Vol 9, No 2 (2024)

The article is devoted to the study of postcards with images of dolls in the regional costumes of France. The visual appearance of the postcards, the nature of the images, and dolls’ garments have been analysed. The source base of the research is the author's philocartical collection, which is a part of the personal collection of ethnographic dolls "Peoples and attires". Single and serial postcards issued throughout the 20^th century recorded the existence of exquisite, perfectly made miniature people, which makes these publications a historical source. Some of the postcards were printed for advertising purposes and reflected the products of a particular company; others captured museum and private collections.

The postcards demonstrate a variety of regional costumes, the main details of which, although similar throughout the territory of France, differed in colour, shape or finishing details in each historical region, city, canton, and commune. A comparison of a real and a doll costume shows some conventionality of the latter and the fact that the creators focused on hats. The dolls reflect the following features of costume making: handwork, the use of natural fabrics and lace – the results of work by artisans of different specialties. With some reservations, postcards with images of costume dolls can be viewed as visual materials for studying costumes from different regions of France, as well as an important graphic source on this issue.

Cinema is the most valuable source in the study of socio-politicalsocio-cultural processes. This explains the popularity of using film documents in the research activities of scholars, including historians. The article provides a brief overview of the content of films made by Kazan filmmakers with an emphasis on films dedicated to the anniversaries of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The author identifies the main ideas promoted by the creators of the film and shows how they changed over time. The propaganda and agitation task, which is present in all films, is emphasized; in the conditions of a national region it was always accompanied by a demonstration of the historical and ethnocultural specifics of the region. Establishing the research activity on the principles of historicism, objectivity, complexity, as well as using the hermeneutic method when interpreting audiovisual sources, it was concluded that newsreel materials can serve as informative source material on the cultural, economic and political life of the republic in the Soviet times.

The article introduces into scientific circulation and analyses information about the traditions of respecting the older generation in the Turkmen rural community.

In large Turkmen villages, the most respected person of the older generation was the main adviser and mentor to all its residents. When making important decisions, he always consulted with other elders of the settlement. For this purpose, the oldest person convened a council. The elder’s opinion was of much significance; the villagers relied on his wisdom, life experience and honesty. The elders did not receive or expect any remuneration, since service to society was considered a sacred duty. All important issues, from naming a newborn to the burial of the deceased, were brought to the attention of representatives of the older generation. People listened to what the elders had to say and acted upon their instructions. As a result of the centuries-old development in the Turkmen rural community, the rules of the people’s council, the principles of managing Turkmen society, based on the knowledge and wisdom of the older generation, were developed.

The article analyzes certain aspects of the history of the Muslim community of the Urmaevo village. This settlement, which was part of the Kazan province before the revolution, is now part of the Komsomolsky district of the Chuvash Republic. The publication, based on archival sources, shows the history of the emergence of the Muslim community of the village, the construction of the mosque, and the procedure for appointing decree mullahs. It was revealed that in the Urmaevo village Muslim Tatars lived together with baptized Tatars. Two families of hereditary imams served in the community, who had difficult relationships with each other. Now the work of Imam Fakhretdin Sayfetdin Sultanov, who headed the first mahalla of the village for 65 years, is continued by his grandchildren.

This article presents the activities of cooperative organisations in the Ukhta District in the 1920s. The main objective of the research is to consider the various types and forms of cooperative associations of residents of the Ukhta District of Karelia and establish the most important areas of their activities. The leading research methods are historical narrative, analysis and synthesis of information identified in archival and printed materials, methods of microhistory and regional studies. The main sources of the research are documents from the funds of the National Archives of the Republic of Karelia. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that, using the example of the Ukhta District, inhabited by northern Karelians, it examines the development of various types of cooperative peasant associations in Karelia, taking into account not only the national specifics, but also natural environment and climatic and foreign policy factors. In this regard, the difficulties of restoring the economy at the beginning of the New Economic Policy in the Ukhta District, which suffered from military operations and bad weather conditions, are revealed. Using the example of the Kemsk-Ukhta District Union of Cooperatives, distinctive features in the work of cooperative societies in the border zone were discovered and general shortcomings of consumer cooperation in the 1920s were detected. Other types of cooperative associations created in Ukhta district have been established: credit partnership, agricultural commune, land reclamation partnership. The peculiarity of peasant cooperatives in northern villages, where reindeer herding partnerships were created, was clarified; the importance of peasant cooperation for the economic growth of Ukhta district is shown.

