Geografías populares y visiones de España durante la Guerra Civil y el primer Franquismo. El caso de Michael Huxley y The Geographical Magazine (1935-1959)

Este artículo tiene el propósito de reflexionar sobre la imagen de España en The Geographical Magazine, editada en el Reino Unido por la Royal Geographical Society. El periodo de estudio de dicha imagen comprende desde 1935 hasta 1959. De tal modo que abarca la dirección editorial de Michael Huxley, fundador de la revista, y es coincidente con dos momentos significativos para la historia contemporánea de España, como fueron la Guerra Civil (1936-1939) y el primer franquismo (1939-1959). El interés de este estudio reside en destacar tanto la concepción de la geografía que tenía Huxley, como las claves principales de la imagen de España que se ofrecía en la revista británica dirigida por él.

Captain Scott rewrote his story: January–June 1911

This article reveals that Captain Robert Falcon Scott rewrote his Terra Nova journals for the period 24 January to 18 June 1911, making extensive changes, in places. He made carbon copies of his journal from then until 31 October 1911. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) holds the combined manuscript as Carbon copy of diary as leader of British Antarctic Expedition, Jan. to Oct. 1911 with reference number RFS/1. This little-known version of Scott’s journals has apparently been overlooked by many researchers and scholars. The main research question addressed by the article is: “What was the significance of Captain Scott rewriting his story?” The article reviews two versions of Scott’s story – the published narrative Scott’s Last Expedition, and RFS/1. It investigates the provenance of each version and then reviews differences between the two texts. Three key differences stand out, suggesting the underlying pressures that drove Scott to rewrite his story in mid-1911. The article touches upon editorial changes made by Leonard Huxley in compiling Scott’s Last Expedition and contrasts those changes with changes made by Scott when rewriting the same passages. It also investigates the provenance of a typescript version of RFS/1 held by Canterbury Museum.

Flowers, Bird and Insects from the Archives of F. R. Osten-Sacken

The article offers an overview of illustrations from the archives of an employee of the Russian Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traveller and member of the Russian Geographical Society, Reinhold Friedrich Freiherr von der Osten-Sacken (Russ.: Fyodor Romanovich Osten-Saken) (1832–1916), preserved in the Russian Archive of Ancient Acts (RAAA). In total, the article describes content of four archival boxes (a Chinese popular print depicting western steamers in Tianjin; a Japanese album of 1893 with views of Tokyo; six Chinese paintings in the genre of flowers and birds (huaniao), which depict a lotus, lamprocapnos, pomegranate, dragonflies, cicadas and blue magpie; two prints from Chinese steles). Most of the paintings are published for the first time. The translation of the six explanatory texts for Chinese paintings in the genre of flowers and birds belongs to the author of the present article. The text of the article is accompanied by numerous illustrations of the items preserved in the RAAA.

New light on the role of instruments in exploration during the 1830 s

This paper sets out a new interpretation of the agency of scientific instruments in the field. It uses Actor Network Theory as a conceptual framework, which invokes the concept of non-human agency, meaning that scientific instruments can affect outcomes and processes. It argues that the instruments taken on expeditions by travellers on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) had agency in knowledge creation simply by being present. Having bequeathed the instruments, the RGS had sanctioned the expedition, and knowledge had to result regardless of whether the instruments had been utilized as intended. The paper builds on the work of historians on the morality of precision, but, by engaging in a detailed comparison of rhetoric and action in two case studies, it suggests a different approach. Observing the strategies of the RGS for knowledge creation in varying circumstances, it argues that the instruments had agency owing to their embedded resource rather than their tangible numerical outputs. The instruments did not always work as mediators between humans and natural phenomena, as the human actants were not able to exploit them as such. Nevertheless, they had agency in knowledge creation as their presence ensured success. The paper is based on published and unpublished material, the latter in the RGS–Institute of British Geographers archives.

Educator, Archeologist, Local History Export, Museographer (65th anniversary of Alexander Vasilyevich Konstantinov)

The article deals with scientific and educational activity of Alexander Vasilyevich Konstantinov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, chairman of Transbaikal Branch of the Russian Geographical Society on the occasion of his 65th anniversary. The scientist’s contribution to the historical science of the region, especially to the study of its ancient history is presented and his role in the development of education, including the training of teachers in Transbaikal region is assessed in the paper.

V. A. Moshkov: the birth of gagauz studies in Russia

The Russian ethnographer V. A. Moshkov was a general in rank and a member of the Russian Geographical Society and seriously studied the traditions and life of the peoples inhabiting the Russian Empire. At the end of the 19th century, he began to research the Gagauz people. The research “The Gagauz of Bendery Uyezd”, published in the journal “Ethnographic Review” at the beginning of the 20th century was published as a result of V. A. Moshkov’s travels. Thanks to V. A. Moshkov, the general public learned about the small Orthodox people living on the area of a small region in the south of Bessarabia – the Gagauz. This article examines the multifaceted activities of the researcher aimed at highlighting various aspects of traditional culture – material culture, as well as customs, rituals, beliefs and folklore. It is noted that V. A. Moshkov tried to study the problem of human origin. It is curious that he was prompted to consider this issue because of his acquaintance with the material and spiritual culture of the Gagauz people, in which the scientist found parallels with other peoples not related to the Gagauz people by a common origin. The authors emphasize the role of the Gagauz scholars who have devoted their attention to studying the scientific heritage of V. A. Moshkov in the preservation and development of the identity of the Gagauz ethnos.

