The role of research centres in studying and preserving the cultural heritage of the Cossacks of southern Russia (1970-2000s)

The article analyzes the activity of research centres for studying and preservation of historical and cultural heritage of the Cossacks of southern Russia. The author determines the role of metropolitan and regional (Rostov, Krasnodar and Volgograd) research centres in the preservation of ethnic heritage of the Cossacks of Southern Russia in the period from the 1970s to the 2000s. The studies of the traditional culture of the Cossacks of Southern Russia were almost terminated in Soviet times, but the Cossack folklore and dialects (mostly Don dialect) have been studied for almost the entire 20th century. The investigations were started by A.M. Listopadov, A.V. Myrtov in the first half of the 20th century, by F.V. Tumilevich in the middle of the 20th century, as well as by Moscow folklorists in the second half of the century and were continued in 1970-1990s by members of Rostov State Conservatory and Rostov State University. The interest in the folk tradition of the Don Cossacks is also demonstrated by metropolitan research centres. Since the beginning of the 1990s, folklore Cossack traditions have been researched in regular fieldwork by members of Russian folklore department of Lomonosov Moscow State University, by Gnessin State Musical College, by Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky. The research of the original languages of the Cossacks in 1970-90s has been carried out by scientists of Rostov and Taganrog Pedagogical Institute, by Rostov State University at the general and comparative linguistics department, by Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University, by Volgograd State University. In the last decade, the main research centres of traditional culture of the Cossacks of Southern Russia include Southern Scientific Centre (Rostov-on-Don), Centre for Popular Culture of Kuban (Krasnodar), State Scientific and Artistic Institution "Kuban Cossack Choir". The studies that have been done by metropolitan and local research centres do not belong just to the field of pure science, but have been widely used in the practice of ethnic revival of the Cossacks: in the museum field, in ritual practice, in stage work of folk groups, etc.