On the Russian policy of colonialism: problems and methodology of study. Review of the book: Imperial policy of acculturation and the problem of colonialism (on the example of nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of the Russian Empire) / S. V. Lyubichankovskiy (sci. ed.). Orenburg: OGAU Publishing House, 2019. 480 p.

The peer-reviewed monograph is devoted to a number of topical issues, including the seizure and forced development of foreign territories and material resources, the existence of slavery, racial discrimination and even genocide of the local population. These phenomena in one form or another exist in modern reality. The merit of the author's team under the leadership of professor S. V. Lyubichankovskiy lies in the very formulation of a complex and debatable research problem: the relationship between the concepts of “acculturation” and “colonialism”, the existence of a state mechanism for the implementation of colonial policy and its evolution, the study of the phenomenon of the existence of the Russian Empire itself arouse keen interest of specialists in various branches of scientific knowledge. The authors did significant work to define the research terminology, to develop unified approaches and methods for solving tasks, which, in general, determined the quality of scientific work: the book under review can be evaluated as a major achievement of modern Russian historical science.

Geobotanical characteristics of psammophytic steppes of the Penza region in the Ardym river basin

The research is devoted to the study of poorly preserved psammophytic variants of meadow steppes in the forest-steppe zone of the Middle Volga Region. It has allowed to define the main stages of re-establishment of vegetational cover and estimate the conservation prospects on the river Ardym in different ecological conditions (geomorphological and edaphyc). It has been established that the re-establishment of psammophytic steppes vegetation occurs in a similar way both on the slopes of the predominantly southern exposition and on watershed surfaces. However, in the absence of anthropogenic effects on watershed surfaces, there is a sylvatization of the vegetation cover resulting in displacement of psammophytic steppes. Only the constantly occurring weak natural erosion processes on the slopes of the predominantly southern exposition contribute to the preservation of these rare communities here. Under intense anthropogenic influence, as well as in the conditions of a significant erosion process, the psammophytic steppes fail to be preserved or replaced by steppe meadows.