Ukrainian magical folklore in the archive collections of the RGO and OLEAE

The article describes the found out archival collections of Ukrainian magical folklore from the funds of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) and the Society of Amateurs of Natural Science, Anthropology, and Ethnography (OLEAE). The author determines the history of the manuscripts and expresses ideas about their authorship, the available editions of these materials, the functional composition, the features of the content and poetic language of the charms included in the collections under consideration. Special attention is paid to the fact that in some of these collections, charms are juxtaposed with «small» forms of verbal magic, creating a complete picture of this fragment of folklore tradition. The expediency of publishing some of these manuscripts (the most complete and little-known) is due to their exclusivity, as well as to the fact that Ukrainian verbal magic is still the least known among the three Eastern Slavic traditions.

“Memories” by Sergey Lyapunov: “Light Pages Read in Life”

Представленные в статье материалы посвящены детским годам С. М. Ляпунова (1859-1924) - яркого композитора, пианиста, музыковеда, профессора Петербургской консерватории, собирателя народных песен, соратника М. А. Балакирева. Впервые публикуются «Воспоминания» Ляпунова, рукопись которых хранится в Российской национальной библиотеке. Память композитора обращается к «светлым страницам» жизни - детским впечатлениям, среди которых: уроки фортепиано, которые давала матушка, талантливая пианистка; красота среднерусской природы; радости деревенской жизни. Большое значение для формирования его характера имели теплая, творческая атмосфера родительского дома в Ярославле, внимание и любовь многочисленных родственников в Симбирской губернии. Обладая незаурядным литературным даром, композитор создает зримые портреты династий Ляпуновых, Сеченовых и Шипиловых. Основы мировосприятия, заложенные в детские годы, впоследствии отзовутся в музыкальных произведениях разных жанров. Способность к тонкой наблюдательности и интерес к народной культуре предопределят разностороннюю деятельность Ляпунова в качестве члена-сотрудника Песенной комиссии Императорского Русского географического общества. Публикуемый документ имеет научную и художественную ценность, которая заключается в запечатлении мира обитателей дворянских усадеб последней трети Х!Х века, в возможности убедиться в особом значении окружения талантливого ребенка для развития его музыкального дарования и формирования жизненного пути. The presented materiaLs are devoted to the chiLdhood of S. M. Lyapunov (1859-1924), a taLented composer, pianist, musicoLogist, professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, coLLector of foLk songs, associate of M. A. BaLakirev. For the first time Lyapunov's “Memoirs” is being pubLished, the manuscript of which is kept in the Russian NationaL Library. The musician's memory turns to “bright pages” of life - his early impressions: piano Lessons given by his mother, a taLented pianist, the beauty of CentraL Russian nature, the joys of village life. The warm, creative atmosphere of the parentaL home in YarosLavL, the attention and love of numerous reLatives in the Simbirsk province were of great importance for the formation of his character. Possessing an extraordinary Literary gift, the composer creates visibLe portraits of the Lyapunov, Sechenov and ShipiLov family dynasties. The foundations of the worLdview Laid in the early years wiLL Later be reflected in musicaL works of different genres. Lyapunov's keen observation abiLity and attention to foLk cuLture wiLL predetermine versatile activities as a member - employee of the Song Commission of the ImperiaL Russian GeographicaL Society. The pubLished document has obvious scientific and artistic vaLue, which consists in a vivid impression of the worLd of the inhabitants of nobLe estates of the Last third of the 19 century, in the opportunity to make sure of the special importance of the environment of a taLented chiLd for the deveLopment of his musical gift and the formation of a life path.

Colonization Narrative in the «Notes of the West Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society» (on the Materials of the Altai District)

In 1877, the creation of the West Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society in Omsk marked a new stage in the history of scientific study of the Altai Mining District, which was expressed, among other things, in the active expeditionary activities of that time leading scientists to the region. The article analyzes the publication's content of the department's printed organ — «Notes», dedicated to the colonization process and migrations of the second half of the 19th century. The content of the works on the theme, their specificity, and their role in shaping the resettlement agenda are identified. It is emphasized that despite the positive assessment of the role of migration in the development of the Altai territory, experts of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries identified bifurcation points in the work of the «pro-gram» of peasant development of the territory (the relationship with the local Russian and foreign population, the agricultural potential of hotel lacunae, the impact of migration on the scrapping of the type of land use consistent with the natural and climatic conditions of the region, land crowding, rapid plowing of soils, etc.). The article concludes about the unique nature of field materials, their «live» content, the desire for fixation and objectification.