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.

The period from the late 19th to the first third of the 20th century witnessed a revival and advance of national science, culture, and art. It was also marked by a growing sense of national identity and a historical and cultural pursuit by the Tatar intelligentsia. In the 1920s, the formation and development of national humanities research in Kazan were driven by the efforts of dedicated Tatar scholars and educators. Among the most prominent figures were Gali Rakhim (Mukhametgali Mukhametshakirovich Gabdrakhimov) (1892–1943)–a writer, poet, literary historian, and folklorist, Gabdrakhman Saadi (Saadi Gabdrakhman Gainanovich (1889–1956)–a literary critic and orientalist. They were the pioneers of the Tatar Renaissance and contributed substantially to the development of scholarly studies in history, literature, linguistics, and archeography of the Turkic peoples, with a particular focus on the Tatar people. Engaged in solving a variety of problems, they were the encyclopedists who determined modern academic and pedagogical trends in many university and educational centers of Kazan during the 1920s. This article considers their previously unknown epistolary heritage: one letter of G. Rakhim (1927) and two letters of G. Saadi (1928 and 1929) to V.V. Bartold, an outstanding orientalist and academician, from his personal collection stored in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch. These letters provide clear and strong evidence of the enduring professional and personal contacts between the Tatar scholars and leading Russian orientalists in the late 1920s.

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.

This article explores the official duties of the hazarapat (hazarapatiš) at the court of the Achaemenid kings and defines the relationship between the terms chiliarch (χιλíαρχος) and isangeleus (εἰσαγγελεύς), both used for this Persian title, in the evolution of the ancient written tradition. Ancient Greek authors, up to Ctesias of Cnidus, discussed the chiliarch only in the military context. In later periods, it was increasingly perceived as both the Persian king’s bodyguard and the isangeleus at court ceremonies, thus implying broad political powers. In reality, the chiliarch never combined these two duties. He remained the commander of his military unit, which consisted of a thousand of men, and apparently checked the reliability of royal visitors before audiences. The isangeleus, another royal courtier, was responsible for informing the king about the intentions of visitors, as well as for guiding their adherence to Persian etiquette and customs.

This article examines several narratives about the posthumous veneration of King Leonidas in Sparta. The details of the funeral ceremony held for him are analyzed. Leonidas was the only ruler to be commemorated with three tombstones and three funerals, all in different locations. These unprecedented honors emphasized the exceptional importance attributed to Leonidas by the Spartan authorities. They affirmed his commanding role in strengthening Sparta’s reputation as the leader of the Greek resistance. Leonidas’ recognition and the annual holiday in his honor were fundamental in shaping the mentality of the Spartan citizens. He and the three hundred Spartans who perished with him at Thermopylae embodied the ideal of a noble death in defense of the homeland and showed the Spartans that they were expected to either triumph over the enemy or meet their fate. This concept became ingrained in the ideology of the Spartiates. The intrigue surrounding the transfer of Leonidas’ remains from Thermopylae to Sparta is discussed. Due to a gap in Pausanias’ text, the identity of those responsible for this action and its timing are still unknown. The speculation is fueled by the discrepancy between the name and date provided in the manuscript. Here, several different options to fill the gap are considered. Out of all the options, the one that involves the least amount of intervention, i.e., simply replacing one digit in the manuscript, stands out.

This article considers the status of ambassadors in the Roman Republic, focusing on the relations between foreign embassies and the Senate from the 6th to the 1st centuries BC, as described by Titus Livius (Livy) in «The History of Rome from the Founding of the City». Livy addresses many aspects, including the arrival of ambassadors and their reports to public officials, which the Senate deemed necessary for recognizing them as legitimate representatives. Additionally, he details their claims in the Senate and the subsequent discussions held by the Senators, as well as the process of making decisions and responding to ambassadors. Livy’s narrative offers an insight into the entire process of how ambassadors were received, from their arrival in Rome and registration with magistrates until their departure from Rome or Italy in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Special attention is paid to the Senate’s debates over the problems raised by ambassadors. Overall, Livy outlines the general procedure used by the Senate to settle foreign policy matters.

This article explores the role and functions of food and food rituals in the Frankish Merovingian kingdom during the second half of the 6th century based on the writings of Venantius Fortunatus, a renowned poet of that period, dedicated to the Merovingian queen and nun St. Radegund of Poitiers. His vita of St. Radegund and poems about her include numerous references to food and ceremonies associated with it. The obtained results show that shared meals, dietary restrictions, treats, gifts, and food distribution were the key aspects of social interactions in Merovingian Gaul. They not only strengthened the bonds between the church and the laity but also contributed to the formation of new ties between the religious and political domains. St. Radegund’s generosity and asceticism heightened her authority. Food rituals became part of the patronage system’s daily practices, thereby adapting it to the needs of the emerging medieval Christian society. It is also important that sharing meals and exchanging gifts, often food, fostered trust and promoted friendship among people.