The budget deficit in municipalities of the Republic of Tatarstan forces local authorities to search for additional sources of funding to solve the problems of rural settlements. One of the ways was the participation of rural municipalities in the development of a system of self-taxation for citizens. It has been implemented in Tatarstan since 2013. The article sets the task of assessing the effects of the self-taxation system in rural settlements of the republic, accumulated over 10 years of its operation.

By analyzing the legislative framework of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan, the author reveals the basic concepts and provisions used in the system of self-taxation of citizens. Using interviews he conducted in municipalities of the Republic of Tatarstan with heads, deputies, and activists of rural settlements, the experience of using and features of public participation in the self-taxation system over the past ten years was examined. It was revealed that the results of the implementation of the self-taxation system are expressed in an increased level of trust in it on the part of villagers, in almost one hundred percent collection of contributions, in the involvement of village residents in the formation of municipal budget plans, in increasing the civic responsibility of representatives of rural communities of Tatarstan. The “external” effect of the self-taxation system is expressed in the number of solved problems of local importance: repair and construction of rural roads, water supply, street lighting, improvement of cemeteries, monuments and obelisks, sites for garbage containers, sidewalks, embankments, springs, parks and public gardens. This list of work of conducted works, which is far from complete, using the villagers’ self-taxation system and through co-financing from the government bodies of Tatarstan, has significantly increased the level and quality of rural life in the republic.

In the process of the formation of the Tatar national dramatic art and the formation of the Tatar theatre, Russian and foreign classics played a significant role. The Tatar theatre turned to Western drama from the first years of its existence. Of the vast world dramatic heritage, the plays of Shakespeare, Schiller and Moliere have proven to be in particular demand. In terms of the number of appeals in this triad of the greats, Moliere is in third place, however, he is not inferior to the English and German playwrights in terms of importance for the development of the Tatar theatrical culture. Moliere stood at its origins; his plays were staged in three pre-revolutionary troupes “Sayar”, “Nur” and “Shirkat”. The French playwright made a significant influence on the formation of the comedy genre line of the young Tatar theatre. Moliere's plays remain on his posters to this day. The article examines the reception of Moliere's dramaturgy by the Tatar theatre at various stages of its development.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the activities of the ballet troupe of M.Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theater in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. It shows that after the premiere of the first ballet “Vain Precaution” by P.Hertel in 1939, the troupe continued to master the performances of the classical heritage “Giselle” by A.Adam (1945) and “Swan Lake” by P.Tchaikovsky (1947). At the same time, the troupe was working on creating a national ballet performance. Turning to the historical past and folklore, the authors of the libretto and choreographers immersed the viewer in the life and culture of the Tatar people, and the composers built the score based on centuries-old musical traditions. All this was expressed in the ballets “Shurale” by F.Yarullin (1945) and “Zyugra” by N.Zhiganov (1946). At this time, new productions appear in the repertoire, reflecting the current ideas of Soviet art at the time of creation. These are “Bakhchisarai Fountain” by B.Asafiev (1946) and “Laurencia” by A.Crane (1953).

In the 2000s, a number of premieres took place produced for the Kazan ballet stage – “The Tale of Yusuf” (2001) by L.Lyubovskiy, choreography by N.Boyarchikov, G.Kovtun; “Peer Gynt” (2003) by E.Grieg, “The Golden Horde” (2013), R.Akhiyarova – choreography by G.Kovtun; “Сarmina Вurana, or the Wheel of Fortune” (2013) by K.Orff, choreography by A.Polubentsev. The author sets the task of identifying trends in the development of the repertoire in the post-Soviet period. His focus is on original ballet performances. The conclusion was that the result of the search for choreographers on the Kazan stage, expressed in the synthesis of genres, styles, and appeal to new subjects for the ballet theater, was the enrichment of the repertoire of M.Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theater and entertainment culture in general.