamler and his associates to the Nazi special services and the police, are named. The publication is addressed primarily to researchers of the underground resistance movement, local historians and publicists

В эпицентре освоения целины: грандиозная кампания в оценке рядового участника А. Ф. Плохотниченко. 1954-1968 гг.

This article contains a small, previously unpublished excerpt from the typewritten manuscript of the Orenburg pervotselinnik (first virgin lands volunteer) Alexander Ferapontovich Plokhotnichenko (1918–2001). The memoirs materials presented in the article were written in the late 1990s, shortly before the author's death. In fact, these are memoirs-reflections, a significant part of which relates to the time of the mass development of virgin and fallow lands on the territory of the Adamovka district of the Orenburg region. On the pages of his manuscript, the author rethought most significant events and phenomena of the “virgin lands” decade in the difficult days of post-Soviet reality. Within the framework of this study, a brief historiographical overview of scholarship on colossal memoir heritage of the virgin lands era is presented. The published excerpt from the manuscript of A. F. Plokhotnichenko is unique in terms of content, since analytical memoirs are extremely rare among the memoir sources of the virgin lands era. In the Orenburg region such materials are not to be found. The article is to provide comprehensive analysis of the presented fragment of A.F. Plokhotnichenko's memoirs as an exceptional historical source on the history of the virgin lands development. The scientific value of this documentary publication is due to the author’s long-term participation in the large-scale development campaign. When working with memoirs, specific historical and historical-typological approaches have been used. They permit, on the one hand, to consider the memoirs as an original retrospective text containing specific factual information and, on the other, to analyze the transmitted socio-historical experience. The author of the memoirs underscored the “trouble spots” of the epoch-making development campaign, its obvious mistakes and miscalculations. Having an opportunity to evaluate the virgin lands epic in a broad historical retrospect, A.F. Plokhotnichenko wondered what the Orenburg region and the country as a whole had gained from the massive development of new lands. Memoirs are published in abbreviated form. Nevertheless, the editing did not distort the general meaning of the materials left by A.F. Plokhotnichenko, did not change his reasoning and main conclusions. Their introduction into scientific use may contribute to expansion of the source base and formation of a more objective perception of the history of the virgin lands development. Despite their pronounced subjectivity, memoirs can be of undoubted interest to both specialists (primarily historians and local historians) and to a wide range of researchers.

Obraz Turka a „tureckého“ v povestiach regiónu Požitavia

This article deals with analyzing the Turkish-themed legends in the Žitava River region. This region was hit hard and intensively during the Ottoman wars lasting from 1526 to 1683 with certain periods of peace. Therefore, this region is relatively rich in Turkish-themed legends. Due to the fact that this region was (temporarily) incorporated under the Ottoman administration, the local population had specific contacts with the Ottomans. Over time, an image of Ottomans and Ottoman people took shape in the collective memory, which manifested itself in historical legends. Many motifs and images are identical to motifs that are also found in other regions of Slovakia, but there are also anomalies. Legends collected by enthusiasts and local historians (in 1998) were used as sources of analyzed data, supplemented by archival research of the socalled collections of Professor Frank Wollman (carried out mainly in the 1930s) and the author´s field research (in 2015, 2022). As a theoretical tool, an imagological analysis focused on the image of the Ottomans, combined with folkloristic theories about collective memory and metageography, is used. The legends are compared (if possible) with historical facts to see the shift and differences within the historical collective memory and historiography.

СОЗДАНИЕ ОРЛОВСКОЙ КАРТИННОЙ ГАЛЕРЕИ В ИСТОРИИ РАЗВИТИЯ КУЛЬТУРЫ И ИСКУССТВА РЕГИОНА

The purpose of the article is to consider the history of the Orel Art Gallery creation and its organization features in the middle of the 20-th century. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the issue of museum construction is studied insufficiently in the postwar period, as well as the specifics of the formation of new art museums and galleries collections. In many ways, the successful functioning of the es-tablished network of new cultural institutions was due to the extraordinary personalities who understand the requirements of the time to lead them. The main task is to identify the role of I.A. Krugly in solving the issues of the organization of the main directions of the gallery in the context of historical, political and social conditions of the 1950s – 1960s. Using the example of the creation of the Orel Art Gallery and the activities of I.A. Krugly, it is possible to trace the features of the development of culture and art in Russia, as well as the role of patrons and local historians in the creation of cultural institutions. The author coms to the conclusion that the study allows a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical significance of this museum and its role in the development of Orel cultural life and Russia as a whole.

