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This week at the site of the Regional Centre for the Development of Public Diplomacy and International Relations named after E.M. Primakov a creative meeting with the Head of the Department of Russian History, Honorary Citizen of the Samara region Petr Kabytov was held. Within the project "Looking to the Future. Dialogue of Generations" students watched a film about the professor and were able to ask him questions.
Mikhail Perepelkin, Doctoral degree in philology, the author of the film script, addressing the students at the beginning of the meeting, warned them: "You came in here as you were, but you will come out little different ones. Important questions will be raised today, the answers to which we will help you find. You need to know your past and think about the future. Therefore, the main characters of this and subsequent meetings are you, the current first-year and second-year students. Meetings within the project "Looking to the Future. Dialogue of generations" will help you understand who to be, with whom to communicate, which professional sphere to choose."
Petr Kabytov created a powerful historical school, and his contribution to the University development, the scientific base strengthening, training of teaching and academic staff is unique. Petr Serafimovich is the author of more than 600 scientific papers, including 27 monographs. He works for the preservation and development of the historical and cultural heritage of the Samara region: he prepared and published the "Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia of the Samara region", the three-volume "Samara Chronicle", "History of Samara 1586–1917". In 2021, Petr Serafimovich was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Samara region".
In the film "Looking to the Future", the professor's life principles are clearly traced: purposefulness, optimism and tireless interest in life. "One of the greatest successes in life is meeting and working with Petr Serafimovich Kabytov. Therefore, we are all very lucky!", – Mikhail Perepelkin says.
At that the professor emphasizes his peasant origin. He was born near Voronezh, studied in Kazan, and came to Samara (then – Kuibyshev) in 1977. For several years, Petr Serafimovich was haunted by the fact that the city does not have its own name; he believed that Samara needed to return its historical name. "Samara should be Samara, the Volga flows here, and Samaritans live here," the Doctor of Sciences in History said. Petr Kabytov studied historical archives for a long time and together with like-minded people was able to collect several thousand signatures for renaming the city.
"January 25, 1991 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the city renaming, and it was the greatest gift for me! Returning the city's name is the same as returning people's memory," Petr Serafimovich says.
Despite the fact that Petr Kabytov was not born in Samara, he knows something about the city that many have forgotten. Here the professor has for long become a familiar face. Konstantin Titov, who headed the Samara Region from 1991 to 2007, calls the professor a wealth of knowledge in the film: "The acquaintance of Petr Serafimovich is a huge piece of luck in my life. I learned from him that the first zemstvo (country council) appeared exactly in Samara. Petr Serafimovich did a lot to revive the memory of the mayor Petr Vladimirovich Alabin. All these are our roots, without which Samara would be completely different."
Colleagues of Petr Kabytov and employees of the Department of Russian History note that Petr Serafimovich created a powerful historical school at the University. Lecturers from Moscow and Kazan State Universities became pioneers of the department, and its entire first staff completed their doctoral theses.
Mikhail Leonov, Vice Rector for Educational Work and Youth Policy, noted the democratic nature of the leadership of the Head of Department and at the same time the inviolability of his authority, the ability to cope with the most difficult tasks: "Petr Serafimovich has never been afraid of competition, so he invites talented people with great potential to the department. He is also distinguished by his desire to help everyone." Eduard Dubman, professor of the Department of Russian History, agrees with his colleague: "Petr Serafimovich is a connoisseur of human qualities, who knows how to match everyone's case."
"Petr Serafimovich not only explores the history of the Samara region, but also promotes it. And this is the most important thing in an historian work – to be a patriot of your region and country," a postgraduate student of the Department of Russian History Sergey Nikolaev concluded.
For reference:
"Looking to the Future. Dialogue of Generations" is a cultural and educational project for the youth of Samara and the Samara Region. The project goal is to build a dialogue with young people on such important topics as patriotism, love for the Motherland, respect for national culture and history. The organizers are the Club of Honorary Citizens of the Samara Region and SOOF (Samara Regional Public Foundation) “The Volga Historical and Cultural Foundation”, with the support of the government of the Samara region.
Diana Disonova
Photo: Olesya Orina
Video plot: youtube.com
