The article reveals the main milestones of the transformation in the official discourse of the Soviet past starting with 1985 until now. The work is written using the main set of published sources.

With the beginning of the restructuring processes, the concept of advanced socialism lost its political relevance. The new version of the third CPSU Program, adopted at the 27th Party Congress, proclaimed perfection of socialism on the basis of acceleration of the socio-economic development of the country. Embarking on a course of perestroika, the January (1987) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU considered broadly the issues of personnel work of the party. At the end of 1987, the leadership of the country took care to convey to foreign audiences the main ideas of perestroika. At the same time, M.S. Gorbachev and his entourage continued efforts to give Soviet history the status of the most important political, ideological and academic tool for resolving the current challenges of the restructuring period.

In 1990–1991, the party criticism of the Soviet period of history acquired an uncompromising character, and the programmatic principles of the world social democracy became the ideal of the party leaders. The 1990s were marked by the fact that the history of the USSR was explored mainly from the liberal points of view, and such an approach was often too biased.

The era of the Special Military Operation has called for a whole set of issues, related to the historical and political circumstances of the formation of the Soviet Union and the place of Ukraine in that structure. Most of the answers to that set of issues and to other questions were given in the speeches and addresses of the President of the Russian Federation, V.V. Putin.

The article deals with a bioanthropological analysis of seven individuals from the Kuchak burial ground (the Aragatsotn Region, Armenia), dated back to the 13^th – 12^th centuries. The study includes craniological, osteological, odontological, and paleopathological examinations. Dolichocrany was identified, typical of the populations in the South Caucasus. Discrete cranial traits suggest possible familial relationships among the individuals. The dental system is classified as southern gracile with the marked hypoconus reduction. Evidence of the intense physical activity includes traces of intense physical exertion are noted: occipital structures, developed muscular relief, enthesopathies and the «rider’s complex». Cranial deformations in children reflect traditional infant care practices and possible early labor. The identified pathological conditions include cribra orbitalia, mastoiditis, osteomyelitis, and frontal hyperostosis. Data obtained indicate a sedentary lifestyle, high levels of physical activity and exposure to environmental stress factors. The work widens understanding of the population adaptation strategies in Late Bronze Age Armenia.

The article considers the materials from the Kashgar expedition of Chokan Valikhanov in 1858–1859 in the context of anthropology and the history of everyday life. Based on the travel diaries of a direct participant in the business process, the authors aim to reconstruct the road-bound caravan life of the merchants. The analysis of the economic relations between Russia and Asia during the first half and the middle of the 19th century is carried out from the perspective of a business process subject placed in the space of everyday work; such a research allows us to understand the role of an individual in the history of the trans-Asian trade, to consider the conditions of professional activities of the merchants engaged in international trade, and to determine the mental and physiological characteristics of those merchants. Maintaining the identity of a trader by «copying» the labor functions of a merchant travelling with a caravan allowed Chokan Valikhanov to convey an objective picture of the everyday life of caravan trade participants. His diaries provide a detailed look at the challenges of financing a foreign trade enterprise, the social structure of a trade caravan, to see the people’s reactions to road incidents and to understand the mechanism of individuals’ adaptation to extreme conditions. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the ego-legacy of Chokan Valikhanov has not yet been analyzed in an anthropological format from the standpoint of micro history and the history of everyday life. The architectonics of article’s text allows the reader to explore the microclimate of the caravan procession starting with the formation of a trading caravan, through the daily work of travelers, and ending with an overview of the culinary culture and the leisure activities of the caravan members. The conclusion of the study is that the author of the travel notes, who was a direct participant in the caravan passage, has quite clearly detailed the microcosm of the Russian-Asian caravan trade in the first half and the middle of the 19th century, describing the main challenges of the organization of that economic, logistic and transportation phenomenon.