This article focuses on the evolution of the concept of vagrancy in Russia during the period between the second half of the 17th to the first half of the 19th centuries. A set of legislative acts defining vagrants as a separate social group are analyzed. The stages and causes that underlie the transformation of the concept of vagrancy in the state discourse of the Russian Empire are singled out, systematized, and described. A qualitative shift in the Russian state’s perception and understanding of vagrancy as a multifaceted phenomenon is revealed. Based on the results obtained, it is shown that the evolution of vagrancy unfolded in three stages. In the first stage (from the second half of the 17th to the first quarter of the 18th centuries), this concept had no legal status. In the second stage (from the second quarter to the end of the 18th century), vagrancy was gradually introduced into the official legal space of Russia. The third stage (the first half of the 19th century) was marked by the criminalization of this concept in Russian criminal legislation. The key indicators of this process were the introduction of the passport system, the discussions circulating in the Russian public around the status of fugitive people, the recognition of people «who do not remember their kinship» as a social group, and the efforts to curb poverty. The conclusions drawn contribute immensely to the development of historiographic research, as the concept of vagrancy and its formation have escaped the attention of most scholars and remain insufficiently explored.

This article examines S.Yu. Witte’s perception of certain political practices in late Imperial Russia, with a special focus on his memoirs. The financial reform introduced by him and the «struggle» for its implementation, both in the bureaucratic field and public political communication, are considered in detail. The primary sources used in the analysis include S.Yu. Witte’s «Memoirs», accounts from his contemporaries, periodicals, correspondence, and unpublished materials stored in the archives of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The results obtained reveal that the Russian Empire pursued contradictory political practices during the studied period. Key algorithms of the political behavior of public officials and their characteristics in the «Memoirs» as a valuable source are outlined.

This article provides an overview of the alcohol reform in the Russian Empire during the second half of the 19th century based on the key publications in «Ekonomicheskii Zhurnal» (‘Economic Journal’). Crop distillation on preferential terms is considered in detail. The statistics resulting from the changes in the drinking business over the studied period are analyzed. The assessment of the reform’s success and effectiveness in fiscal and budgetary matters by A.P. Subbotin is discussed. The contradictory basis of the wine monopoly is shown: while reducing the rates of «public drunkenness», it also retained the revenue from alcohol sales to the state budget. The alcohol policies pursued by Western European countries and the USA in the 19th century are outlined. The findings reveal that the alcohol reform in the Russian Empire was influenced by these foreign models. A.P. Subbotin’s position that the government sought to maximize the fiscal potential of alcohol production and trade is justified. The legislative framework of the state policy on the sale of alcoholic beverages is summarized. It is concluded that A.P. Subbotin was the first to highlight the necessity of taking into account the regional diversity of the Russian Empire when developing and implementing alcohol-related policies.

This article considers the revival of the Kryashen media between 1992 and 2002. There was an increase in the Tatar media’s attention to the Kryashen problems during that period, along with the overall advance of the Kryashen periodicals. The late 1980s and early 1990s witnessed the rise in national self-awareness among the Kryashen population and the emergence of the Kryashen social movement. Here, the efforts of various public organizations, figures, leaders, and activists of the Kryashen movement to promote the cultural and educational development of the Kryashens through the revival of their printed media are analyzed. Their role in establishing and publishing the «Kryashen Suze» (‘Word of the Kryashens’), one of the first private newspapers in the Russian media space, is highlighted. It is also shown that the endeavors of the Kryashen movement activists to expand their reach to the republican media were successful: they started and broadcasted programs on the national radio and television channels and created online platforms about the Kryashens.

This article explores how «Vechernyaya Kazan’» (‘Evening Kazan’), a socio-political newspaper specializing in urban affairs, shaped the celebratory image of Kazan for its 1000th anniversary by publishing a variety of multi-genre materials in the late 1990s–early 2000s. For the first time, the vital and informative role of «Vechernyaya Kazan’» in documenting the city’s transformation in anticipation of the celebration held on August 24th–30th, 2005 is shown. The newspaper did not only cover the changes in the urban landscape–their scenarios, progress, and results, but also was actively engaged itself in these events, emphasizing to the general public the importance of both the city’s anniversary and the preparations involved. In addition to spotlighting the official commemorative sites, «Vechernyaya Kazan’» showcased numerous public initiatives and efforts aimed to make the city more comfortable. Particular attention is paid to the newspaper’s interactive features, which contributed significantly to its success.