Healthcare of the Tobolsk North in the middle 19 th – early 20 th century

This article aims to analyze the state of public health and medical care in the territory of the Tobolsk North in the middle 19th – early 20th c. using retrospective and narrative methods, the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity. The novelty of the research lies in the previously unpublished archival materials. Based on the analysis of various types of sources, the author reconstructs the process of formation of the health care system and traces the dynamics of solving the identified problems of medical support for the population of the Tobolsk North in the middle of the 19th – early 20th c. The results show sanitary and epidemiological situation on its territory and the specifics of folk medicine of the indigenous population. That allows full coverage of the retrospective of health care in the territory of the Tobolsk province and northern health care in general. Literature review includes the documents from the Russian State Historical Archives funds, the State Archives in Tobolsk, legislative acts, reference publications, materials of the First Provincial Congress of Rural Doctors of the Tobolsk Province, as well as travel notes. The results of the study can be of interest to historians, ethnologists, local historians, and doctors.

HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF IVAN FILYPCAK (1871–1945)

The article reveals the figure of the historian Ivan Filipchak (1871–1945) as a researcher of education in Eastern Galicia and, partially, Lemkiv region. For the first time, the study of I. Filipchak's studies in the history of education is analyzed. It is claimed that most of them are devoted mainly to the history of education and educational institutions: rural primary schools in the villages of Strilbychi and Hordynia in Sambir Region, the monastery school of the village of Lavriv, Sambir Teacher's Seminary. Two works of the researcher are singled out, which have a generalizing nature and are dedicated to the development of folk schooling in the ethnographic regions of Ukraine – Lemkivshchyna and Boykivshchyna. It is proved that some of the works were written on the basis of extensive source material (primarily the study of the history of the main school in Lavrov), while some others (school in Hordyna, education in Lemkiv region) were built on a rather limited source base. It was noted that the researcher actively used the memories of teachers and students, personal memories, documents from the school archives and funds of the «Boikivshchyna» Society in Sambor, of which he was an active member. A feature of many of his works has been established – a noticeable antiquarian approach to historical sources, the presence of archeographic essays in the studios, which is characteristic of novice historians and local historians. It was revealed that in his writings the author very clearly traces, in his opinion, the main factors of the development of education – the policy of the authorities, representatives of the church, the community and individual educational figures. It is proven that the scientist paid considerable attention to little-known figures in the field of public education, in particular to teachers P. Buschakovsky, H. Gordynskyi, Fr. M. Maksymovich, Y. Kerekyarto, T. Bilenko, and others. It was established that the scientist's works were characterized by special attention to native-language education, as well as ethnographic observations about the life of Boiks and Lemks. Keywords: history of education, Ivan Filipchak, historiography, Roman Lukan, historiographical analysis, Sambir region.