The article analyses the documents from the Russian State Archives of Socio-Political History – the Bulletins of the USSR Plenipotentiary Mission in Mongolia; the paper also considers the activities in 1923–1925 of the plenipotentiary representative A.N. Vasilyev, who headed the Soviet mission during that period. Vasilyev tried to pursue a balanced and pragmatic policy aimed at strengthening Soviet influence in Mongolia and protecting the interests of the USSR. His work left a significant mark in the history of the Soviet-Mongolian relations and became an important stage in shaping the Soviet strategy in the region. He demonstrated flexibility and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, which allowed him to successfully solve his tasks. It was a difficult period when the formation of the Mongolian state actually took place. The Provisional People’s Government, created as a result of the National Democratic revolution of 1921, faced the need to carry out a wide range of reforms aimed at modernizing the economy, developing education and strengthening national independence. It is also necessary to take into account the heterogeneity in the composition of the newly formed government, which included the theocratic monarch Bogd-Gegen, the representatives of the Buddhist clergy, the princes, and the members of the People’s Party. The coexistence of theocratic authority in the person of the Bogd-Gegen and representatives of the people’s party reflected the compromise necessary to stabilize the political situation and unite various social forces. Mongolia’s political development during the period under review was characterized by an acute struggle for power between various political factions within the ruling party. The main reasons for that instability were the following: the Mongolian leaders’ insufficient political maturity, the dogmatism and ideological limitations of both the Mongolian leaders themselves and the functionaries of the ICCI and the Eastern Secretariat. The differences in approaches of the actors to Mongolia’s issues, sometimes their uncompromising position in solving the internal issues, led to the escalation of conflicts. Despite their similar goals to strengthen statehood and overcome backwardness, different groups proposed different approaches to achieve those goals. Some of the factions adhered to the position of caution and gradual reforms, relying on the expansion of international relations. Others advocated fundamental transformations in the country, their strengthening and full orientation towards the USSR and the Comintern. The Bulletins of the USSR Plenipotentiary Mission in Mongolia contained the up-to-date information about the political, economic and cultural life of Mongolia, reflected the mood in the Mongolian society, the positions of various political forces and the course of implementation of Soviet policy in the country. The analysis of those materials makes it possible to reconstruct the picture of Mongolia in 1920ies, to understand the features of the Soviet-Mongolian relations and Vasilyev’s role in their development.

This article considers the history of Soviet higher education in the first decades after the 1917 revolution. Special attention is paid to the impact on the content of higher education – of political and social changes in the state and society. The relevance of the article stems from the fact that the Soviet system of higher education, which largely denied (primarily for the Humanities and the socio-political sciences) the pre-revolutionary teaching methodology, formed the basis for the training of specialists who continue even now their professional activities and influence the development of economy, science and culture. The «Vestnik arkhivista / Herald of an Archivist» journal serves as an important source for the study of methodological approaches to teaching, allows us to draw conclusions about the specifics in training the scientific and pedagogical personnel, the nature of their relationship with students, and the regional features of higher education in Soviet Russia and the USSR during that period. A comparative analysis of the pre- and postrevolutionary vector of higher education development is carried out. Based on the analysis of the narrative materials, reviews, and the research published in the «Vestnik arkhivista / Herald of an Archivist», the author concludes on the significance of that journal as a source for understanding the evolution of Soviet higher education and for evaluating its place in public life. Thus, the present paper contributes to a deeper comprehension of the legacy of the Soviet education system, whereas the dualism of values and objectives underlying the system led to the ambivalent attitude of the state authorities towards the emerging Soviet intelligentsia.

The current issues of the development of historical education have consistently attracted the attention of the public and the professional community. Since 2022, the National Forum for History Teachers has served as a meeting place for the representatives of government agencies, NCOs, scientific institutions, universities, schools, publishing houses, and all interested parties to discuss the practical issues of concern to the professional community regarding teaching history in higher education. The purpose of the article is to highlight the role of the Forum in creating an environment for sharing experience, improving the efficiency of information exchange, and finding additional resources to address the challenges facing historical education in Russia. Having analyzed the three Forums held in 2022–2024, the authors show the formats of the work that have proven to be effective: an expanded meeting of the Expert Council for the Development of Historical Education as part of the Forum program, participation of the Russian Historical Society, the relevant topics of the sections, the involvement of young historians, the creation of a Telegram channel for communication among the participants, etc. For the first time, an analysis of the experience in organizing and conducting National Forums for History Teachers is done, allowing for an assessment of the work carried out and the identification of the immediate prospects of the Forum.

