Abstract: The subject of the study is the daily routine of the Pskov border region in the description of foreign travelers who visited the Russian state at the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great. The testimonies of travelers, diplomats and the military allow to trace the first changes related to the road infrastructure, the attitude towards foreigners and the way of life of the local population observed in the last quarter of the XVII century. The impression that the Pskov road made on travelers often left its indelible imprint on the entire perception of the Russian state by foreigners, and through numerous letters, diaries and reports, the image of Russia in Europe was laid on the eve of large-scale Peter's reforms. Up until the beginning of the Great Northern War, the foundation of St. Petersburg and the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, the roads of the Pskov border played an extremely important role in maintaining contacts with European countries, which led to increased attention to them both from the tsarist administration and foreign travelers. The quality of roads and related infrastructure in the border region continued to improve during the period under review. Travelers compared the sections of their route to the roads after crossing the border. Many foreign travelers noted the best quality of the road in the possessions of the Russian tsar in comparison with Polish and even Swedish possessions.

Keywords: Patrick Gordon, Ludwig von Allart, Pskov borderland, notes of foreigners, road infrastructure, the life of a traveler, anthropology of the road, perception of the road, road, Peter the Great Era

Abstract: The subject of this research is the analysis of didactic works used in the late XVIII — early XIX centuries in the educational process of the first Russian institutes for women — the Educational Society of Noble Maidens and School of the Order of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg. The new secular upbringing and education – one of the core ideas of the European Enlightenment, at that time was perceived in Russia as a state task, which required the establishment of closed educational institutions, such as cadet corps and institutes for women. The primary method for distribution of pedagogical ideas was moralizing literature of the Western European educators, which were translated into the Russian language and became available for the audience; and the second half of the XVIII century marks the emergence of publications of the Russian authors. This article is first to follow the sequence of changes of textbooks and “books for reading” selected for the students of the Educational Society of Noble Maidens and School of the Order of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg using hermeneutic method, as well as conduct their historical-comparative analysis based on the principle of historicism. The translated works of the Western European educators were replaced by the curriculum specifically created for the Russian female students at the request of the Empress Maria Feodorovna, which included the advanced ideas of both Western and national educators. It was another step in a difficult path towards establishment of the national pedagogical system.

Keywords: pedagogy, Age of Enlightment, traditional culture, historical source, elitist education, modernization of Russian society, Russian Empire, moralizing literature, girls’ boarding schools, Smolnyi Institute

Abstract: The object of this research is the imagery underlying the accusation of witchcraft within the framework of the Salem witch trial (colonial Massachusetts, 1692). The author reviews the imagery that is directly related to the witchcraft discourse, as well as the general principles of accusations of witchcraft. Emphasis is placed on the impact of such imagery upon the collective consciousness of the Puritan community in North America in the XVII century. Special attention is turned to the mythological symbols reflected in the discourse of justice. The article is prepared within the framework of the authorial project on studying the influence of the imagery of fear on social behavior in history. The fact of randomness of accusations was established. The leading imagery, which was the cause for the accusation of witchcraft, is revealed. The ultimate role of fear of supernatural influence in this trial is recognized. The author notes the prime importance of fear as an actor of collective action and the importance of studying this phenomenon in the context of historical science. The conclusion is drawn on impossibility of interpretation of the Salem trial as an instance of aggression towards the persons who have a special (socioeconomic, religious, or marginal) status within the community. The novelty of this research consists in the use of formal legal sources in the analysis of cultural space in the imagological context.

Keywords: images of fear, the Puritan mentality, potestar imagology, inquisition, judical discourse, colonial America, collective behavior, witch-hunt, social fears, fear of the supernatural

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the images of occultists and esoteric scientists recorded in the Russian diaries of the turn of the XIX – XX centuries – image of the French occultist Clarence and the Russian esoteric scientist Alexander Navrotsky. An attempt is made to reconstruct the images and the underlying cogitative paradigms. Having analyzed not only the image of personality as it is described in the sources, but also the characteristics of its description, as well as having compared the image of the same personality in the diaries of different authors, the author determines the similar traits that unite these two characters in their unlikeness as personalities. As a result, the author reveals the similarity of not only the occult-esoteric cogitative paradigms that existed in two different countries during the same time period, but also the similarity of their perception by the “uninitiated” authors of the diaries. The article verifies the hypothesis, according to which the occult-esoteric views, despite their internal incoherence, are organically fit into personalities of the representatives of various social groups in the epoch-making historical periods. Egodocuments are examined in the context of studies on esotericism and the image of esoteric scientists for the first time. The acquired results can be valuable in further research of analogous phenomena related to the similar crisis periods in history, as well as for drawing parallels between them.