ДЕСЯТЫЙ ВЫПУСК ВОЕННОГО ВРЕМЕНИ ПАВЛОВСКОГО ВОЕННОГО УЧИЛИЩА: В ЛИЦАХ И СУДЬБАХ УРОЖЕНЦЕВ МОСКОВСКОГО ВОЕННОГО ОКРУГА

The article is about the interim results of the personal identification of cadets of the tenth class of wartime graduates of the Pavlovsk Military School, one of the most prestigious military educational institutions of the Russian Empire. It deals with the cadets of the above school, who were born in the territories that were part of the Moscow Military District of the Russian Empire. The data on the occupied areas and the ethnic composition of the regions that were part of the Moscow Military District at the end of the 19th century are given. The presented material demonstrates the collected biographical information and portraits of some of the named persons who have chosen the path to military service, becoming officers during the First World War. At the same time, those people turned out to be the eyewitnesses and direct participants in the landmark events of the first half of the twentieth century in the history of our country, such as revolutions, wars, emigration and repressions. The life path of some of the mentioned personalities is briefly described. The studies were carried out on the basis of the work with the funds of the federal and regional, as well as family archives. The publication serves as an example showing what questions can be answered thanks to the personal files of students in the Russian Empire. In addition, the publication is intended to help find the descendants of the people mentioned in the article, as well as to attract the attention of historians, local historians and just some concerned people who are able to provide additional information about named persons.

Respecting the Manning Family: Jane Manning James and Her Family in Wilton, Connecticut

Respecting the Manning Family: Jane Manning James and Her Family in Wilton, Connecticut

CONTRIBUTION OF PERM RESEARCHERS TO THE STUDY OF RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN CONSERVATISM

The three-hundredth anniversary of Perm focuses on various achievements of residents of the city and the region as a whole. The significant contribution of Perm scientists to the development of various branches of science and art actualizes the appeal to the creative heritage of local historians, the scale of which has an all-Russian character. Perm historical school of the study of domestic and foreign conservatism has rich traditions and is one of the leading in the Russian Federation. Originated in the Soviet years, when its founder P. Yu. Rakhshmir was developing a research interest in analyzing certain aspects of conservatism in Western countries. Today the school continues to function successfully, a new generation of scientists is emerging, its luminaries continue to work, thereby expanding our understanding of various aspects of such a multifaceted and complex phenomenon as conservatism.

Серікбол Қондыбай негіздеген «теңіз жылқыларының» түркілік генезисі (Маңғыстау сакралды мәтіндері негізінде)

In Mangystau sacred texts (petroglyphs, epitaphs, inscriptions), the image of a horse occupies a special place. There is a mythological concept of the «sea horse» in the folklore of the peoples living near the Caspian Sea. «Water stallion» coming out of the water is used as a symbol of speed in the language of giraffes. The article examines the researches of the Kazakh local historian, geographer, ethnographer, mythologist Serikbol Kondybai regarding the «sea horse» in Turkish mythology. Serikbol Kondybai says that the root of the word «ertteu» in the Kazakh language is connected with the person «ert» and its original meaning is «order». He said that to saddle a horse is to tame a horse, thereby moving from chaos to space. In this article, Serikbol’s opinion was supplemented with ethnographic, archeological, folklore research data and analyzed. Scientific information was given on the Turkish genesis of the horse cult, which complements S. Kondybai’s historical-linguistic, cognitive-folkloric research. As a result of the study, the final opinion was proposed that «the domestication of the horse is the beginning of human civilization.» As documentary material for the article, materials of a field expedition organized in 2020-2022 as part of the scientific project «AP08856996 Conceptual space of sacred texts of Mangystau (zhyrau texts, epitaph inscriptions, petroglyphs)» were used.

Код доступа. Рецензия на монографию М.А. Перепелкина «Ходившие по мукам: “самарский код” в трилогии А.Н. Толстого»

The article represents a review on the monograph by M.A. Perepelkin “Khodivshie po mukam: ʽsamarskii kod’ v trilogii A.N. Tolstogo” (Samara, 2022). The aim of the Samara literary critic and local historian lays in the realistic representation of the narrative strategy of a writer. M.A. Perepelkin is the first researcher who has paid attention to certain “discrepancies” in the work and identified its unique “code.” The objectivity of the conclusions is verified by the wide range of factual materials (archival documents, memoirs, newspaper articles, etc.). Firstly, the edition has proved its novelty by introducing into scientific circulation the unique biographical facts about the writer himself with his close surrounding alongside with other bright contemporaries. Secondly, it is a development of brand new methodical approaches to the analysis of the interconnection between historical and literary memorу. The reviewer gives a brief description of chapters of the monograph paying special attention to the aspects which bear the greatest importance while confirming the value of the fundamental research conducted by M.A. Perepelkin. The author of the review comes to the conclusion that the monograph given should be considered as the main tool for forming and storing historical memory.

