No 1 (2021)

The article presents the results of petrographic analysis of the ceramics of the Chalcolithic settlement of Meshoko. A total of 42 fragments were examined (see appendix), 10 of which belong to the upper part of the monument's sediments (layers 1 and 2a; Fig. 1), 20 refer to the middle part of the sediments (layer 2b; Fig. 2), 12 – to the lower part (layer 3; Fig. 3). Based on the analysis, 5 groups of ceramics were identified (Fig. 4). Group 1 consists of fragments with an admixture of limestone, group 2 – with an admixture of diorite, group 3 – with an admixture of biogenic carbonates and sand, group 4 – with an admixture of calcite, group 5 – with an admixture of diorite and chamotte. Clays of smectite composition predominate in groups 1 and 2, while clays of smectite-carbonate composition predominate in groups 3 and 4. Comparison of these groups with stratigraphy revealed that most of the ceramics of groups 3 and 4 are confined to the lower layer, and groups 1 and 2 to the middle and upper layer (Table 1). In addition, the ceramics of these layers differ in the nature of the external surface treatment. Significant changes in the technology of making ceramics during the transition from the lower layer to the middle layer allow us to assume corresponding changes in the composition of the population.

The article examines the traditional institutions of military culture of the Circassians – military departure and departure for service. Departure for service was part of the universal system of replenishment of the ruling class of the feudal powers of Europe and Asia, into which the Circassian aristocracy had long been deeply integrated. This was favored by a well-deserved reputation in the military sphere, a highly effective and perfect system of military education, as well as the cultivation of the knightly idea and its components such as loyalty to the suzerain, nobility, aristocratic etiquette "uerk khabze". Departure for service was a purely feudal institution, with the appropriate completion within the framework of vassal-suzerain contractual relations. Departure for service was characteristic of the upper strata of the Circassian aristocracy; for all other classes of Circassian society, military otkhodnik (mercenary) was characteristic. The latter did not imply the conclusion of contractual relations, the establishment of vassal-suzerain relations and correspondingly – incorporation into the ruling class of the host countries. Departure for service and mercenary practices were among the basic and most characteristic institutions of the military culture of the Circassians. For a long time these institutions have played a significant role in the life of Circassian society, and their study has not only scientific and educational, but also practical value. The study of the institutions of military culture can contribute to the understanding of the historical-political and socio-economic processes that took place in the Central and Northwestern Caucasus during the Late Medieval and Early Modern Times.

The article deals with the topics related to the national-state construction on the Terek River and in Dagestan in 1917–1920. Attention is paid to the problems of creating regional governments of various political orientations. The question of the confrontation between the Terek Cossacks, mountain leaders and Islamists is raised. Special attention is paid to the foreign policy factor that influenced the course of events in the region. The relevance of the research topic of the realities of the beginning of the XX century. It is caused not only by the 100th anniversary of the revolutionary events of 1917–1922, but also by the extreme similarity of the events of a century ago with what is happening in the region at the present time. It is noted that the mountain leaders of the liberal-democratic sense could not create a full-fledged statehood, which alienated the bulk of the local population. It is shown that the White Guards in the eyes of local residents were associated with the old regime and could not consolidate them around themselves. The Sharia reflected the point of view of a small part of the mountain population, and were critically dependent on the Bolsheviks and the external factor (Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the Turks). It is proved that only the final Sovietization of the region saved it from self-destruction and returned it to the creative path of development.

