The Russian State University for Humanities organized the conference devoted to the project “Native Roots” aimed at studying the history of the country through history of a family by students of the RSUH.
Valery Minayev, deputy rector of the RSUH, PhD., Professor
The project “Native Roots” is very natural for our university. It is an attempt to find new methods of raising young people. However, they are not new. It is history. History has always been an instrument for raising people. But it wasn’t always successful, as sometimes history is presented as the authorities see it, rather than as it is in reality. In our case history is true. It is the history of each young person and his or her family. I think this first attempt is successful.
Alexander Bezborodov, the head of History and Archives Institute of the RSUH, PhD., Professor
We all understand the importance of what we do in this direction. However, we called “Native Roots”, history and genealogy of family, a project. A project is an idea. What do we mean under the project from the strategic point of view? First of all, it would be nice to see in political subjects forming Russian identity not only our state leaders, but also something more important. Today national identity is being politicized only from the point of view of management. It is managed by various governmental and nongovernmental structures, by the mass media, communities and corporations of experts, but legislative and executive powers. In these political subjects we should see and emphasize humanitarian knowledge, including the RSUH, mark it in this line through certain projects. It is very important to remember our historic past and our historic presence in this context.
The history of the 20 century was very hard, didactic and edificatory. It was a heavy roller that destroyed people’s lives, families and made relatives separate. In the civil war father and son, mother and daughter found themselves on different sides of the frontline. We know it quite well. At the same time, we know that human personality is unique. The 20 century with its hard events didn’t level down the human personality. The fact is proved by stories and works by our first-year students.
Today sociologists, political scientists, historians, economists state a simple fact: in comparison with the early 1990s family values in Russian culture demonstrate the obvious growth. And by the way, not only in the Russian culture. Of course the Russian culture is a very serious, important and essential part of the world culture. That is why projects like “Native Roots” cannot be only an internal Russian affair. It is international. If we find partners abroad, for example, within magister or some other programs, we will welcome it. Just imagine – a fresher from Germany and a Russian fresher from the RSUH; a Polack and a Russian through establishing of national Polack and national Russian identity.
Yugeny Pchyolov, head of Supporting and Special History Disciplines Office of History and Archive Institute of the RSUH
My report will be devoted to some certain preliminary results of the RSUH project and its prospects in the all-institute and all-university space. It is understandable that genealogy, studying of family history is one of the most effective ways of inclusion a person to history of his or her culture, history of the country, society, and civilization. Genealogy is the oldest form of historic memory. It connects past and presence and builds a bridge to the future. By studying your own genealogy a person begins to percept history of the country as his or her own history, as history of family and his or her personality. It is very important today. 2012 is the year of Russian history. We are aimed at increase of social interest to the historic past of our country, popularization of historic knowledge and increase of historic culture in the society. Genealogical culture is obviously one of the most important parts of this historic culture.
In the 20 century this culture, awareness of belonging to a certain historic and genealogical system were attached heavily in our country. The political forces that came in power in 1917 were targeted at establishing of a new society, a new person who would have no historic roots. It contributed to destroy of historic memory and to a negative attitude toward the historic past of our country. A person became remote from history of the country and perceived it as something alien and hostile. Fortunately, today the situation has changed and is changing at the moment. Today studying of genealogy, family history, history of ancestors becomes an important and even popular affair. Unfortunately, there is a risk to face shallow and dilettantish attitude on this path. If we open Internet, we will see a great number of various web-sites with insertions “Learn about history of your family and biography of your ancestors” in five minutes literally. Of course it is a commercial interest and a shallow attitude. Such offers are interesting only to people who lack elementary genealogic culture. A serious genealogic research is a very long process that should be based on scientific grounds. When we start to deal with genealogy of a person, we cannot be sure in success, as preservation of the sources base in our country is not as good as we want. It is important to cooperate with archives, manuscript departments of museums, libraries and so on. Our target is not only to evoke interest to genealogic history, but also to show seriousness of such research.
In our university we have accumulated great experience in the sphere of teaching and studying genealogy. I remind you that in the 1930s History and Archive Institute began teaching genealogy within the course of supporting historic disciplines. One of pioneers was Nikolai Petrovich Chulkov, an outstanding genealogist. Later Stepan Veselovsky, Vladislav Lukomsky, Alexander Zimin, Vladimir Kobrin, Alexander Stanislavsky had been working in History and Archive Institute. Due to them genealogy got an impulse for reviving in the late 1980s. In 1989 we conducted the first scientific genealogy conference in our country. And now teaching genealogy in our university steps to a new stage. This new stage correlates with the education and research program “Native Roots.” Its development began due to our rector Efim Pivovar. Various structures of the RSUH are involved into implementation of the project. Our Supporting and Special Disciplines Office developed several training courses on genealogy. These courses are about the general character and the special character. We need to intensify the work on this program, its deepening and development in various departments of the RSUH. We need to implement special courses and continue development of study guides. Development of the all-university program could be an effective method of increasing students’ humanitarian culture.
