Focusing on the historical works of the first Armenian historians and writers of V-VII centuries the issue scrutinizes the peculiarities and formula of the textual organization characteristic to the Armenian "Histories". The author concludes that the structures of the works under consideration draw upon somewhat common historical scenario implying the fate of the Armenian people’s instant dependance on their commitment to the Christianity. The author shows that the events of the Armenian late antique history gave grounds for developing of two different blueprints of the Armenian history: the worst-case and the optimistic ones.

This article discusses the characteristics of the recent sociocultural situation connected with such a phenomenon as cultural aggression, which appears in mass art and collective consciousness. A special part is assigned to the analysis of computer game, entertainment programs and bang-bang TV shows, modern movies and TV series and the interpretation of the hero’s image, which is attractive to the present-day consumer. Authors make attempts to define the role of aggression in the morphology of contemporary culture and to answer some questions. Is aggression necessary in today's world? Is cultural aggression a key for understanding of sociocultural present-day situation? Does culture eliminate biological/social disposition to aggression in a human being or, on the contrary, it intensifies aggressive situation that leads to cross-cultural and inter-ethnic tension in the society?

The main topic of this paper is representation of carnal love in the narratives of demonological treatise Malleus Maleficarum and Schwänkbücher, which credited it with magic and some kind of misterious circumstances. Both sources describes carnal acts in the way of short stories with strong patterns similar to folklore.

This article considers the problem of cruelty, mercilessness and inhumanity of war, revealed in the collection of stories « The Things They Carried » by the American writer Tim O’Brian. Being the psychological echo of the war the book displays ruthlessness and bloodiness of war acts by means of the language. The use of synonyms, epithets and intensifiers, numerous similes, emotive words of sub-neutral style, parcelling, polysyndeton in a long line of homogeneous parts, colloquial speech genuinely renders the psychological state of soldiers at the Vietnamese War. Inner sufferings of the protagonist are verbalized with the words of the strong emotional charge, sub-colloquial words, lexical and syntactic repetition, well-proportioned rhythmic pattern, and other expressive means of the language. The essence of the book is to describe the tremendous consequences and hardships of the war, its serious imprint on the mind of the people, values reconsidered in the face of death, ordeal of the people’s fate.

The paper is dedicated on detail consideration of two types of John of Salisbury’s works (1115/1120-1180) - the big one including treatises “Entheticus de dogmate philosophorum”, “Policraticus”, “Metalogicon” and the small one, which involves two "Lifes" - st.Anselm the Cantuarian and Thomas Backet and also papers, which might not be written by John of Salisbury.The purpose of this work is to show the same conception of these various in style and range of problems works reflecting profound worldview principles of an outstanding intellectual and writer of the twelfth century.

Sites of memory are topoi with a life history. They have an initial, creative phase, when they are constructed or adapted to particular commemorative purposes. Then follows a period of institutionalization and routinization of their use. Such markings of the calendar, indicating moments of remembrance at particular places, can last for decades, or they can be abruptly halted. In most instances, the significance of sites of memory fades away with the passing of the social groups which initiated the practice. Sites of memory operate on many levels of aggregation and touches many facets of associative life. While such sites were familiar in the ancient and medieval period, they have proliferated in more recent times. Consequently, the subject has attracted much academic and popular discussion. We therefore concentrate here on sites of memory in the epoch of the nation state, primarily in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The aim of this small study is to examine the problems of the incarnation of the character in the novel of M. A. Sholokhov "They fought for the Motherland". Methodological basis of the theory of literary nature - the works of Theophraste, G. Hegel, modern theorists: оf N.Dragomirescy, V. Khalizev, V.Grehnjov. The article establishes that the main character in Sholokhov expertly individualisieren, but they cannot be opposed: they are mapped in the novel as the edge of a national mentality.It can be argued that in the novel “They fought for the Motherland” as a whole is deeply compromised Russian national character, obvious in the tough. The most striking manifestation of his dominant traits becomes heroism. The heroism of the Russian people in the novel are stripped outwardly of the brilliant manifestations and appears to us in humble garb ordinary, everyday life, battles, crossings. Such an image of nature leads the reader to the conclusion that not heroic exploits in a separate, though very bright, inviting, and all front-line life - feat.

