Contents and Abstracts

Theory

Eduard S. Kulpin. The point of no return (pp. 3–23).

The article considers the factors promoting and interfering processes of modernization in Russia.

Keywords: modernization, self-organization of a society, indicators, technologies, the starting mechanism, climate, value systems.

Olga N. Senyutkina. The Model ‘Center–Periphery’ in the methodology of humanitarian knowledge (pp. 24–32).

The author basing upon the existing methodological approaches to the study of nature and society, examines the potential of the ‘center-periphery’ model and comes to the conclusion that it is far from exhaustive, and not being a priority, it performs support functions within the approaches of social-natural history – the scientific discipline that studies relations between social and natural processes.

Keywords: center, periphery, center-periphery interactions, social-natural history, civilizational approach.

History of societies and civilizations

Yuliya N. Guseva. The world perception of the Moslems of the Middle Volga Region in the 1920s of the 20^th century: social and personal aspects (pp. 33–44).

The article considers various social and personal conflicts typical for the Moslems of the Middle Volga region that were provoked by ideological and world perception innovations of the 1920s. In particular, the issues of confrontations between generations, family conflicts arising as a result of state and party interference in the social and personal life are examined in this article. The conclusion is that at that period the fundamental reorganization of society that was based on the negation of the previous generations’ experience could not cause perceptible transformations in the studied society because of deep-rooted Islamic cultural tradition.

Keywords: Islamic communities of the Middle Volga region, world perception of the Moslems, the Moslems of the Volga region in the first Soviet decades.

Andrey V. Malgin. Joining the Crimea to Russia in light of imperial expansion (pp. 45–68).

The Russian Empire incorporated the Crimean Khanate 230 years ago. During all this time the opinions on the course of this process repeatedly changed in the national historiography and public opinion. This article attempts to consider this crucial fact in the history of South-East Europe as a result of a sort of failure of initial imperial project of constructing a political architecture in Northern Black sea region during the second half of the 18^th century.

Keywords: Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Crimean Khanate, Northern Black sea region, expansion, annexation, protectorate.

Felix M. Shabuldo. Conclusions of studying the problem of Blue Waters (pp. 69–89).

The Battle of Blue Waters in 1362 was one of the most significant events of military-political history of Eastern Europe of the period of Middle Ages. Its consequences were of great value for people that occupied the territory of the present Ukraine and Belarus. However, very little is known about that battle.

Keywords: history of Eastern Europe, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Golden Horde.

Polina V. Travert. The history and the image of a pub and a tavern in Russian culture. Part 1. About the history of a pub in Ancient Rus and a tavern in Russia (pp. 90–109).

The article discusses the emergence of pubs in Russia during several centuries. The objective of this study is to trace who and how created the places of alcohol consumption in the Russian state. Drinking establishments, as well as consumed alcohol beverages may be included in the system of cultural associations of a particular nation or country. For example, France is strongly associated with wine, bistrots, restaurants and cafes, and England with whisky and pubs. As for Russia, the association takes place only in relation to the national alcoholic beverage – vodka. However, as in other European countries, Russia had its own places of sale and consumption of alcohol: the drinking establishments in Russia greatly varied and each had its own history. In fact, the history of public places in general, is a part of social history and the history of everyday life. The evidence of this is the number of publications during the last two decades, affecting the social value of public places in a number of European countries. Such publications clearly indicate that drinking establishments can and should be viewed as a separate sphere of public life, and the overall organization of public space. In other words, the places of consumption of alcohol deserve special attention in the context of the study of everyday life, as proven by the examples of the various European traditions.

Keywords: tavern pub, drinking establishments, places of communication, social groups, comfort, alcohol beverages, public life.

Nature and society

Ekaterina A. Borisova. The evolution of views on climate changes in Central Asia (pp. 110–124).

The article examines the evolution of views on the reasons of climate change in Central Asia.

Keywords: Central Asia, climate change, drying, warming, anthropogenic factor.