The article considers the interaction of the Astrakhan Section of the RSFSR Union of Writers with the editorial boards of the two Astrakhan regional newspapers, the «Volga» and the «Komsomolets Kaspiya», in 1963–1965. The research focuses on the «official» as well as on the personal relationships between the writers and journalists of the two editorial boards. The archival documents reveal that during the transition from the «Khrushchev Thaw» to the «Brezhnev Frosts» in Astrakhan, there was an increase in mutual «misunderstanding» between writers and journalists. The main cause of that «misunderstanding» became a disagreement over the publication of the writers’ literary works in the two newspapers. The editorial boards expected the writers to supply vivid, interesting journalistic essays about the «communist construction» and the «people of labor», which needed to be printed to activate ideological work among the population. The journalists, as the «fighters of the ideological front», believed that «ideology» was more important than «literature» on the pages of newspapers. But the writers, for their part, insisted on publishing their poetry and prose in the newspapers, believing that fiction was no less important for «communist education» than journalism.

The article deals with the one of the most important episodes in the development of the Historical Archives of the Saratov Scientific Archival Commission – the interaction of its curator A.A. Geraklitov and the Special Commission for the Preservation of Local Archival Materials at the Imperial Russian Historical Society in 1912–1916. It particularly notes the influence of the Special Commission on Geraklitov’s development as an archivist is noted. Based on the commission’s request in 1912, he prepared a report on the condition of the archives in the Saratov region. That work contributed to receiving a one-time grant from the Special Commission in the amount of 2000 rubles. The Saratov Archival Commission decided to spend that grant on surveying the regional archives. For his colleagues from the regional archives, Geraklitov compiled a guide for the description of archival premises, in which he formulated his thoughts on appraising the documents. In addition, the grant made it possible to expand the storage space for the files in the Archival Commission and to foster the publication of the archive’s collection of finding aids. The author characterizes A.A. Geraklitov participation at the Congress of the Representatives of the Governorate Scientific Archival Commissions and Corresponding Institutions on May 6–8, 1914, organized by the Special Commission. For the Congress, Geraklitov prepared a report on historical archives at archival commissions. The Congress served as an important impetus for discussing and resolving the issues of centralizing archives and developing instructions for selecting and storing files. A.A. Geraklitov also took part in that discussion, thanks to which it is possible to observe his growth as the organizer of archives administration in the Saratov region.

The article examines the history of the creation in 1801 of the Library of the British Foreign Office (which was in fact the library and archives department) and traces its development until the end of the 19th century. After the administrative reforms of 1530–1560, the storage and search of information started gaining proper attention. And, as a result, the State Paper Office was created, which contained all important state records. At the end of the 18th century, a major reform in the management structure that separated the conduct of internal and external state affairs led to the formation of the British Foreign Office, where it was decided that the documents related to international relations should be kept in a separate department (library). The reasons that prompted the leadership of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create a new department responsible for the safety of documentation are touched upon.

The article discusses the biographies of the first librarians at the Foreign Office – Richard Ancell and Lewis and Edward Hertslet. The paper describes their work on streamlining and organizing the records of the Foreign Office, which led to the Library and Archives Department becoming the central body of the Office and raising the status of the librarian profession to that of a senior civil servant.

The article analyzes the history of the activities of the Moscow Main Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the mid-19th century. That period in the history of the Archives as a whole is generally underresearched in Russian historical science. At the same time, in the mid-19th century, there was a fairly intensive development of the Archives as a major scientific center for the study of Russian history, and the previously established traditions of the storage and description of archival documents continued to develop. That was largely due to the personnel policy pursued in the Archives, aimed at attracting young and educated employees to archival work. With the guidance of the Archives manager, Prince M.A. Obolensky, the institution continued to develop a fairly intensive scientific publishing activity. The article describes specifics in the personnel selection for the Archives, reveals the scientific achievements of some of its employees (M.A. Obolensky, V.M. Undolsky, P.A. Bessonov, A.N. Afanasyev, P.I. Bartenev, A.E. Viktorov, N.V. Kalachov). Along with that, the article shows how the tightening of the Interior policy under Nicholas I, especially at the end of his reign, influenced the activities of the Archives and the fate of its employees.