Keywords: fin de siècle, mentality, the Other, diaries, ego-documents, spiritualism, theosophy, esotericism, occult, historical imagology

Abstract: Currently, the national humanities science shows particular interest in the phenomena that have been previously outside its area of expertise. These phenomena include materialistic objects, which in the context of cultural-semiotic approach turn into meaningful constants. One of such materialistic-spiritual phenomena is the concept of “home”. For Icelanders, during the period of civil war marked in history as the Age of the Sturlungs, the phenomenon of “home” undergoes substantial transformation. Forced exile from the country, loss of relationship with family, and building a new life contribute to conception and formation of the new semantic space structured on the binary image: Home – Anti-Home. Within the Icelandic Saga tradition, the image of negative home belongs of the island of Greenland, which provided an temporary shelter and reflected the overall atmosphere of forced migrants. The article is dedicated to the examination of the image of Greenland in Icelandic Saga tradition. The author reveals the key parameters of formation of the image of Greenland as an “alien” space, formed among the Icelanders who were forced to leave their country. This leads to the emergence of antithesis in Saga literature: home and homelessness. The concept of “home” is associate with Iceland and saturated with additional shades of meaning, turning into and object of reminiscence and becoming the embodiment of spiritual substance. Greenland, on the contrary, was endowed with the traits of hostile space with regards to a person.

Keywords: Эйрик Рыжий, House - Anti-House,, mythology, the image of the house, Greenland, Sturlung era, Elder Edda, Icelandic family sagas, homelessness, small world

Abstract:   Dwelling interior is a vivid reflection of the social and cultural realities typical for each historic period and region. The house arrangement can describe the social hierarchy, family values, role of each family member, comfort, coziness, feeling of homeliness, and private life in general. The subject of this research is the image of house presented in the English popular magazines of the mid XIX – early XX centuries that provide a description of a household in its regional and historical forms. The methodological framework of the research consists in the complex analysis of Victorian and Edwardian eras that demonstrate on the one hand, the deep transformations in the English everyday life associated with the intense development of mass culture, while on the other hand – the preservation of national values and views of the Englishmen. Since the mid XIX century, the magazines have dedicated articles and columns to house interior, progressively changing the space and forming new norms, tastes, views and values. Globalization and mass culture in multiple aspects blur the differences, unifying the space of everyday life with the material world. However, through the general trends, brands, materials, technologies, and interior features, there is a clear evidence of the national specificities and the established perceptions of the Englishmen about the coziness, comfort, and family as the key values of British society. Over the recent decades, the Russian and foreign science experiences a significant growth of interest towards the problems of everyday life, particularly the living space. This work is first to attract popular magazines as a source for studying the image of the English House, analyze the transformations that take place within the living space, human representations and values on the background of the developing mass culture.  

Keywords: Great Britain, feeling of homeliness, values, family, Victorian era, everyday life, dwelling interior, English house, mass culture, magazines

Abstract: The object of this research is the organizations of All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, while the subject is the aspects of style of their activity associated with organizing the inner-union document control during the 1960’s.  “Compilations of documents” published by the Central Committee of All-Union Leninist Young Communist League for the administrative use of members of the republican and regional committees, which were long-term sealed as “confidential”, became the main source for this article. The research is based on the general scientific principles of historicism and objectivism. The problematic-chronological principle has also been applied. Having examined right before the 100th anniversary of Komsomol the insufficiently studied issues in the history of youth movement in Russia, the author concluded that the multiple attempts aimed at improving the document control during the 1960’s did not lead the Komsomol towards creation of the document control system, which allows efficiently solving the domestic organizational problems.

Keywords: Bureaucracy, Complaints, Letters, Historical archive aspect, File register, Classification, Style, Document control, Komsomol, Youth

Abstract: The object of this research is the patriotic propaganda in Prussia during the period of Liberation Wars (1813-1815). The subject is the role of religious and patriotic holidays in Prussian state propaganda. The goal of this work consists in determination of propagandistic tasks, which were carried out by the religious and patriotic holidays, as well as their key structural elements. The author thoroughly studies such aspects as the mobilization potential of the religious and patriotic holidays. Special attention is given to the Christian symbols and religious argumentation, which the arrangers of patriotic holidays relied upon. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that the author underlines the importance of local patriotism, while in modern historiography of Liberation Wars of 1813-1815 are traditionally viewed from the perspective of German nationalism. The main goal followed by the arrangers of such events  was aimed at mobilization of population of the Prussian Kingdom towards the struggle against the enemy, as well as elevation of the moral spirit of people. Another goal was intended towards the creation of the image of unified Prussian nation, consolidate the king’s lieges, and thus, strengthen the loyalty of population regarding the ruling dynasty and the state. The narrow Prussian theme prevailed over the German national theme. The key means of establishment of the patriotic ideology were the religious symbols and images (Christian sacrifice, holy war); the ideas of God’s involvement into the armed conflict against the enemy were being formed. The results of this work allow turning attention to the role of religious factor in formation of patriotic ideologies in the European states during the era of Napoleonic Wars.

