Basic Divisions: Department of Ancient and Modern History Department, the Urals Archeology and Ethnology Study.

 

Brief Description of Research Activities

The main scientific line within the trend is aimed at studying regional historical experience and its interaction with the processes of Russian history and culture development based on the example of the Ural Region and the neighbouring regions. Archeologists are studying ancient (since Paleolith) and medieval cultures of the Ural Region in Eurasian cultural space, ethnographers are studying Ethnic history, ethnic processes and ethnic identification of the Ural peoples. Researchers have achieved significant results in studying culture of modernism, early Russian liberalism, historical, cultural and artistic development of Russia and the Ural Region.

 

There are two expeditions within the scientific trend: The Kama Archeological Expedition (since 1947) and The Kama Ethnographic Expedition (since 1975). For the recent three years archeologists have discovered over 300 hillforts, village sites, burial grounds in the Perm Region, there have been excavated over 70 monuments with the artifacts that have been sent for storage to the museums of the Perm Region. The archeological artifacts are systematically classified: in 2005-2010 there were given 760 scientific passports for the artifacts of the I-XIXth centuries A.D. that were sent to the Perm Centre for Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Artifacts. Based on the results of the classification the artifacts were registered in the Governmental Register.

 

The annual archeological research activities in the historical cities of the Perm Region are also of great significance. The most expensive of them are the diggings in the historical part of Perm in the sites of the construction projects. The discovered artifacts were sent to the Perm Regional Local History Museum for their further exposition.

 

The joint field ethnographic research organised by the researchers and workers of the Perm museums are devoted to the following topics: “Ethno-cultural History of the Ural Peoples”, “Calendar Rituals and Festivals of the Kama Region peoples in the XIX-XXth centuries” and “Modern Ethno-cultural Processes in the Ural”. The results of the research are used for production of anthropological educational films.

 

Many realia of material and spiritual culture of Russians, Komi, Komi-Yazva peoples, Mari, Udmurt, Mansi, Tatar, Bashkir were reconstructed for the first time; the evolution of certain tradition complexes determined by natural, migratory and economic processes was studied. The results of the research were published in over 150 monographs, scientific articles, study guides and popular science works.

 

The database was formed on the basis of the results of study of the Volga-Kama Region Old Believers, the special complex field research methodology was recommended to use in the scientific centres of the Volga Federal District.

 

The ethnographic trend is characterised by active collaboration of local scientists and specialists from the History and Archeology University of the Ural subdivision of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Anthropology and Ethnology University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Archeographic Laboratory of Moscow State University, from the local history museums situated in the Perm Region cities: Perm, Ilyinskoe, Cherdyn, Solikamsk, Tchaikovsky, Usolye, Berezniki, Krasnovishersk, Kudymkar, Dobryanka, as well as from the Regional State Archives of the Perm Region, the Home Policy Department of the Perm Region Governor Administration.

 

The researchers working in this scientific trend are members of the Scientific Councils of the Perm Regional Local History Museum, Perm State Art Gallery, Regional State Archives, and Coordination Council for National Matters of the Perm Region Governor Administration, members of editorial boards of scientific periodicals.

 

The researchers systematically support the development and carrying out  of national cultural events, the inter-regional forum “Russian World”, scientific conferences, which are organised by the municipal districts of the Perm Region, cultural and educational institutions.

 

There are also various forms of scientific and educational activity. Since 2000 the Student Programme for Historical and Cultural Tourism has been developed. The students of the faculty who attend the study group “Archeology of the Urals” are often invited to take part in the field research.

 

Selected Publications Characterising Scientific Research Trend

1. Chagin G.N. Cherdyn: Brief historical sketch. Perm, 1972. (In Russian)

2. Chagin G.N. Homesteads of Russians in the Northern Kama Region (XVIIth-the early XXth century) // Soviet Ethnography. 1978. №6 (In Russian)

3. Chagin G.N. In ancient Perm land. Moscow, 1988. (In Russian)

4. Chagin G.N. The Chud antiquities of the Riphean: the Perm animal style (in co-authorship with V.A. Oborin). Perm, 1988. (In Russian)

5. Chagin G.N. Ethnoses and cultures at the border of Europe and Asia: selected works. Perm, 2002. (In Russian)

6. Georgiy N. Chagin Culture and way of life of Russian peasantry of the Middle Urals in the middle of the XIXth-the early XXth century. Perm, 1993. (In Russian)