The problems of indigenization in the North Caucasus in domestic historiography are considered in the chronological framework of 1920-1930., although these processes really began in the imperial period. After the end of the Caucasian war, the royal government is looking for ways to adapt the mountain peoples into the Russian socio-cultural space, turning the region that absorbing huge material and human resources to the region enriching the country.  The imperial experience of managing the region in the end led to awareness of the need to attract the authorities of representatives of the elite from the number of indigenous people. The Bolsheviks took into account the mistakes of their predecessors, and were able to give acceleration to the pace of integration of the Highlanders to the Soviet social and cultural space. They did not fail to take advantage of the experience of the imperial administration in terms of attracting representatives of the autochthonous population into local governments. At the same time, without becoming his class approach, the Bolsheviks opened access to the social elevators to most Highlanders, which cut off representatives of the pre-revolutionary elite. In modern Russia, against the background of strengthening the challenges of globalization, leveling ethnic cultures, individual events of the Soviet nationality are of interest so far, for example, the practice of indigenization. Kabardino-Balkaria more than once turned out to be in the forefront of the Sovietization of the North Caucasus. Part of the events, of course, found the support of the main part of the population. But, in most of them, the population participated voluntarily forcibly, as a direct refusal would be more expensive. The article is based on new archival sources identified in the Funds of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (which are submitted below in this issue), documents from other archives and the latest research on the issue. In general, this made it possible to understand the origins of the process in the imperial period, its logical continuation and national-regional features of the implementation of the indigenization policy in the Soviet Kabardino-Balkaria. Multi-valued for the purposes and objectives, methods of implementation and specific results, this policy is characterized by unprecedented efforts to strengthen state and cultural institutions by national personnel.  But much less researchers talk about the shadow side of the problem, which in modern conditions it is necessary to know for accounting in practical activities both positive and negative lessons to solve the Soviet rule of tasks associated with the national issue.

The article examines the legal framework of patriotic education of citizens of the Russian Federation and the experience of forming historical memory of the Great Patriotic War of        1941–1945 on the example of Kabardino-Balkaria. The state policy of patriotic education of citizens is analyzed in the context of changes in foreign policy and socio-political life in modern Russia. The process of development of regional legislation on the management of the sphere of patriotic education of citizens is considered. The experience of the work of state authorities, educational organizations and institutions of civil society in Kabardino-Balkaria in organizing the military-patriotic education of youth is summarized. The article reveals the activities of search teams to perpetuate the memory of those who died during the Great Patriotic War, as well as secondary schools, museums and libraries to form civic values of youth. The problems in the system of organization of patriotic education are revealed.

This article focuses on the concept of köz / göz ("eye"), which is one of the important segments of the national picture of the world, that is determined by the relevance of visual perception for the knowledge of reality and accumulated in a special vocabulary and presented in Karachay-Balkarian and Kumyk paremic funds in encrypted form and in the author's fiction.The linguoculturological characteristics of lexical and phraseological units of the language associated with the representation of ethno-culturally marked meanings of the above-mentioned somatism are subjected to polyvector analysis. In addition, the author identifies and describes the specifics of the world perception of native speakers of the Karachay-Balkarian and Kumyk languages, directly related to the system of stereotypes and representations that reflect the anthropomorphic cultural code, presented in paremic utterances. The functional-semantic and ethno-cultural potential of the considered conceptual lexeme in the artistic works of Karachay-Balkarian and Kumyk authors is determined.

The article highlights an important evolutionary period of national literature – the second half of the 60s – 70s of the last century. The author touches upon the problem of finding promising ways to develop the aesthetic consciousness of the people at the stage of transition from traditional reflective models based on folklore ideas and archetypes of ethnic thinking to the structures of a new formation. It is suggested that the appearance of a special type of images and their transition into cross-cutting symbols, and then into kenotypes, in these years is the result of a purposeful search for stable style-forming constructs in the process of overcoming the boundaries of established apperceptive models. The article identifies two main types of Balkar poetry kenotypes – reformational ones, created on the basis of ethnic archetypes, and autonomous ones, built within the framework of an"intertextual refrain". The author of the article considers the mechanism of formation of kenotypes to be the same for both types, which is convincingly justified by him on the examples of the works of famous Balkar poets -K. Sh. Kuliyev and T. M. Zumakulova.

The article presents an overview study of the process of the origin and formation of the Adyghe (Kabardian, Circassian, Adygheyan) literatures, covering the period of the 19th – first half of the 20th century. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to clarify some points in the history of national literary literature, concerning the specifics of its formation, differentiation, periodization, etc. Here, for the first time, a comprehensive study of the common Adyghe literary process is carried out with an emphasis on the peculiarities of the development of the literatures of the Adyghe sub-ethnic groups. The purpose of the study is to recreate a holistic objective picture of the formation and primary development of the literature of an ethnic group. It is achieved by solving a set of tasks, including: defining the ideological and thematic orientation, studying the genre and style paradigm, identifying the specifics of the poetics of the Adygeyan literature of the period under consideration. A number of general scientific methods were involved in the study (generalization, analysis, synthesis, description). The results obtained can become a theoretical aid in the further study of the Kabardian, Circassian, Adygheyan literature. They can find practical application in the preparation of special courses, writing various kinds of research papers.