No 4, 2025
Publishing Date: 2026-01-25
Melkov A.S. Non scholae, sed vitae discimus: 50 issues of “Studia Humanitatis” Journal
On the 25th of January 2026 the fiftieth anniversary issue of the International Electronic Scientific Journal “Studia Humanitatis” (2025, No 4) was published. For thirteen years the journal has made a significant road of formation and development as a scientific periodical. At present there have been published in journal 1040 papers and reviews in the humanities – history, pedagogy and teaching methodology, politology and law, psychology, theology, philology, philosophy. “Studia Humanitatis” has been worthily carrying out its noble and important mission, contributing to the development of humanitarian education and science in Russia and overseas. Twenty one papers have been published in the anniversary issue. Our authors are representatives of educational institutions and scientific organizations of seven countries: Russia, Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Turkmenistan. The International Electronic Scientific Journal “Studia Humanitatis” is an interactive platform for discussing topical issues related to the development of modern humanities. The periodical is open for intellectual discussions and exchange of opinions among authors on a wide range of scientific problems.
HISTORY
Olga Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya (1874-1939) became a representation of the trend of accepting women into the university environment in the first half of the 20th century, especially into such disciplines as medieval studies. More than that, she can also be considered a scholar who contributed to the preservation of ties between European and Russia medieval studies at a time when it was difficult to do so on the eve of the World War II. It seems that some of the topics, which Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya developed, for example, the problems of agricultural development in Western Europe and of feudalism, especially in the context of the development of this topic in European science of that era, were not adequately covered. It is particularly important to pay attention to her works on agricultural technologies, which became a key topic for M. Blok in the process of formulating his idea of the High Middle Ages as an era of technological and economic breakthrough. These ideas became an extremely important element of the methodological approach to teaching history of the Middle Ages and the concept of medieval hierarchy, formulated by Vladimir Yakubskiy (1924-2013) at History of the Middle Ages Department of St. Petersburg State University. The consonance of her interests with the key topics of world medieval studies should be considered as an indicator of her characteristic breadth of thinking and practice in setting the most relevant and fundamental tasks.
The research examines the diplomacy of Florence in the initial stage of the Italian Wars of 1494-1559. The author substantiates the concept of analysing the events of 1498-1499 in Florentine diplomacy as a certain “border period”, when the Tuscan Republic needed to form a new understanding of its own goals in the context of the Italian armed conflict and the strategy for their implementation. The main focus in the context of analysis is on the figure of the secretary of Florentine diplomacy, Niccolo Machiavelli and his mission in July 1499 to the Countess of Forlì, Caterina Sforza. The final part of the study propose not only a generalizing conclusion but also an appendix – the author’s own translation of a number of diplomatic documents of Machiavelli mission to Katerina Sforza from Italian into Russian, which contains some notes.
The siege of Leningrad (1941-1944) stands as one of the longest and most devastating blockades in modern history. This siege created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, claiming over a million civilian lives and reshaping the fabric of urban society under extreme conditions. The paper explores how ordinary citizens endured starvation, cold, and bombardment while maintaining social cohesion and cultural activity. The study examines the strategic objectives of the German Wehrmacht and their Finnish and Spanish allies, the defensive measures of the Soviet forces in the context of 872-day battle. The analysis highlights how logistical breakdowns, harsh environmental conditions and shifting frontlines influenced both the conduct of the siege and its ultimate failure. The paper argues that the siege was not merely a military operation, but a calculated attempt to annihilate the civilians, revealing the intersection of warfare, ideology and urban resilience. The findings underscore how the civilian population transformed survival into an act of collective resistance, illustrating the complex interplay between suffering, identity, and resilience during wartime.
The authors publish a unique historical source, a letter from a Soviet officer Victor Ukraintsev to the students of Moscow school 1138. He participated in the uprising of the Mauthausen concentration camp in 1945. The article also considers the context when the correspondence began, a special history of the emergence and development of the Soviet “garden-city” – Railways Institute led to the interest of schoolchildren in the Great Patriotic War heroes and their experience of preserving courage and loyalty to the Motherland in the most difficult circumstances, and to the creation of a school museum under the guidance of history teacher Tamara Shelenok (the former – Polyakova). The authors prepared a historical note about the uprising and Victor Ukraintsev’s escape, about the reflection of these events in the Soviet literature of the 1960s and about the Moscow science city – Railways Institute, where the school was located, the students of which initiated the correspondence. The appendix contains photocopies of the letter and the accompanying picture of Victor Ukraintsev.