Nataliya O. Kovaleva., Ekaterina M. Stolpnikova., Ivan V. Kovalev. A cultural layer of the estates – the carrier of information about nature and society interactions (by the example of Tsaritsino Park) (pp. 125–132).

As a result of garden and cottage building in modern Russia a special cultural layer and specific soil types that are different from zonal and urban (its functions in biosphere have yet to be determined) are formed on the considerable territory and in different relief position. However, the existing historical analogues, such as Tsaritsyno estate, revealed that changes in the conditions of soil formation may be due to the climate or the anthropogenic process. Our data argue in favor of higher intensity anthropogenic processes in the last millennium of the civilization history, compared with the first one.

Keywords: garden and cottage building, soil functions, landscape cultivation.

Silvia Kostovska, Angelina V. Antipova. Ecotonization of the space (pp. 133–139).

The issues of landscapes′ ecotonization as a result of natural and anthropogenic factors and the causes of environmental problems at the ecotone areas are considered in the article.

Keywords: ecotone, anthropogenic transformation of landscapes, change of climatic conditions, extreme situations, environmental problems.

German Yu. Orlov. Nobility estates (pp. 140–149).

Why do we always refer to nobility estates speaking about the golden nineteenth century Russian culture? The selfless devotion of the most educated representatives of the Russian Enlightenment promoted emerging a nobility estate as the phenomenon that became the source of the Russian high culture. Nobility estates turned into the social and material framework of the cultural life of an exceptional scale and resonance. The desire of the newly formed nineteenth century Russian Europeans not to conquer but to transform the nature led to the spreading across Russia beautiful ideal worlds that were so happily created and later on so easily destroyed.

Keywords: nobility estate, ‘golden century of Russian culture’, ideal worlds, Russian nobility, estate gardens and parks.

The link of times

Iskander L. Izmailov., Bachtiyar I. Izmailov. Gaziz Gubaidullin about the history of the Khanate of Kazan (pp. 150–157).

The role of the famous Tatar historian G. S. Gubaidullin in research of history of the Khanate of Kazan and its social structure is considered in this article. The concept of G. S. Gubaidullin was based on the theory of trading capital of M. N. Pokrovsky and the heritage of Tatar historical intellectuals such as Sh. Marjani, H. Atlasi,and G. Ahmerov. As a result, the history of the Volga region was considered from the perspective of the Turco-Tatars and the first scientific conception of the history of the Tatar nation was developed.

Keywords: The Khanate of Kazan, historiography, G. S. Gubaidullin, national history.

Luiza A. Shamsutdinova. About the history of the problem of the status of indigenous people of Siberian Tatars (pp. 158–162).

On the edge of centuries

Galina V. Manzanova. Socio-cultural transformation of Buryatiya (pp. 163–178).

The article examines demographic, social and economic development processes of Buryatiya in the 1990s and 2000s. The reforms of the 1990s and subsequent economic and social depression in Buryatia are replaced by innovations of the 2000s in the forms of direct support of this geopolitically important territory. However, innovations are not sufficient to combat remoteness, extensive forms of production, consequences of industrial depression, population decline, social problems unless the core of modernization mechanism changes.

Keywords: region, Buryatiya, modernization, developing, industry, social and cultural processes, demography, depression, ethnos.

Adile M. Emirova. Russian language on the post-Soviet terrotory (pp. 179–185).

Russian language in the Soviet Union gradually replaced the languages of minority nations in the total communication space but in the current geopolitical conditions it may contribute to their revival and development. This new social function of the modern Russian language can be called regenerative function.

Keywords: globalization, minority languages, regenerative function.

Sergey Yu. Malkov. Russia in the 21^st century: rise or fall? (pp. 186–202)

The peculiar civilizational features of Russia are examined with the application of methods of mathematical simulation and analysis of the stability of social systems. It is shown that in the course of the deepening globalization and formation of the World-organism the urgency of the historical experience of Russia will grow.

Keywords: stability of social systems, globalization, World-organism, the prospect of Russia.

Contents and Abstracts (pр. 203–206)