Javna i primijenjena povijest

The article presents key elements of public history. Firstly, it indicates the changes in contemporary historiography that enabled the emergence of public history, as well as its affirmation as a new historical sub-discipline and consequently its inclusion in university programmes. Secondly, it describes institutional development of public history from the 1970s onwards, and contemplates the still open question of its definition. In addition, the article presents the main highlights of applied history. Although applied history is often mentioned as an integral part of public history, it is worth talking about it separately, in order to highlight the practical dimension of history. This refers to history in practice and the possibilities of historians' work outside the academia and education. The article also presents controversies and criticisms provoked by public history and applied history and offers answers to them. The author argues that public and applied history can be a framework that enables historians to reconcile the professional needs and the audience's interests. He points out that it is important to take into account the relationship between academic historiography and the public. Lastly, the author discusses future perspectives of public and applied history, with an emphasis on local academic historiography. Considering the students' interest as well as that of a significant part of local historians, the author encourages discussion about a possible graduate studies in public history. Besides being an important challenge for academic historiography, the author concludes that public and applied history can also offer a great deal of practical skills to professional historians.

«Авторские силы учеников»: М. Горький и начинающие писатели поселка Норское (Ярославская область)

Numerous letters of the writer’s correspondents are stored in the Archive of A. M. Gorky IWL RAS. They shared with the writer their impressions of what they had read, asked for help in literary endeavors, asked for advice, and sent their essays for review. Among M. Gorky’s correspondence there is a letter from a member of the editorial board of the school literary magazine, teacher and local historian Sergei Petrovich Suryaninov (Krasnoperevalskaya Factory school, Norskoye settlement, Yaroslavl region). Suryaninov attached two continuations of Gorky’s story “Mother” to the letter. “Pavel after the Tsar’s Trial” – works by 7th grade students Vladimir Tikhomirov and Mikhail Vereykin. Two essays are interesting for the students’ comprehension of what they have read, the desire to learn more about Gorky’s work, and the desire to change the fate of the characters. Students’ texts are artistically imperfect. The continuations of the original work demonstrate the students’ study of the plot of the story. Young authors borrow images of heroes and elements of the original text; events significant for plot-building unfold within a given chronotope, but students prolong the time thread and thereby weaken deep intertextual connections with the original. Creative works are examples of the activation of the children’s literary movement in the 1930s, the awakening of writing talents among active readers, as well as examples of “continuation texts” as a kind of secondary text. The article analyzes the work of methodologist M. A. Rybnikova, who was engaged in the development of children’s verbal creativity in the 1920s and 1930s. Her activity was in line with the Gorky strategy of educating writers. The responses of young readers to Gorky’s work “Mother” are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. Critical and emotional reviews were important for all participants in the literary process. They allowed the author to get a reaction to the work and feel his relevance. Reviews helped the reader to evaluate what they read and establish feedback with the author, they formed a readership. The appendix of the article contains a letter from S. P. Suryaninov and the writings of V. Tikhomirov and M. Vereykin as an illustration of the methodical and artistic work of the literary circle.