Belonogova Y.I. Photo album review: Victor Klimov. The Soldiers of Victory
The photo album by Smolensky photographer Victor Klimov is dedicated to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). The book contains photographs taken during the festive commemorative events held in 1983-2015 in Roslavl, Desnogorsk and other cities of the Smolensk region. The album contains portraits, group photos, reports and staged shots with the veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The uniqueness of “The Soldiers of Victory” project lies in the sincere desire of the author to capture not the ceremonial image of a veteran, but the appearance of a real person with all his experiences, memories and wisdom accumulated over the years of a difficult life. Each photo of the album is a living touch to the history; it helps to feel the connection of times and the strength of the victorious people spirit.
Ivanov A.M., Silina K.V. The Soviet period of Vasily Smirnov Smolensk Regional printing house
The paper features activities and revival of Vasily Smirnov printing house in Smolensk in the post-war period. The authors highlight the activities and achievements of the printing house during the years of Soviet power on the material of archival documents from the funds of the State Archive of the Modern History of the Smolensk Region and periodical press materials. The printing house actively implemented innovative production methods, which contributed to its development and expansion of operating capacity. The use of progressive forms of labour organization and incentive systems for employees has led to a significant increase in productivity and output.
PEDAGOGY and TEACHING METHODOLOGY
The family is the primary social structure that forms the foundation of society and plays a key role in the upbringing and development of the individual, as well as their moral compass. The family is not only a space for relationships between parents and children but also an important social institution that ensures the establishment of equal ties in public life. It serves as the primary indicator of the moral, social, and psychological health of society and its harmonious structure. The policy of the Turkmen state is based on the concept of strengthening and fully supporting the age-old foundations of the institution of family and marriage, which is large-scale, consistent and comprehensive.
The article is concerned with teaching young researchers correct use of articles in academic discourse (including ‘a’/‘an’, ‘the’and zero article). The English article system presents a certain difficulty for speakers whose language lacks this grammatical category or where it functions differently (including Russian). Inadequate use of articles lowers the level of formal accuracy of the academic text, causing ambiguity and negatively influencing perception of the research by academic community. The article considers key functions of articles in academic discourse, suggesting methodological approaches and principles for training aimed at forming stable competence. Special attention is given to the distinctive features of article use in academic discourse and their incorporation into the course of studies.
POLITOLOGY and LAW
This paper examines the use of information technology in election communications in Russia and Vietnam. Using a comparative approach, the study analyses factors such as legal regulation, digital infrastructure, communication platforms, and voter mobilization methods. The results show that both countries have expanded the use of digital technologies in elections, but differences in political systems shape different communication models. In Russia particular attention is paid to data processing technologies and the use of various digital platforms; in Vietnam, targeted communication and popular social media play a leading role. This paper demonstrates through a comparative analysis that information technologies are increasingly becoming a key factor in the organization and communication of elections, thereby providing Vietnam with valuable lessons that can be flexibly applied in the process of digital transformation in the electoral sphere.
This study aims to determine how the process of resolving land disputes outside the court by the National Land Agency. The method used in this study is a normative juridical approach. The paper discusses the process of resolving disputes outside the court through mediation carried out by the National Land Agency as a mediator. It begins with an agreement between both parties to resolve the land dispute through mediation. Then both parties submit this agreement to the National Land Agency Office. The next stage is the implementation of mediation, starting from discussion to providing final decision. After successful mediation and reaching an agreement, a peace deed is made to be registered with the District Court. Fundamentally, a mediator acts as an intermediary who helps the parties to resolve the dispute they face. A mediator will also help the parties to provide an understanding of the existing problem to be fixed together. In addition, to reach an agreement, a mediator must also help the parties to formulate various dispute resolution options. Of course, these options must be acceptable and satisfactory to both disputing parties. At least the main role that a mediator must play is to bring together differing interests, in order to reach a meeting point that can be used as a benchmark for solving the problem.
