The historian of everyday life and household activities, organizer of science and university education: on the 85th anniversary of V. A. Balashov

Introduction. In 2022, the 85th anniversary of the birth and the 25th anniversary of the passing away of the Soviet and Russian historian Viktor Andreevich Balashov, who made a significant contribution to the study of everyday life of the peasantry in the pre-collective farm and collective farm periods: the conditions of their personal and social life, work and leisure, the transformation of material culture, economic factors influencing the formation of consciousness and norms of behavior. Materials and Methods. The research is based on the biographical method. The use of general scientific methods made it possible to present the studied problem as a process within the framework of a concrete historical situation, the tasks being solved, to analyze the essence and content of V. A. Balashov’s scientific, pedagogical and organizational activities. The article introduces the materials of the archives of the Ogarev Moscow State University and the Central State Archive of the Republic of Mordovia into scientific circulation. Results. The article is dedicated to the memory of Professor Mordovia State University Viktor Andreevich Balashov. The study provides biographical information about the scientist, considers the scientific, educational, methodological, administrative activities of the scientist-historian, focuses on the analysis of the main scientific works. Discussion and Conclusions. V. A. Balashov’s contribution to the history of the region is significant and has not been forgotten. V. A. Balashov devoted his whole life to science. From 1967 until the last days of his life, he worked at the Mordovian State University, went through a difficult path from a graduate of a small pedagogical college to the first vice-rector of Ogarev Mordovia State University, became an Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. V. A. Balashov is the author of major works on the study of everyday life of the peasantry, ethno-cultural processes in the Volga and Ural regions, including the Mordovian people. His role as an organizer of science and university education is important.