The article considers the interaction of the archivists and historians оf the Оrenburg regiоn, аnаlyzes their jоint wоrk аimed аt preserving the region’s histоricаl heritаge. It describes the fоrmаtiоn оf the Оrenburg аrchivаl service, which, оver its hundred-yeаr histоry, hаs becоme the mаin cоnductоr оf stаte pоlicy in the field оf аrchivаl аdministration in the Оrenburg regiоn. Pаrticulаr аttentiоn is pаid tо the fоrms оf cооperаtiоn between histоriаns аnd аrchivists. The interest оf аrchivists in interаcting nоt оnly with the prоfessiоnаl histоriаns, but аlsо with the beginners, the students оf the histоricаl fаculties оf the regiоnаl center higher educational institutions, is emphаsized. Such fоrms оf wоrk аs cоnducting learning clаsses, student professional internships аnd prаcticаl trаining аt the region’s аrchives, students’ pаrticipаtiоn in аrchivаl events make it possible to establish а diаlоgue between students-histоriаns аnd аrchivаl staff. The prоductivity оf scientific cооperаtiоn between the аrchivists аnd the histоricаl cоmmunity оf the Оrenburg regiоn is evidenced by its vаriоus fоrms, such аs the involvement оf histоriаns in the wоrk оf the Scientific Cоuncil оf the United Stаte Аrchives оf the Оrenburg Regiоn, the creаtiоn оf persоnаl funds, jоint scientific prоjects, publicаtiоns, cоnferences. Speciаl аttentiоn in the аrticle is paid tо the pаrticipаtiоn оf the representаtives оf the prоfessiоnаl cоmmunity of histоriаns in the wоrk оf the cоllegiаl аnd аdvisоry bоdies оf the Cоmmittee fоr Аrchives оf the Оrenburg Regiоn. The аuthоr cоmes tо the cоnclusiоn thаt the interаctiоn оf the histоriаns аnd аrchivists оf the Оrenburg regiоn contributes tо the pоpulаrizаtiоn оf the histоry оf the regiоn, promotes working with yоuth аnd benefits the develоpment оf the аrchives field.

The avalanche-like growth of information that followed the development of computing technology led to significant changes in the work of libraries and archives and required not only a scientific understanding of the technology of dealing with documents, but it also necessitated the comprehension of the subject of research itself – the document. The author underlines significant differences between the book and library collections, which developed historically and were associated with the degree of publicity of the stored documents. However, as scientific and technological progress advanced, the question arose about the creation of a scientific discipline connected with the study of documents and books on a single theoretical basis. The article provides an assessment of the possible integration of document science, archival science, book science and library science in modern conditions. At all times, Russian scholars-documentalists, starting with K.G. Mityaev, resisted the creation of a joint document management science that could combine in its subject both a book and a document; they highlighted the social specifics of the document. However, the information nature of the document and the book allows us to use an interdisciplinary approach to study them, which is why this slant on the issue continues to be supported by librarians. The author draws attention to the fact that such an approach is transdisciplinary to a greater extent, and it is limited to the use of the conceptual and categorical apparatus. The author sees the possibilities of integrating the disciplines of the documentary cycle in the unity of the information process and in its implementation based on modern information technologies within the framework of the documentary systems, which are traditionally studied by document management.

As part of the system of state institutions, archives are included in the digital transformation program of Russia, where one of the priority areas is the provision of services to citizens using online resources. The new communication policy of Russian archives is being implemented today, among other things, through the system of state publics – official pages in social networks of archival departments, state and municipal archival institutions. The use of the new tool has significantly simplified the interaction of archives with society and, at the same time, required new competencies from archivists. The article considers the experience of working in social networks of the Archives Department of the Sverdlovsk Region assigned to act in the field of archival affairs. An analysis of linear diagrams of visits to the state public made it possible to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of visitors and the most popular types of content. At the same time, challenges emerging in the process of mastering the new communication channel are noted: a limited audience of the public, the lack of experience of archivists in working with technologies in the field of Social Media Marketing, etc. Therewithal, with the emergence of a new communication channel, important changes for the better have occurred in the work of the Sverdlovsk archives: the involvement of a young audience in working with archival information, increased efficiency in the interaction of archives and citizens, and the formation of a direct channel of feedback with society.