PSYCHOLOGY
Krylova M.N. Dyslexia as a subject of modern scientific research
This paper examines modern approaches to dyslexia as a specific impairment in the ability to read and understand written text, in which a person experiences difficulty perceiving letters, syllables and words. The analysis was conducted by the parent of a dyslexic child, who, on the one hand, expressed a desire to understand the problem of a non-expert in this field, and on the other, a desire to help parents of the same kind. It is noted that, according to modern approaches, children with dyslexia (in the absence of other disabilities) have intact intelligence, which is within the normal range and often even above average. They are absolutely normal in terms of their intellectual development and general health. Dyslexia is simply a peculiarity of brain function, not a sign of any abnormality. Children with dyslexia successfully learn, develop their talents, achieve high results in various fields, and become full members of society with the right approach. Their creative potential is often more highly developed than that of their peers. Both teachers and parents of children with dyslexia need to understand that dyslexia is not a sign of laziness or a reluctance to learn, does not make a child “inferior’, and merely requires a special approach to learning. It can be accompanied by unique abilities in other areas. With the right support and understanding from adults, children with dyslexia can achieve significant success and fully realize their potential.
THEOLOGY
This paper examines the synthesis of Confucianism, Mahāyāna Buddhism and Daoism in the conception of liberation within 18th century Vietnamese religious and philosophical thought, focusing on the case of Ngo Thi Nham (1746-1803). A prominent Confucian scholar, statesman, and Thiển (Zen) Buddhist master of the Truc Lam School, Ngo Thi Nham articulated a distinctive integrative vision in his major work “Trúc Lâm tông chỉ nguyên thanh” (The Truc Lam School’s view on the primordial sound), in which the concept of integration of the "three teachings" is most consistently expressed. The study argues that the profound socio-political crisis of 18th century Vietnam exposed the limitations of orthodox Confucianism as a sole ideological framework, prompting intellectuals to seek complementary resources in Buddhism and Daoism. Within this context Ngo Thi Nham reinterpreted key Mahāyāna concepts, such as emptiness (śūnyatā), consciousness (citta) and nirvāṇa, through Confucian categories including li (ritual principle), moral reason and self-cultivation of the heart-mind. This approach culminated in his formulation of the doctrine of the “Buddha in the heart”, which presents liberation as the realization of inner unity and the purification of consciousness. The article demonstrates that this synthesis is not merely eclectic but constitutes a coherent philosophical system aimed at overcoming dualistic thinking, breaking attachments, and restoring harmony between individual, society and cosmos. Thus, Ngo Thi Nham’s thought is revealed as a significant stage in the development of Vietnamese Mahāyāna Buddhism and the national philosophical tradition.
Pulkin M.V. The naked righteous: the open body in ascetic and religious practices
The article examines the main patterns of the presence and functioning of nudity in the ascetic and religious practices of those peoples for whom the open body and behaviour in the confessional sphere were complementary elements of spiritual life. It has been revealed that since ancient times, nudity has become a sign-symbol of asceticism, renunciation of the world, and submission to the will of supernatural forces. In a religious context, nudity is often seen as a symbol of purity and rejection of all worldly things. In Christianity, some saints (for example, Mary of Egypt) are constantly depicted naked, which is regarded as a sign of repentance and renunciation. In Buddhism and Jainism nudity can symbolize a lack of attachment. Nudity contains a huge number of culturally determined meanings, which are extremely difficult to list exhaustively: beauty, sin, vulnerability, sexuality, protest, innocence, naturalness, illness and much more. The meaning of the naked body changes dramatically depending on the social context in which it appears to the viewer. An open body can become a sign of a political challenge, a struggle against censorship, oppression and be used as a shock practice to draw attention to the problem.
PHILOLOGY
The paper introduces and substantiates the “antigeme” concept, which is viewed as a system-forming element of ideological space, in dialectical contradiction with the ideologeme. Antigeme is understood not as a simple opposition, but as a semantic pole constituting the ideological field through tension with the dominant ideologeme. The paper demonstrates the mechanism of antigeme functioning through an analysis of contemporary discursive practices (body positivity vs. healthy lifestyle, eco-activism vs. anthropocentrism, inclusiveness vs. meritocracy). The author proposes a methodology for identifying and analysing antigemes through discourse analysis and the study of linguistic practices. The introduced notion of “antigeme” is an independent analytical category, comparable in level of abstraction to ideologeme.