Keywords: Monarchism, Religion and society, Prussia, Battle of Leipzig, Patriotic sermon , Sixth coalition, Liberation Wars, Religious patriotism, Local patriotism, Napoleonic Wars

Abstract: This article examines the socioeconomic moods of the youth shortly before the Great Patriotic War. The author analyzes the impact of the Soviet ideology and propaganda upon the process of transformation of the moods of Soviet youth with regards to economic and industrial activity. Special attention is given to examination of the role of Komsomol organizations in development of Stakhanovite movement and high-involvement work practices among the young generation. The author reviews the attitude of young men and women towards the work in collective farms, loan campaigns, socialist property, and changes in labor legislation. The relevance of this topic is justified by the fact that examination of the mechanisms of formation of youth consciousness alongside the impact of Komsomol propaganda, as an element of Soviet ideology upon the character of public moods of young generation, is purposeful for structuring of the youth policy at the present stage, as well as contributes into the fuller coverage of the controversial social processes among youth during the period of intensification of totalitarization of the society. The scientific novelty consists in carrying out a comprehensive research of socioeconomic moods of the youth over the period of 1937-1941 for the first time in history.

Keywords: Tambov Oblast, Stakhanovite, Loans, Labor legislation, Collective farm (kolkhoz), Soviet society, Public moods, Propaganda, Komsomol, Youth

Abstract: Discusses the process of changing holiday traditions, which was one of the components of cultural-ideological work of the Bolshevik party . Special attention is paid to policy change in relation to the events in the 1920-ies in the North Caucasus region. Specified features of this policy, owing to the specific social structure of the population (predominantly rural population, the presence of the Cossack population with strong traditions). From the point of view of the author, one of the main trends of research at the present stage is the analysis of the regional specificity of the development of new topics and research aspects. This research is based on scientific principles of historicism and objectivity. To compare the situation in the region and the country as a whole, the author has analyzed the documents from the Russian state archive of socio-political history of the Center for documentation on contemporary history of the Rostov region, the State archive of contemporary history of the Stavropol territory. Installed: targeted policy of the party towards the holidays, its relative flexibility, expressed in a desire to give the old holidays new content. Marked serial antireligious orientation and gradual tightening of forms and methods of work on the elimination of religious content holidays. She focuses on the awareness of the representatives of the new power of the fundamental importance of the place occupied festive culture in General culture formed a "new man".

Keywords: New Economic Policy, traditions, festive culture, Komsomol, religion, youth, History, communist party, daily occurrence, promotion

Abstract: The object of research is made by the main directions, forms and methods of realization of the open political control exercised concerning everyday life of members of the Komsomol organizations in 1918-1929. In article various aspects of influence of political control on a life and leisure of communistic youth are studied.Territorial framework is limited to the territory of RSFSR. In a number of plots regional localization of research on the basis of materials of the Tambov province that promotes more detailed studying of juvenile history is used, allows to correct some conclusions drawn on the basis of the analysis of materials of the central bodies of party and Komsomol. In studying of this subject sources of a personal origin — correspondence of Komsomol heads of different level, rabselkor, letters and complaints in party and Komsomol bodies, editorial offices of newspapers (as classical ways of political communication), memoirs and memoirs were of great importance. The two-week magazine "Smena" in which letters of readers and reviews from places were of special interest became very representative source. Authors came to a conclusion that political control gained more and more total character. Everyday life of youth became one of the main objects of political control. On the one hand, politicization of control of everyday life unambiguously conducted to activization of fight against the negative phenomena. On the other hand, negativity was defined very konjyukturno, depending on tastes and addictions of those who possessed the political power (at least in local scale). As these addictions didn't differ uniformity, is very inconsistent the orientation of political control in this sphere looks also. But thus all of them were united by aspiration completely to regulate everyday life of youth, considerably to change traditions. The youth was disoriented by statements contradicting each other and estimates of communistic leaders and the propagandists who were at the same time approving actually incompatible norms of daily behavior. It still more increased thirst of youth for searches of all extravagant forms of everyday life.

Keywords: socio-political history, youth, Komsomol, everyday life, life, sport, reader interest, leisure time, NEP (New Economic Policy), political control