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The article describes activities of the Center for American Studies “Americana” at Volgograd State University in 1995—2020. The authors analyze the conditions that made possible development of American studies in Volgograd in the second half of the 1990s, show what was possible with the limited resources available to the center, and what problems have become difficult for the work of “Americana” in recent years. Teaching Russian and American students, exchange programs and joint online courses, research, publications, “people's diplomacy”, organization of conferences and seminars, uniting historians, political scientists, philologists, linguists, philosophers, architects and other Volgograd scholars in the study of the countries of American continent, creating a network of colleagues and partners from many cities of Russia, as well as from the USA and Canada — looking back over this quarter of a century, we can say with confidence that the Center “Americana” has succeeded. Special attention in the article is paid to the cooperation of the center's historians with literary scholars and linguists who worked in other universities and research organizations. The authors note an institutional asymmetry in the study of Russia in the United States and the United States in Russia: American Russianists find more resources and opportunities in times of exacerbation of Russian — American relations, while Russian Americanists get better opportunities when relations between the two countries improve. Changes in bilateral relations also influenced the activities and capabilities of the Volgograd center. However, it continues to work actively, as shown by a large conference held in Volgograd in September 2020 and the release of the next, 16th issue of the collection Americana in the winter of the same year. This means that the groundwork created in the first 15 years of the research center's service in Volgograd is helping the new generation of Volgograd Americanists get through difficult times.

The proposed essay is a publication of bibliographic information about scientific works (dissertations, monographs, collections of scientific articles, periodicals) concerning the Byzantine history and published in Volgograd or with the direct participation of Volgograd researchers. The origin and development of studying the Byzantine history in Volgograd is associated with two higher educational institutions – Volgograd State University and Tsaritsyn Orthodox University of St. Sergius of Radonezh, within the walls of which large and internationally recognized periodicals appeared.

The article is prepared for the 65th anniversary of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Russian and World History, Archaeology of Volgograd State University Sergey G. Sidorov. The article traces the biography of S.G. Sidorov, his pedagogical, scientific, and administrative activities. It is shown that fundamental foundations of the future pedagogical and scientific work of S.G. Sidorov were laid at the Faculty of History of Saratov State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, from which he graduated in 1981. Most of Sergey Grigoryevichs life is connected with Volgograd State University, where he has been working since 1986. He combined teaching historical disciplines with the administrative work. S.G. Sidorov was Vice-rector for Academic Affairs for 25 years. Being in this position he has done a lot to make Volgograd State University a leader in the region in training highly qualified specialists. S.G. Sidorov is one of the leading experts on the history of the Great Patriotic War. He is the author of the first fundamental comprehensive study of using labor of prisoners of war of the Second World War in the national economy of the USSR in 1939–1956. With his active participation, six volumes of Documents and Materials “Prisoners of War in the USSR. 1939–1956” were published. Since 2009, S.G. Sidorov has been the Head of the Dissertation Council on Historical Sciences at Volgograd State University. From 2014 to 2020, largely due to the efforts of S.G. Sidorov, Volgograd State University held five International Thematic Scientific Conferences “Military History of Russia: Problems, Searches, Solutions”.

Introduction. The authors analyze the process of establishing a state university in Volgograd, the last university set up in the RSFSR during the existence of the USSR. Materials. This study is based on the basis of archival materials first introduced into scientific use (State Archive of the Russian Federation (SARF), Russian State Archive of Recent History (RSARH), Center of Recent History Documentation of Volgograd Region (CRHDVO)). Analysis and Results. The initial idea of the representatives of governing bodies in Volgograd region to organize a university on the basis of Volgograd Polytechnic Institute did not find support from the leadership of the country in 1971. In 1972 it was decided to start organizing a new type of higher education institution for Volgograd, that is a classic university. This idea found support in Moscow, which was manifested in the resolutions of the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee in 1973 and the USSR Council of Ministers and the RSFSR Council of Ministers in 1974. The necessity for creating appropriate educational and teaching resources and facilities, the manpower problem and insufficient funds led to postponing initially proposed dates for the University opening from 1974 to 1978, and then to 1980. The first admission of students in 1980 was in the building of a comprehensive school specially built for this purpose near the future University complex, the first building of which would be put into service only in 1983. The issue of the development of the young University was under the constant control of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR for many years. Only in March 1986 it was decided to discontinue supervision over the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR no. 561 of October 21, 1974.

Introduction. The contemporary university in the conditions of globalization has enriched its traditional functions to educate and create new elites with attracting not only domestic students but also the foreign youth to the educational and research process. In some cases it can maintain public diplomacy held by the domestic government still influencing it via the requests made by research professionals. This influence may come through the collision of interests of both researchers with students and the government. A Russian university represents mainly the government, that’s why it’s important to discover its role in public diplomacy. Methods and materials. The neoliberal approach to J. Nye’s concept of “soft power” gives the possibility to consider the university as a public institute enriching state’s soft power through public diplomacy. Official speeches of Russian government representatives, publications of Russian researchers, university web-sites give the ground to understand the Russian approach to the methods of public diplomacy. Analysis. First of all, it’s important to reveal the ways to interpret the word combination “public diplomacy” in Russian. There are several possible terms: “publichnaya”, “obshchestvennaya” , “narodnaya” diplomacy. The ways to use the word show different gradations of its meaning in research and political discourses which determine possible actors of public diplomacy in the Russian language. However, Russian officials in contrast to Russian researchers accept the term “obshchestvennaya” to describe the activity of government institutions in public diplomacy. That’s why a university can be considered as an actor of “obshchestvennaya” diplomacy. Secondly, we reveal the ways to implement public diplomacy by Volgograd State University as one of regional universities. Results. Russian researchers following the English-language studies differentiate the concepts of “obshchestvennaya” and “publichnaya” (public) diplomacy according to the actors that implement this policy: the state cannot implement “obshchestvennaya” diplomacy, because it is a prerogative of social movements or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At the same time, the concept of public diplomacy covers both the work of NGOs and the work of the state in creating its favorable image. However, Russian officials, trying to avoid the use of the Russian term “public diplomacy” incorrectly sounding in Russian, give preference to the phrase “obshchestvennaya diplomacy”, implying that NGOs carry out public diplomacy with the help and on the initiative of the state. Moreover, they are not only public organizations who can conduct policies in this area. In other words, officials suppose that in comparison with research discourse, the circle of participants in “obshchestvennaya” diplomacy enlarges at the expense of state funds and platforms. Thus, a university that implements educational, research and publishing projects is involved in “obshchestvennaya” diplomacy. The position of the university in society, the authority of specialists whom it manages to attract, their international activity provide the soft power of the state.