7. Chagin G.N. The Yazva peoples of the Perm Region: history and traditions. Perm, 1993. (In Russian)

8. Chagin G.N. Views and traditional ritualism of Russian peasantry of the Middle Urals in the middle of the XIXth-the early XXth century. Perm, 1993. (In Russian)

9. Chagin G.N. Peoples and cultures of the Ural Region in the XIX-XXth centuries. Yekaterinburg, 2002. (In Russian)

10. Chagin G.N. Peoples and cultures of the Ural Region in the XIX-XXth centuries: Historical and Ethnographical Atlas. Yekaterinburg, 2003. (In Russian)

11. Chagin G.N. Ethnocultural history of the Middle Urals at the end of the XVIth-the first half of the XIXth century. Perm, 1995. (In Russian)

12. Chagin G.N. The cities of Perm the Great: Cherdyn and Solikamsk. Perm, 2004. (In Russian)

13. Chagin G.N, A.V. Shilov Provincial towns: Kungur, Osa, Okhansk. Perm, 2007. (In Russian)

14. Chagin G.N. The Perm Region at crossroads of history and culture. Perm, 2010. (In Russian)

15. Golovchansky G.P., Melnichuk A.F. The Stroganov towns, stockaded towns, villages. Perm, 2005.

16. Korchagin P.A. Provincial capital Perm. Perm, 2006. (In Russian)

17. The Ural Region Archeology and History studies. Perm, 1998. (In Russian)

18. The Ural Region History studies. Perm, 2005. (In Russian)

19. The History of the Ural Region to the end of the XIXth century. Perm, 2007. (In Russian)

20. The history of religions: spiritual traditions of the Urals peoples. Moscow: Yekaterinburg, 2007. (In Russian)

 

The Most Significant Fundamental Research and Applied Projects

1. Grants of the Perm Region Governor Administration: “Ethnic and Interethnic Interactions in the Perm Region at the present stage”. The public poll was carried out among 10 peoples representatives (1200 people) in various territories of the Perm Region and the cities of Perm, Berezniki, Tchaikovsky; “The Modern State of Ethnicity of the Komi-Yazva Peoples”. The data gathered according to the results of the questioning indicate social infrastructure and ethnic psychology of the Komi-Yazva ethnic group.

2. The project “Old Believers of the Volga-Kama Region” won the   “Social Partnership” competition of the regional fair of social and cultural projects of the Volga Federal District “Perm-2000”. The grant of Autonomous Non-commercial Organisation “Initiative” (Moscow).

3. The project “Communion with the Orthodox Culture of the Stroganov Estate in the Perm Region” won in the IVth social and cultural projects programme “Lukoil – Perm Co Ltd”. There was organised a photo exhibition and booklets were published. The photo exhibition, devoted to the 450th anniversary of the development of the Perm Region by the Stroganovs, was shown in 12 cities and areas of the Perm Region.

4. 2009 – 2010 – The economic contract for development and transfer of scientific and technical products to the federal company “Green World Ltd”. “Carrying out the protective archeological works in the estimated construction site. Address: 3, Maxim Gorky Street, Perm, the area of the historic monument “Yegoshikha copper-smelting plant, settlement”.

5. 2009-2010 – The economical contract for development and transfer of scientific and technical products to the federal company “Quality Steel Ltd”. “Carrying out the protective archeological works in the estimated construction site in the area of the historic monument “The Provincial Perm, settlement”.

6. 2009-2010 – The economical contract for development and transfer of scientific and technical products to the federal company “BK-Development Ltd”. “Carrying out the protective archeological works in the estimated construction site in the area of the historic monument “The Black Market, settlement”.

7. 2009 – The economical contract for development and transfer of scientific and technical products to the individual entrepreneur Vyacheslav V. Khlobystov. “Carrying out the protective archeological works in the estimated construction zone. Address: 18, Lenin Street, Perm”.

8. 2009 – The economical contract for development and transfer of scientific and technical products to the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication of the Perm Region. “Carrying out anti-damage archeological works of demolishing monuments of the Perm Region (zone 2)”.

 

Training of Researchers (Post-graduate and Doctoral Programmes)

Post-graduate Programme “National History” resulted in 1999-2011 in 13 Candidate Dissertations.

 

International Research and Educational Activities

International cooperation with the Institute of Russia and Eastern Europe, Finland, with M.A. Castrén Community in Finland. In the 1996-2002 was organised the joint project aimed at studying the Mari diaspora in the Urals.