Исследования В.Г. Гниловским географических особенностей Ставропольского края

Introduction. The current stage of the development of local history is characterized by an increased interest in the most valuable results of scientists of the XX century. An active study of the information collected and systematized by them is underway. By 1917, local history took a significant place in cultural and social life of large and small cities. There was a wide range of educated people engaged in local history research, and a generation of local historians emerged. Local history societies, museums and clubs sprang up everywhere. They formed the real scientific basis without which it is difficult to imagine the further development of local history. Vladimir G. Gnilovskoy made a great contribution to the development of geographical local history and brought it to a new level but the main views of the scientist remain insufficiently studied. Materials and research methods. The research was based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency. The use of general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis made the great contribution to the in-depth study of historical phenomena in the field of geographical local history. The paper uses a comparative historical method and a system-functional analysis of the material using a problem-chronological approach. The method of quantitative analysis allowed us to track the dynamics of local history works of various types over the entire period under review. Scientific legacy of V. G. Gnilovskoy is largely determined by the reliance on the works of his predecessors, their critical analysis which allowed us to complete a certain stage in the accumulation of empirical information about the nature of Stavropol. The paper uses a comparative-historical method and a system-functional analysis of the material using a problem-chronological approach. The method of quantitative analysis allowed us to trace the dynamics of local history works of various types for the entire period under review. Research results and their discussion. The purpose of this article is to identify and analyze the contribution of V. G. Gnilovskoy to the development of geographical local history. To achieve this goal the work of local historians – the predecessors in Stavropol in the XIX – early XX centuries was analyzed and the research activities of V. G. Gnilovskoy were systematized. The main approaches and principles of geographical local history in the works of V. G. Gnilovskoy were identified as well as the key ideas of popularization and educational activities of the scientist in the field of geographical local history were summarized. Conclusions. Systematization of research activities V. G. Gnilovskoy allowed us to identify two main areas that most of the scientist's works belong to: a) scientific work in the field of geomorphology; b) research activities in the field of historical geography. His long-term scientific research and discoveries enriched the geographical knowledge of Stavropol and gave an impetus to further more in-depth and comprehensive research. All the results of his research activities V. G. Gnilovskay tried not only to publish but also to convey to the public. Having identified the key ideas of popularization and educational activities in the field of geographical local history we can conclude that V. G. Gnilovskoy made a great contribution to the organization and conduct of public education activities.

Конфессиональная составляющая национального самосознания русских во второй половине ХIХ – начале ХХ века (на материалах Среднего Урала)

This study is devoted to the national self-consciousness (identity) of Russians in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries through the prism of religious beliefs. The work was carried out based on the materials of the Middle Urals (Perm province). The main purpose of the study is to determine the role of confessional identification in the national selfconsciousness and to characterize the mechanisms of its formation by the religious environment. Unpublished personal archives of Ural local historians and collectors of folklore, archives of the authorities of the Perm province, articles from the mass media of the specified period, published materials and collections of texts of historians, philologists, linguists, speeches of priests and townsfolk recorded by contemporaries were used as sources for such an analysis. The analysis makes it possible to fix the confessional component in the manifestations of national self-consciousness. At the same time, the emphasis in the work is made on the Orthodox component of the official Church. The Old Believer ethnics and religious beliefs of the Russian population of the Urals are not considered in the study as having significant differences from the bulk of the Russian people. The work emphasizes that the most important components of the Russian national self-consciousness of the prerevolutionary era was the correlation of the supreme secular power (the tsar) with the spiritual power (the Orthodox Church), which resulted in the image of the sovereign as an archpastor. An important mechanism in the formation of this kind of views is the activity of priests and the intelligentsia and their patronage by the local and supreme authorities. At the same time, the study noted that the formation of such a national-confessional worldview has its roots in the popular Christian and pre-Christian beliefs and ideas.

Фотографическое наследие казанского аптекаря Арнольда Бренинга: история и состав коллекции. 1904-1937 гг.