The paper presents the analysis of the Russian and foreign academic events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the defeat of German fascist troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, in which lecturers, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the Volgograd State University (VolSU) took part. The focus of the paper is on the multilateral activities of the Center for Public Diplomacy, functioning on the basis of the VolSU, as well as of the Scientific and Educational Center “Modernization of the multidimensional social and political space of modern Russia” at the Department of International Relations, Political Science and Area Studies of VolSU on the presentation of Volgograd as a academic and methodological center for the formation of patriotism and civil identity in the Russian Federation. E.N. Vasilyeva presents an analytical review of the international scientific and practical conference “Stalingrad – a symbol of heroism, patriotism and cohesion of the peoples of Russia and the world”. S.B. Kozhirova characterizes the cooperation of foreign scholars with colleagues from the Volgograd State University on the formation of the historical memory of generations. S.A. Pankratov highlights the main activities of the Center for Public Diplomacy and the academic and educational center “Modernization of the multidimensional social and political space of modern Russia” in the context of the institutionalization of the practices of people’s diplomacy in the public policy of the hero city Volgograd-Stalingrad.

The article is devoted to the study of Indian history and culture in Volgograd in the late 20th – early 21th century under the guidance of famous Russian orientalists Arkady Ya. Serebryany and Evgeny L. Besprozvannyh. The authors write about their organizational, scientific and pedagogical activity. Scientific works of Volgograd orientalists, who are pupils of Arkady Ya. Serebryany and Evgeny L. Besprozvannyh, are noted.

To the 250th Anniversary of the Free Economic Society of Russia. Contribution of Scientists-Economists of Volgograd State University to the Development of the Volgograd Region

Vladimir A. Kitaev was born 1941. He was the first dean of the Faculty of History and the first head of the Department of History of the USSR (now the Department of History of Russia) of Volgograd State University, reputable scientist, recognized expert in the history of the Russian social thought. The article shows the role of V.A. Kitaev in the formation and development of the faculty and the department. A characteristic of V.A. Kitaev’ sresearch and teaching activities is given. Kitaev’s featuresas a scholar and teacher such as great erudition, science scrupulosity, exactingness to himself andto his disciples, are marked. V.A. Kitaev worked at Volgograd State University for 16 years. All the while, he headed the Department andwas the dean for the first four years. The main thing is what he wanted in those positions – along with their colleagues was to lay and develop the traditions of the classical university, university atmosphere of the faculty and the university. The major scientific issues that are developed by V.A. Kitaev were: the history of liberalism and the fate of liberal reforms (modernization) in Russia, the history of the Russian conservative thought, the problem of revolutionary violence as an inevitable result of the practical realization of socialist ideas. As an advocate of “establishing full-fledged liberal order”, V.A. Kitaev had, in essence, to ascertain: in Russia XIX – early XX century did not yet develop the historical conditions for the triumph of liberal ideas. The weakness and indecision of Russian liberals and their fear of the revolutionary movement, the constant fluctuation between the reform and reaction did not allow them to become independent of the political force that would determine the fate of the country in the end.

Maxim Matveyevich Zagorulko is the first rector of Volgograd State University, the veteran of the Great Patriotic War, the Honorable Citizen of Volgograd. He is the founder and the head of the scientific school studying various aspects of the Fatherland’s history. In the 1960s, M.M. Zagorulko united researches in the field of an economic history of Russia and the Great Patriotic War history. He had chosen as a subject of his doctoral dissertation a history of operation of economy of temporarily occupied territories of the USSR by fascists. In 1970, M.M. Zagorulko in a co-authorship with the Moscow scholar, the active participant of guerrilla movement A.F. Yudenkov published the monograph “Crash of Economic Plans of Fascist Germany on Temporarily Occupied Territory of the USSR”. Soon it was translated into the Czech language. In 1974, there was the second, added and modified edition of the book by M.M. Zagorulko and A.F. Yudenkov – “Crash of the «Oldenburg» Plan”. The third edition of this book was issued in 1980 in the Russian and Czech languages in Moscow and Bratislava. In 1975, Maxim M. Zagorulko defended his doctoral dissertation in the Dissertation Council of Leningrad State University on the subject “Economic Policy of Fascist Germany in the Occupied Territory of the USSR and Its Crash”. M.M. Zagorulko, his pupils and adherents conduct scientific researches in the field of an Economic History of Russia, History of military captivity in the USSR, History of the Battle of Stalingrad and so forth. Under his management multivolume collections of documents were published, monographs were written and dissertations were defended. The fundamental Encyclopedia of the Battle of Stalingrad created by him was declared in 2010 as “The best book of Russia”. In all these projects, theses and monographs M.M. Zagorulko is the organizer and inspirer of scientific researches.