Unknown pages from Maria Kantakuzino’s biography

Thе present publication is the first in historiography to highlight the unknown pages from the biography of Maria Andreevna Kantakuzino, wife of Foma (Toma) Kantakuzino, Major General of the Russian Army, an associate of Peter the Great. The research is based on documents discovered by the author in the State archives of the Russian Federation. The hallmark of this article is the fact, that the biographical data of Maria Cantacuzino are disclosed in the context of the political events of the 1st quarter of the 18th century, as well as her personal ties and correspondence with statesmen of the Russian Empire, the author reflects the issue of the financial situation of the countess in Russia. At the same time, the publication sheds light on the previously unknown biographical data of Maria Cantacuzino – the time and conditions of her arrival in Russia, the place of residence, as well as the date of her death. This publication, on the basis of archival documents discovered and introduced into scientific circulation, makes it possible to show the property status and possessions of the Cantacuzino family in Russia in the first half of the 18th century, as well as their fate after the death of the owners.

Sociocultural identity of Vinnitsa region as a component of cultural landscape of the region (based on the results of field research)

The features of the sociocultural identity of the residents of Vinnitsa region are analyzed through the prism of cultural landscape based on field ethnographic materials collected during expeditions by students of the Faculty of History, Law and Public Administration and educators of the Department of History and Culture of Ukraine of Vinnitsa State Pedagogical University named after M. Kotsyubynsky in 2020. This has been achieved through combining objects of material culture with varieties of worldview manifestations and behavioral practices. The prospects of the research are important both in the scientific and in the public areas emphasizing its applied value. There is the question of the further process of the sociocultural identity of the residents of Vinnitsa region through the prism of decentralization reform, the expressiveness of the own “face” of the region due to active exploitation of distinctive local resources, strengthening the tourist attractiveness and comfort of the region. The outcomes of this study could interest researchers involved in developing methodological tools in the context of rethinking sociocultural identity and (re)planning the cultural landscape in the post-Soviet space.

Plague – ”The Turkish disease”: a traditional Romanian perception (historical, theological, ethnological and epidemiological aspects)

The article addresses the issue of the traditional Romanian perception of the plague as ”Turkish disease” and presents relevant historical, theological, ethnological and epidemiological information. This perception is based on the memory of the frequent wars waged by the Ottomans on Romanian territory; wars during which contagious diseases were recurrent, and implicitly the plague. In historiography, the invocation of the plague epidemics in the context of Ottoman history was nuanced in the works of Mihail Critobul from Imbros, Dimitrie Cantemir, Montesquieu, Constantin Bazili. The reluctance of the natives towards the Turks is explained by the cultural, religious and linguistic differences, by the behavior of the Ottomans and by the non-acceptance of the other’s values. The inhabitants of the principalities believed that the plague also entered through the Ottoman ships coming from Constantinople and moored in the ports of Galați and Brăila. The epidemiological phobias of the natives were amplified by the fact that the Turks, especially those from the royal family, neglected any sanitary restrictions during the plague epidemics. The Ottoman plague’s fatalism is explained by their religious beliefs. The divine factor is also invoked in Romanian folklore, the plague being perceived as God’s punishment sent to the Turks for the misfortunes brought to the Romanians.

The influenza pandemic in colonial Asante: Lesson drawing for the fight against COVID-19 in the twenty-first century

This paper pays attention to colonial strategies that were deployed to fight against the influenza pandemic among the Asante of Ghana. It does a comparative analysis of the outbreak and mode of spread of COVID-19 and influenza pandemics in Ghana and Asante, in particular. Based on the theory of lesson-drawing, the authors aimed to ascertain whether the strategies adopted to fight the current COVID-19 pandemic reminisce the earlier strategies deployed during the influenza pandemic of 1918. Based on primary and secondary data, the authors have constructed a history which proffers some insights into the fight against COVID-19. Authors conclude that the various health interventions toward the prevention and control of influenza in Asante during the colonial period were skewed in favour of Europeans and natives who worked within the colonial civil service. This did not support relevant strategies and efforts to reduce the spread of the disease at a faster pace. Despite several efforts made to curtail the spread of the disease, the colonial administration together with traditional authorities encountered challenges of inadequate health personnel, culture conflict, financial. The role of security agencies and the collaboration between the colonial administration and traditional authorities offer a very significant lesson for confronting the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

Bulaestian /по|ч’естне/ and some Ukrainian and Romanian analogies

The tradition (and, the lexeme also) of /по|ч’естнe/ ‘the preliminary gifting to bride and groom in the early stage of wedding’ exists among the Bulaestian Ukrainians. During the /по|ч’естнe/ guests entering the wedding hall come to the small table with wine and jam and/or sweets. They congratulate the bride / groom, throwing small money on the tray (which is denoted as /к’е|датеи на по|ч’естнe/, ‚to throw on pochestne‘), and then they are poured a glass of wine, offered jam or sweets for a snack. The task of the research is to analyze the term /по|ч’естнe/ and its analogues in the Ukrainian and Romanian areas. The analysis has demonstrated that a kind of semantic interference between the words [почесне] and частувати exists in the Carpathian-Ukrainian region. The closest analogies to the Bulaestian /по|ч’естнe/ addresses us to the South-Podolian Ukrainian dialects. The existence of ritual parallels that are structurally close to the Bulaestian почестнэ, and at the same time are denoted semantically (and, in some cases etymologically, like the Romanian cinste,) similar, albeit different, lexemes namely in the Romanian area, suggests that the appearance of the ceremony of почестнэ, as well as the semantic shift in the meaning of this word in the Carpathian-Ukrainian dialects occurred precisely under the Romanian influence.

