"… Under no circumstances should one allow a lie … in no case should one be afraid of the truth … not a shadow of bias, not a shadow of malice" Jubilee reflections on Nikolai Alexandrovich Mininkov

Abstract

The article is devoted to the research activities of Nikolai Alexandrovich Mininkov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Southern Federal University. The author's research reveals his real contribution to a comprehensive study of the early history of the Don Cossacks, a systematic analysis of the provincial historical tradition in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods, and a public presentation of theoretical and methodological problems of modern humanitarian knowledge. Creative activity of N.A. Mininkov is considered in the context of socio-cultural conditions that had a direct impact on the consistent formation of personal epistemological priorities, intellectual communication in the local professional environment and the conscious adoption of certain principles of scientific ethics. Special attention is paid to biographical reconstructions of the Rostov scientist related to the research activities of amateur Don historians (E.P. Savelyev, E.A. Katelnikov, I.V. Timoshenkov, F.K. Trailin), who created original concepts of the previous development of regional societies. According to the author's ideas, N.A. Mininkov is an authoritative representative of a local professional corporation that successfully implements epistemological projects related to current theoretical and practical problems of modern historical science.