The article discusses the possibility of studying the representation of the royal power of the first Tudors period in England in line with one of the fastest growing areas of historical science - the new political history. At the present time researches on new political history are in demand both in the British and Russian historiography. The sphere of scientific interests of historians is now not so much the ideas, texts, traditions, but its’ special political language that helps to define the intellectual context, which served as the basis for it and in the developing of which they have played an important role. The author concludes that methods of political history allow the formulation of new issues and new challenges in the context of the representation of power, involving new types of sources and application of methods of related humanitarian sciences.

According to methodology of hermeneutics and receptive aesthetics style mechanisms of V. Astafev story “Pastukh I Pastushka” which lead to organizing (genesis) subtextual and transtextual meanings, the so-called intentions, are identified. Images/codes (a shepherd and shepherdess, a huge man with a burning torch behind, the German general-suicide, and others) that perform the functions of organizing subtextual and transtextual (intentional) meanings are examined. Meaning of pauses, semantic and forming role of the interaction of story and pastoral genre structures, the presence of hidden novel's content in the subtext are characterized.

The article is devoted to peculiarities of methodological approaches to study of applied art works of historicism epoch on the collection of the Radishchev Art Museum in Saratov. At research of these subjects an approach from positions of everyday history and history of mentality is appeared very productive. The images and accompanying texts show the attitude to work, rest, traditions, preferences, daily reactions of users of these products. Along with this they reflect also steadier orientations - psychological, cultural and historical, which can't be "deciphered" without values of German "middle class": fidelity to traditions, devotion to national idea, the attitude to work and rest from positions of measure, economy and rationality. As an example the high jug of the historicism epoch with images of "drinkable" scenes on it is considered. The sketch of this jug was created by L. Folts (1809-1876). Interpretation of design as an esthetic whole, also as plots and details of an ornament, is given in the context of an epoch and mentality of German "middle class" in the second half of the XIX century.

In article the main stages of formation and development of military anthropology as new scientific branch are considered from the moment of its theoretical justification in 2000. The contribution to development of this discipline of historians and culturologists, place of a new research paradigm in fundamental historical science, and also experience of its introduction in educational process and practice of teaching at the higher school are shown.

The article analyzes the views of the "Oxford reformers" John Colet (1467-1519), Thomas More (1478-1535) and Erasmus (1469-1536) on war and peace. The study of their writings suggests that they have a common pacifist position and openly manifested negative attitude to the Italian wars (1494-1559). The authors consider that the attempt to identify the Colet-More-Erasmus’s pacifist concept as an adoption the ideas from the Florentine Neoplatonism, J. Savonarola or the Lollardism is inefficient way. For Renaissance intellectuals, the Christian love to neighbor was the most effective instrument to transform the interpersonal relations, social institutions, relations of classes and states. Such conclusion admits to decline the thesis about negative relation of Christian philosophy of non-violence with the contemporary real social practices of that time.

The article discusses one of the modern interdisciplinary approaches to the investigation of personality in history. The author makes an attempt to explain the contradictory behavior of the Roman intellectual Mark Tullius Cicero through the classifying of some behavior patterns and ways of acting in different circumstances. The author focuses on the phenomenon of «religious aspects» and on Cicero’s attitude towards its manifestation within Roman society in the time of the Republic’s decline.

This paper considers questions related to the use of the past for research strategies in the interpretation the character the state ideology monarchical Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925-1979. Analyzed research approaches from different historiographical schools - official Iranian historiography the Shah period, Western historiography (the United States and English-speaking countries of Western Europe), modern historiography of the Islamic Republic of Iran, modern Iranian emigre historiography, Soviet and modern Russian historiography. Also explores methods of use of the historical past in the study of ideology shah state, including re- interpretation of the events, mythologizing and update events, the use of ideological constructions. We also consider the impact on the interpretation of Iran's state ideology monarchical specific political conditions and the current situation in international relations.