Myasnikova I.A. Natural phenomena as an object of anthropocentric interpretation
The article describes anthropocentric methods in linguistic representation of natural phenomena in the Russian, English and Chuvash linguocultures, comparing their axiological profiles. The material consists of proverbs, examples from literary texts and lexicographic data; the analysis was carried out parametrically at the lexical-semantic, grammatical and discursive levels. It has been established that with common cognitive bases for agentivization and personalization of natural processes, the linguistic and cultural distribution of accents is not the same: in Russian and English linguistic cultures, activity-control interpretations are more often dominant, whereas in Chuvash, consistent and targeted formulas for interaction with nature are more noticeable. The author shows that metaphorization and anthropomorphization increase the interpretability and regularity of descriptions while enhancing evaluation.
The paper identifies and analyses translation strategies based on the material of the Chuvash poem and its translations into Russian and English. The work demonstrates through specific examples how translators strive to achieve an identical aesthetic effect. A comparative-contrastive analysis reveals the use of transformations, such as omission, generalization, and replacement of cultural codes, which confirms the creative nature of the transition as a dialogue of cultures. The research results show that translators’ strategies differ depending on the target audience: the Russian translation focuses on recognizing common historical and cultural contexts, while the English translation focuses on semantic adaptation of foreign language material.
The search for the origins of Maurania, the country from Agatha Christie’s story “The King of Clubs”, brings to mind Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia”. According to the plot of “The King of Clubs”, the heir to the throne, Paul of Maurania, wants to contract a morganatic marriage, which is a hint at Prince Albert (the future English King George VI), who in 1923 asked not for the hand of a princess, but for the daughter of a peer. The appearance of Maurania is to some extent explained by the colour symbolism of Lady Agatha’s detective story: the word “mauran” is a designation for the colour black, which is a reference to the playing card, the suit of which is included in the title of the short story. The prototype of Christie’s invented state can be found in various geographical areas, but the historical county of Maurania was located in the Savoy region. Agatha Christie’s literary work made this name of a little-known state more popular in the wider society.
PHILOSOPHY
The contemporary world is characterized by information overload, complex social interactions, and diverse value systems. In this context, traditional definitions of critical thinking as a set of logical procedures or an individual cognitive ability prove insufficient to explain phenomena related to persistent biases, cognitive limitations, and the social context of knowledge. At the same time, limitations of human cognition have long been a classical problem in philosophy, and this article proposes to deepen the understanding of critical thinking by examining the reverse side of knowledge as ignorance and irrationality. Turning to the allegory of the cave and concepts of multidimensional ignorance allows understanding irrationality not as a mere lack of knowledge, but as an integrated part of cognitive and social experience. Based on these concepts, it is argued that critical thinking cannot be understood solely as an individual cognitive ability or a set of logical procedures. Instead, it is a socially conditioned, relational process that includes awareness of one’s own and others’ limitations, the ability to engage with collective norms, and the capacity to manage cognitive, emotional, and social conflicts.
Gerashchenko I.G. Marxism and Protestantism: conjunction points
This article provides a comparative analysis of Marxism and Protestantism, examining their common and distinctive features. The author substantiates a thesis on the Protestant origins of Marxism by examining German classical philosophy, English political economy and French utopian socialism. The points of convergence between Protestantism and Marxism are most evident in their attitudes toward rationalism, work ethic, and the eschatological problem. Both schools actively pursued the “disenchantment of the world” from a religious or quasi-religious perspective. The distinctive features of Marxist and Protestant rationalism are evident in their attitudes toward Orthodoxy and Confucianism.
Khroul V. Digital games, virtual reality and post‐truth concept
The paper examines digital games, labelled by some scholars as “the avant‐garde of contemporary audio-visual culture” and “the mass media of the 21st century”, in the perspective of recent concept of ‘post-truth’. The “relativisation” of truth and the blurring of the boundaries between truth and falsehood in the digitalized public sphere are nowadays positioned in media discourse and academic literature as a normal historical process. The author proposes to subject correctness and heuristic value of the ‘post-truth’ notion to careful critical analysis and suggests that ‘post-truth’ makes a fundamentally important essential substitution: truth in it is stripped of its absolute status and placed in the same line with things temporary, finite, conventional as post-communism, post-totalitarianism, post-modernism, post-secularism, etc. Since ‘post-truth’ contains not only a logical, but also an ontological error, the author calls not to analyse digital games in the context of ‘post-truth’ and use traditional frameworks based on clear true-false methodological matrix.