This article examines the conceptualization of the institutional forms of ethno-social daily routines among the modern Russian population of the Republic of Tatarstan. The basic cultural institutions, such as ethnicity, religious identity, family, and ethno-cultural practices, are described. Their role across different groups of the Russian population in Tatarstan is revealed. The analysis is based on a multi-paradigm approach and well-known socio-humanitarian theories (functionalism, phenomenology, and social constructivism). The study «Social well-being and ethno-cultural needs of the Russian population in the Republic of Tatarstan» carried out in autumn 2022 is used as an analytical source of data. The obtained results show that the demand for traditional cultural institutions, which can be categorized as «need», «tradition», and «construct», varies depending on their roles within the study groups. A growing influence of urban spaces in shaping the ethnic «tradition», particularly among young people, is shown.

This article focuses on the problems associated with shaping the civic identity among students in Russia as they study the history of the North Caucasian peoples. One of the powerful tools to overcome them is to develop a sense of historical consciousness in the younger generation of Russians. However, while the collective memory of the past can serve as a unifying force through shared national values, it can also ignite historical grievances, claims, and conflicts in the present. Here, the debates revolving around the conflicting interpretations of the events that took place in the North Caucasus during the 19th and early 20th centuries (the Caucasian War, the tactics and warfare methods of the Russian military commanders and mountain leaders, the Muhajir movement, and the actions of the imperial power structures) are considered. The questions are raised about how to effectively convey the history of the North Caucasus to the youth, as well as what approaches should be employed to explain the complex, contradictory, and sometimes tragic events of the region’s past so that it would contribute to the development of an all-Russian civic identity instead of fueling confrontations and divisions. Several approaches (recommendations) for teaching the history of the North Caucasus are outlined. They highlight the integrative tendencies in the history of the region, emphasizing the factors that unite its diverse peoples, cultures, and worldviews and define their common pathways for historical development.

This article examines the interpretations of the causes, features, development, and outcomes of the English Revolution of the 17th century by scholars from the «Russian historical school» (école russe). Its older and younger generations were primarily focused on the history of France and the French Revolution. While renowned for their studies on revolutionary France, they also covered other topics. N.I. Kareev (1850–1931), M.M. Kovalevsky (1851–116), P.P. Shchegolev (1903–1936), and I.L. Popov-Lensky (1893–1931) addressed the problems of revolutionary England during the 17th century. Their complex works analyzed the revolutionary process of that period from all angles. Therefore, the theories of the English Revolution and their interpretations by the «Russian historical school» determined the subsequent development of English studies in both Soviet and post-Soviet space.

This article considers the development of the English school of international relations. The enduring influence of its central concept pursued by international society on three generations of scholars is examined. Three stages are identified in the evolution of the above concept. In the first stage, the British Committee for the Study of International Politics laid the groundwork for the subsequent genesis of the school’s concept. In 1970, H. Bull formulated its basic tenets. The second stage is associated with the efforts to attract more researchers to the school in order to expand the scope of the concept and introduce new problems to the field. As a result, the school transformed from a rather closed group of researchers into a diverse community of specialists in international relations. During the third stage, this community divided over the assessment of modern international society, which not only caused a rift within the school but also prompted a modernization of its concept in line with the most recent theoretical insights into the nature of international relations. Therefore, the history of the English school of international relations was underpinned by the collective work of various research groups united under the broad methodological frameworks of the concept supported by international society.

The period since the 1970s has seen a «cultural turn» that affected many areas of historical research. Environmental history is no exception. It emerged in the United States five decades ago and was strongly influenced by intellectual history. However, in the 1990s, the focus of environmental historians gradually shifted towards «new cultural history». Although foreign historiography has repeatedly acknowledged this shift, the underlying reasons that prompted historians to pursue the new research path remain overlooked. This article seeks to bridge the «gap» in the historiography of human interactions with the natural world over time, an important branch of history. The results of a thorough analysis of the major works written by American historians between the 1970s and 2010s show that the «cultural turn» in the American historiography of environmental history was gradual and included two distinct stages. During the first stage, from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, historians explored the problems of environmental history from the perspectives of postcolonial and gender discourses. The second stage, from the mid-1990s to the present day, was marked by a rethinking of the concept of «wilderness», as well as an emphasis on a variety of previously unaddressed problems of environmental history.

This article reviews the legacy of Hakob Pogosovich Nazaretyan (1947–2019), a distinguished Russian scholar, with a focus on the ideologization of societies and meaning formation as the major challenges of our time. The concept of historical singularity, a phenomenon of planetary significance that shapes the emerging scenarios of today’s world landscape, is defined. The growing importance, both for the international community and Russians, of maintaining a balance between the technological and humanistic aspects of universal culture to effectively address the escalating global crisis is highlighted. Based on the analysis of H.P. Nazaretyan’s key works, the role of ideology in this process, its productive anti-entropic function in the past and counterproductivity in the present and future, is examined.