Epigraphs by German grammar and poet from Augsburg Ioann Pinitian (1477/1478 - 1542) to the German translation of the treatise "Phisicke Against Fortune" by Italian humanist and poet Francesco Petrarca almost didn't draw attention of researchers. Scientific and cultural value of these texts consists of typological uniqueness (epigraphs were ordered in two languages - German and Latin, to the translation of the composition by Petrarch which was created nearly two centuries earlier) and thematic variety. Main thesis: Pinitian's texts don't annotate Petrarch's dialogues. They briefly retell main Petrarch`s ideas and thoughts, or turn into the independent comment of the author of epigraphs to dialogues and offer his own "reasonings on a subject". The German author creates the "parallel text" which isn't contradicting Petrarch's text, but also not repeating it. The biggest feature of epigraphs - consideration of any questions in the religious and reformational plan.

The article analyzes the «Historia Bohemica» Aeneas Piccolomini Sylvia - a source on the history of one of the most interesting periods in the history of the Czech state, the author's attitude to the Hussite heresy. Piccolomini in his book described the history of the state, which formed such a strong religious movement, criticized itself heretical teaching and its main ideologues. When writing the author used a number of sources, using a critical approach in their selection. As Aeneas was a contemporary and even a party to the main events of the XV century, «Historia Bohemica» contains a number of colorful and sharp portraits of his heroes. However, only those who are directly involved in the fate of the Czech Republic, given biographical descriptions.

Referring to the question of what the field of contemporary postcolonial studies represents, the author explores their institutional development, noting a number of research centers, as well as some aspects of adaptation in the Post-Soviet space.

The author reveals main approaches to studying of works by German film directors of the 1920th: historical and typological, semiotic, system and typological. In the center of his attention there is the movie "The Nibelungs" (1924) by Fritz Lang (1890-1976). The author comes to conclusion that traditional in approaches - researching of the typical and system lines of different cinema schools, consideration of the big historical periods and large scale of movies. New in approaches - researches of one movie, even, one-two heroes. Lang's "The Nibelungs" remains not well-studied movie within modern approaches.

This article explores the gender approach in the study of the social identity of the nobles. Social identity of noblewoman is more analyzed, basically in the category «women's studies».

Russia's entry into the Bologna process led to the beginning of the reform of higher education. The article examines the main trends in the development of higher education in the light of the impact of the Bologna process in the context of economic globalization. The change of the relationship of the University and the state in modern conditions, where the University, subject to public order, forced to train specialists needed in our country at the expense of its role of the conductor of classical education. Particular attention is paid to transformation of human knowledge, as the transfer of common cultural components. Also address the issue of redrawing bachelor's and master's degree programs and their application in the educational process at the moment and, as a consequence of the change is indicated by the status and role of the university teacher.

The article discusses the role of intelligentsia and the new middle class in the process of nations and nationalism formation during the Modern period in terms of ethnosymbolism. On the example of National Collective, the cultural movement for Scottish independence, featuring activists campaigning for a Yes vote on referendum that took place in 2014, the activities of modern creatives in the promotion of cultural nationalism in the information society are reviewed.

The article discusses the creation of Andrzej Wajda who is a prominent representative of the Polish school of cinema which appeared in the early 1950s. Our task is to attempt to trace the evolution of the director’s views on certain historical events and the historical path of Poland as well as more importantly the process of interlacing of personal memory and collective memory. The object of analysis in this paper are the films created by Wajda in the period from 1954 to 2007 and a number of memoirs.

The article deals with the specific features of the methodology of the famous Russian historian-medievalist Aron Gurevich. Traced the path of the historian of the socio-economic problems to questions of cultural history, and also shows the main lines of research in the broad context of Soviet historiography of science.

The article examines the main issues of institutionalization, legitimation of sacral power of clergymen of traditional religions of Finno-Ugric Peoples (for example, Mari, Udmurt, Mordovians). On the basis of interdisciplinary approaches of historical anthropology concludes that the clergy during its existence did not form a closed system of classical priesthood, are one of the most unique examples of conservation of autochthonous beliefs of ethnic groups living on the territory of the Middle Volga.

The article attempts to show some shifts at the historiographical fields and emerging of the new directions within the modern historical investigations, namely, a "new cultural history» that became a historical anthropology later. Drawing upon the latter’s techniques an individual, or a group, or a community is being investigated. It is noted that the so-called «emic methods» have given a rise to the study of different types of communities of antiquity, particularly, some informal or alternative associations. The author comes to conclusion that applying the methods of historical anthropology towards the issue of the nature of the Hermetic congregations may contribute to solving many problems related to the core, eclectic nature, as well as to the philosophical and ideological basis of the Hermetic corpus.