The article presents results of studying photographic heritage of the Kazan pharmacist Arnold Brening (1879–37). Its first part examines his biography drawing on documents from the State Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan and on private archive of his granddaughter Tatyana Brening. Close attention is paid to the professional development of A. Brening, from his apprenticeship at the Brening Heirs Pharmacy to obtaining a pharmacist's degree at the Imperial Kazan University, from tenant to owner of the pharmacy at the corner of Bolshaya Prolomnaya (Bauman street, since 1930) and Universitetskaya. In the same part, the history of formation and development of his photographic practices is revealed. Brening’s passion for photography began during his military service in Harbin in 1904–06. Having returned to Kazan, he continued taking photographs. He subscribed to photographic literature, experimented with retouching and technologies, bought new equipment. Brening regularly cultivated his skills during his walks with camera, “photographic excursions.” He took pictures of architecture, street scenes, town events. After his marriage, his photographic repertoire expanded to portraits of his wife. Brening not only showed his photographic results to a close circle of friends, he sent them to photographic journals and exhibitions in Moscow. After the Russian Revolution, his family lived in Siberia about three years. Upon his return, Brening continued to work in the field of pharmaceuticals and to take photographs of the city and its suburban area. In the 1930s, he worked at Osoaviakhim and later at the Institute of Chemical Technology. In 1937 he was arrested and shot. Among incriminating evidence was his photograph taken in 1917. The second part of the article presents the history of Brening’s photographic heritage. It establishes current location of its disparate parts: at the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Zelenodolsk Museum of Historical and Cultural Heritage, personal archives of citizens; and briefly demonstrates some items. Until late 1980s, Brening’s photographs remained forgotten. They were preserved thanks to the efforts of his wife, children, and granddaughter, and actualized in active work of local historians, journalists, museum specialists in the 1990s–2000s. This article is one of the first steps in scientific understanding of Brening’s photographic heritage.

«Возвращались с грустью в сердце». Воспоминания беженца Первой мировой войны 1914-1918 гг.

The article uses method of historical commentary to examine valuable memoirs of Roman Bagrovsky, a World War I refugee from the Grodno gubernia, born in 1906; the memoirs were transcribed in 2000 by local historian Vladimir Sidoruk. The events of the Great War of 1914–18 affected the population of the Western territories of the Russian Empire directly, as they, unlike the inhabitants of the interior regions, had to leave their native lands, fleeing the Germans, and they were leaving for long years. It should be noted that the memoirs reflect all periods of the Bagrovskys’ refugee life: their evacuation, their residence in the Ryazan gubernia prior to the Bolsheviks’ rise to power and in the Soviet period, and their return to the homeland. The source allows us to visualize the realities of the summer of 1915, when, the Russian army retreating and the threat of German occupation of the Grodno gubernia growing, the entire population of R. Bagrovsky’s native village joined the refugee column riding to Belovezha. The memoirs can be used to reconstruct the unprecedented process of horse-drawn movement of people masses in the summer of 1915 and to identify its circumstances: willy-nilly low speed, shortage of water, heat, adversely affecting the refugees’ well-being and health. The source demonstrates informal side of such fleeing, never recorded in official documents: for example, moving by rail, deliveries, stationing in rural areas (village of Bolshoe Pirogovo, Ryazan gubernia). According to the memoirs’ author, local farmers and refugees lived well before the revolution. Everything changed with the rise of the Bolsheviks: the refugees experienced hunger, lack of essential goods, they witnessed dissatisfaction of the local peasants with the “new order,” their armed resistance and its consequences. The final part of the memoirs is also important, as it permits to detail the difficult process of returning: first, the refugees reached Moscow, then Brest, then home, where in August 1920 they found “only ruins” and their fathers’ land “overgrown with weeds.” Roman worked as shepherd. New life began. Only 12 years later Roman Bagrovsky started his own family, as he and his father had first to restore the farm. Thus, taking into account that the memoirs of the First World War refugees are rarely used in the Russian scholarship, the publication may be of interest not only to specialists, but also to anyone interested in the humanitarian aspects of the history of the First World War and problems of the Russian wartime refugees.

From Decolonization to Ethnonationalism

The history syllabus and textbooks in the Malaya/Malaysia education system became a matter of interest only within the few years before the country’s independence in 1957 to eventually become a controversy among concerned educationists and academicians. During the British colonial period, the syllabus and textbooks, despite being European-centric/English oriented and far from being Malayan in form and content, were generally accepted without much dispute, perhaps because during this period the number of local historians and educated elites were still small. Education in the country was then under the colonial dominance. Furthermore, history teachers, having been educated under the British colonial system, even after some years of independence were more familiar and at ease with the old colonial curriculum. However, after Malaya (later Malaysia) gained Independence from the British in 1957 and Malaysia in 1963, the controversy about the right approach in the teaching of Malayan history came to the fore. The main contentious issue about the history curriculum was Malayanization and Malaysia-centric versus Euro-centric syllabus.