Family values, customs, traditions and ethics of the Russian family in Bessarabia (the interwar period in Romanian literature)

The article analyzes the essays “Bessarabian Roads” by Mikhail Sadoveanu, written in the genre of ethnographic fiction, and the moral-descriptive novel by Georgy Bezvikonny “The Last Superfluous Man”. Our selection of works was based on the representativeness of these sources for the announced topic. M. Sadoveanu recreates a phantomatic picture of the micro-space of the Russian noble family of Madame Panina (1920s); the system of the images of these essays clearly reveals the atmosphere of social disorientation of the Russian population, as well as the manifestation of clear trends of integration into the Romanian social space. However, the family values, customs, traditions and the morals of the Russian family in Bessarabia during the interwar period retain some elements of continuity. G. Bezvikonny in details recreates the spirit of the era, its historical flavor, retrospectively reflects the life of a typical Bessarabian family with a high social class status (the so-called “Russian boyars”); in his novel, the biopsychological portrait of the family, constituted over generations, emerges in the detailed aspects of family values, customs and traditions. The above mentioned works also substantively consider the issues of “Bessarabian identity”, which were especially relevant in the aspect of studying the Russian family in the interwar period.

"The Gypsy issue” in Hungary during the interwar years (I)

During the interwar years in Hungary, the authorities approached the issue of Gypsy settlements mainly through regulations concerning public health. Measures to try to settle the so-called “wandering Gypsies” resulted indirectly in the creation of new Gypsy settlements. The conflicting interests of government ministries and the local authorities became all the more apparent, as they both expected the provision of the accompanying necessary funds to resolve the “Gypsy issue” from the other party. The implementation of the decrees issued by the central authorities were often obstructed and faced criticism from officials, doctors, and gendarmerie responsible for their implementation at the local level. During the period in question, the content of the “Gypsy issue” gradually changed: during the 1920s it mostly meant the setllement of “wandering Gypsies”; while later, in the 1930s, along with the old ones new challenges arose related to the Gypsy settlements, which increased both in size and number. The author uses little-researched primary sources: resolutions approved by the Hungarian authorities and Hungarian interwar periodicals such as: the Csendőrségi Lapok (Gendarmerie Journals), Magyar Közigazgatás (Hungarian Public Administration) and Népegészségügy (Public Health).

On the activities of E. A. Muravyova in the Roma section of the Union of Soviet Writers (until June 1941)

The article highlights the activities of the Section of Roma writers under the Bureau of National Commissions of the Union of Soviet Writers from the end of 1939 to June 1941 inclusive. This period is very significant for the restoration of the history of Soviet Romani literature for almost two years. From September 1939 to June 1941, Roma writers sought new productive contacts with the authorities in an attempt to revive Romani book publishing. The article presents new data based on previously unstudied archival documents and two letters from Roma writers. New facts about the book collection (almanac) of Romani stories translated into Russian and planned for publication in 1941 are presented and confirmed by archival documents, in particular, letters from the famous writer and poet Mikhail Timofeevich Bezlyudsky (1901–1970) and from the Crimean Roma Yu. B. Dzhaltyrov to Elizaveta Aleksandrovna Muravyova (1922–2007), whose contribution to the work of the Section is described on the basis of her biographical data. She also translated Roma tales and stories into Russian for future editions; she recorded Roma songs from performers for decades.

Everyday Life and Traditions of the Russian Community of Interwar Сhisinau in the Memoirs of Contemporaries

The article examines the everyday and cultural traditions of the Russian population of interwar Сhisinau based on sources of personal origin. There were selected and analyzed unpublished memoirs of contemporaries who belonged to the noble and intelligent urban stratum, kept in the personal funds of the National Archives of Republic of Moldova. The range of topics and plots is very wide, but Russian problems are implicitly present in all memoirs. Describing everyday habits, leisure, professional occupations, social activities of the Russian-speaking intelligentsia of those years, the authors reflect the world outlook and opinions inherent in their ethno-cultural environment. The studied memoirs show that the everyday life and culture of the Russian population of the 1920s and 30s reflected continuity with those that were characteristic of the previous decades. During the period when Bessarabia was part of Royal Romania, the Russian community, being in new social and ideological conditions, tried to preserve their religious and cultural forms of everyday life. However, while remaining outwardly unchanged, many traditions were filled with a different content moving from social to private life. These personal documents and memoirs allow us to focus on the key topic in ethnology: investigation of the daily life of the Russian population in Bessarabia during the interwar period, less studied in historical discourse.

Nutrition of children in orphanages in the Moldavian SSR (1944–1947)

In this article, we elucidate the problem of providing food products to orphanages in the Moldavian SSR in the years 1944–1947. The research found that the expansion of the orphanage network in the MSSR in the post-war years was due to the social policy of reducing the number of wandering and orphaned children suffering from hunger. The number of orphanages increased during the famine, and gradually decreased after its overcoming. The controls carried out by the authorities in the field of education and healthcare found serious gaps in the process of providing food to orphanages, irregularities in the management of products and even abuse of staff towards children. These realities aggravated the situation of children in orphanages, who were affected by the difficult family situation, famine and precarious conditions in institutions. Survivors’ testimonies show that most of the orphans who were taken to orphanages were rescued from starvation, and in some cases, when taken by relatives for maintenance, they died. The archive documents, but also the testimonies of the survivors show that the difficult situation of the children in the post-war years, the starvation, the vagrancy, the increase in the number of orphaned children, etc. were a consequence of the totalitarian politics and the irresponsibility of the local authorities.