This paper considers the methods of historical research applied by the authors to the analysis of the reforms in the late Russian Empire 1860-70es, which completely changed the system of local authorities for Russian Germans. This study also explores the main principles of processing the archival data and represents the most common research strategies of Tsar, Soviet and modern Russian historians, as well as their German, American and French colleagues.

II International Conference of young researchers, graduate students, undergraduates, students "Axiology of Slavic culture" in Minin University December 10, 2015 was devoted to the value vector of the Slavic culture. Participants identifiedaspects relevant to the modern Slavic research in the field of linguistics, literature, history and philosophy. Plenary session of the conference, which was traditionally held by established researchers, determined the form and prospects of Slavic research: from the problems of ethno-cultural and ethno-confessional (neopagan) status to the axiological context of modern lingvo-cultural situation. During the operation of the sections representative features of the Polish and Czech literature in the XIX century and at the present stage of its development have been identified, typological features, specifics of development and the historical status of the Slavic languages, the mental nature of linguistic phenomena were revealed. During the round table on the problems of relations between Russia and Poland question, priorfor the social consciousness of 80s of XX century like freedom of choice and mental identity, which became the subject of debate in Eastern Europe, were identified.

The issue offers a review of the joint international research seminar “The Theory and Methods of Historical Writing: What is a Historical Experience?” held by the German historical Institute in Moscow and Minin’s Nizhny Novgorod state pedagogical University and supported by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (Cologne, Germany). The seminar took place on the 28-29 may, 2015, in Nizhny Novgorod. The seminar’s participants, leading European scholars and young would-be historians, discussed a wide a range of current theoretical problems of historical knowledge as well as their employment in many particular cases.

The issue puts the global question: what makes a work of professional historiographic writing and a narrator’s «telling a history» different? It is, first of all, a definitive indication of concerns of the study, suggestions of its theoretical grounds, identification of the topic’ explorations level and, finally, the definition of the research methodology. Without compliance with the above conditions a historical work might not claim the status of scientific research. The issue examines various works of historians who tried to respond to these questions and to offer innovative approaches towards historical description, focusing at the same time on the very peculiarity of the historical narrative. The author tries to respond to the challenge of his own study on Stalin as a criminal, a prisoner of State. The author comes to the conclusion that theories rather label the historian’s narratives than give a structure for them, as depending on a variety of subjective factors. In other words, the theories and narrations, the author insists, turn out to be totally different and separated fields. Everyone, after all, reads one’s own book and draws upon one’s own historical experience.

The article analyzes the concepts of "theory of history" and of "philosophy of history". The theory is not just an integral part of history but something allowing to accurately set the didactics of the subject of history, as well as to make a history the methodologically controlled way of presentation of the past. So theory exists to meet the needs of historical practice. In turn, the didactics of history is interpreted as a theory for practice, as a way leading from mediocre, bread-and-butter historical theories to the academic ones. There is then a further way from the understanding of the meaning of history to variety of its interpretation. A special role, according to the author, plays the shaping of the basic students’ skills of approaching towards historical sources. It can be represented for students as a form of presentation associated with the problem of the variability of interpretation of history. The author provides specific ways of restructuring of the school teaching of history based on these assumptions. In his opinion, the most important achievement of the modern theory is the rejection of «history objectively understood and taught» in favor of the theory of narrative history which finally promotes its deeper comprehension and awareness.

Author examines the historical concepts that assume the unity of modern European history basing on the recognition of the unity of its historical experience. The whole variety of systematic approaches towards European history, starting from the transposition of the main motives of narrative history of the XIX century to the modern theories of civil society, is being scrutinized. Focusing on the historical experience of multi-ethnic states of the XIX century, such as the Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Ottoman and British empires, with with regard to the European history of the mono-ethnic state, the author concludes that European history has always been somewhere between its domestic and external solutions issues. There are six statements, the author insists, that respond to the basic question: how should the history of modern Europe be written nowadays in order to overcome previous stereotypes? The general assertion of the issue is that the modern historiography of Europe should become rather supranational and even somewhat transcultural.