Cemeteries have always been included in social processes, they reflect their character and dynamics being an important source of information on genealogy demography, and history. Since the concept of «necropolis» encompasses a set of burials and tombstones (including the lost burials and the graves which appurtenance cannot be identified) as well as the sources on the history of cemeteries, the preservation of the entire complex of the archival documents associated with the necropolis is of great importance. Documentary historical sources preserved in the funds of state archives reflect the history of the foundation, reconstruction and improvement of burial sites and constitute, along with burial registration books, an uncontested resource following the loss of many tombstones and the liquidation of entire cemeteries. Based on the analysis of the documents contained in state archives, a reconstruction of the history of cemeteries in the city of Alma-Ata was carried out for the first time, and the representativeness of the funds as the repositories of the sources on necropolises and regional history was demonstrated. A «hierarchy» of archival funds is proposed in connection with the qualitative and quantitative content of the documents related to the area under consideration. It is concluded that without analyzing the source base it is impossible to carry out some comprehensive work on studying cemeteries – the work that includes searching for burials, inventorying and posting information about them on websites and submitting proposals to government agencies on preserving individual tombstones and cemeteries as cultural heritage sites.

The article analyzes the monograph by D.Yu. Murashov «Academician N.V. Kalachov», published on the eve of the 140th anniversary of the death of Nikolai Vasilyevich Kalachov (1819–1885). The name of an outstanding Russian historian, lawyer, archivist and the founder of local history is one of the first to create scientific fame for Russia in the 19th century. The author believes that the monograph by D.Yu. Murashov «Academician N.V. Kalachov» is the first detailed biography of the famous scholar and emphasizes the importance of the work to contemporary N.V. Kalachov’s biographers, who seek to popularize the life and scientific heritage of the academician. The author focuses on the features of the style of D.Yu. Murashov’s «creative laboratory»: an active use of previously unpublished archival materials, a careful study of sources and historiography of the topic, the presence of a well-thought-out structure of the work and the language of presentation accessible to a wide audience. Attention is drawn to D.Yu. Murashov’s personal attitude to the

main character of the study – the approach expressed in the monograph. The issue of perpetuating the memory of N.V. Kalachov is relevant. According to the author of the article, D.Yu. Murashov once again recalled the great contribution of N.V. Kalachov to the scientific and social life of Russia. A son of his homeland, a historian and archivist, deserves being perpetuated in at least one monument reminding us of that great personality. It is proposed to install a memorial sign at the burial site of N.V. Kalachov in the village of Saltykovo, the Penza region.

The article is a short biography and the analysis of the heritage of Maria Arkadievna Rashkovskaya (1944–2023), a prominent archivist and archaeographer, who devoted half of the century to the work at the Russian State Archives of Literature and Art. The majority of her writings are masterful scientific descriptions of the personal funds of outstanding figures of Russian culture: starting with L.N. Tolstoy’s associates and ending with David Samoylov. And yet, the center of her research and archaeological works was the manuscript heritage of Boris Pasternak. Maria Arkadievna discovered, studied, archaeographically processed in detail and introduced into the Russian and international cultural circulation hundreds of Pasternak’s documents which, in some cases, were not only misplaced in personal or institutional funds, but were also lost in waste paper piles (correspondence, essays, the «Petersburg Prose» miscellany). Without her writings, published in Russia and abroad, it is hardly possible to imagine the life, the creative activity and the great poet’s circle if contacts. Another vital area of Maria Arkadievna’s work and research was the processing, description and publication of the materials of the Christian thinker, memoirist and art historian Sergey Nokolaevich Durylin (1886–1954). In her last years of life, Maria Arkadievna’s archaeographic activity also spread throughout the field of multimedia publications. The depth of her spiritual and moral fabric has not only affected the nature of her work, but also the warmth of her relationships with the colleagues.