Sergiy Posokhov

TOP-persons of the Kharkiv locus, or The role of names in the construction of city images

Abstract: Based on the analysis of modern guides to the city of Kharkiv, the author madean attempt to single out those people who can be considered TOP-person ("mostoutstanding people") in local history. In total, the author analyzed 24 guides from the end of the 19th century and up to the present. The names found on the guide pages have been recorded in the appropriate database. The author stated the principles of construction of this database and possible interpretations of the obtained results. It contains two fields – "faces" and "mentions". In the first box, those names found on the guide pages were recorded, and in the second box, those ratings that accompany a specific name were recorded. Along with fixing a person’s name, a social or professional characteristic (scientist, military, architect, statesman, etc.) was also mentioned. In the "mention" field, depending on the nature of the mention of a person, a coefficient was stated: if the name was mentioned without a rating, it is a factor #1 (1 point), a combination with such epithets as "known", "prominent" and the like – a factor #2 (2 points), more or less a detailed characteristic of the activity, first of all from the point of view of impact on the development of the city – factor #3 (3 points). As a result, it allowed to create a certain hierarchical name system and to separate "TOP-person" of them. In the long run, it will allow you to see a system of names in the dynamics, when some persons will fall out of the list of leaders at certain periods and others will be included in this list. It will also be important to capture changes in terms of increasing or decreasing attention to a particular category of people (social and professional characteristics). As a result of the analysis, the author identified alist of those historical figures who primarily form the "face of Kharkiv". The top five looks like this (in alphabetical order): O. M. Beketov, V. N. Karazin, G. F. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, G. S. Skovoroda, T. G. Shevchenko. These personspresent Kharkiv mostly as a city of science, education, culture and certify its affiliation with Ukraine.

Keywords: city guides, Kharkiv, outstanding people, prosopography.

  Full-text PDF    https://doi.org/10.15407/ub.20.190     Citation

• Sergiy Posokhov (V. N. KarazinKharkiv National University (Kharkiv, Ukraine), [email protected]) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1390-0625

Cite:
Sergiy Posokhov (2020). TOP-persons of the Kharkiv locus, or The role of names in the construction of city images. Biographistica Ukrainica, (20) 190-210. (In Ukrainan). https://doi.org/10.15407/ub.20.190

References:

1. Andreeva, G. K., and Oleinik, V. V. (1976). Znakomtes – Kharkov: putevoditel [Meet – Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
2. Andreeva, G. K., and Oleinik, V. V. (1972). Kharkov za odin den : dve ekskursii po gorodu bez ekskursovoda [Kharkiv in one day: Two city tours withouta guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
3. Borodulin, V. G., and Lure, A. I., Sappa, N. N. (1988). Kharkovshchina turisticheskaia : 22 ekskursionnykh marshruta : putevoditel [Kharkiv tourist region: 22 excursion routes: Guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
4. Brazul, S. (1930). Stolytsia Ukrainy Kharkiv: korotkyi providnyk dlia ekskursanta [The capital of Ukraine Kharkiv: A short guide for tourists]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: DVU. [In Ukrainian].
5. Gerasimenko, Iu. G. (1984). Vstrechi s Kharkovom : putevoditel [Meetingswith Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
6. Gusev, A. N. (2008). Kharkov: ego proshloe i nastoiashchee v risunkakh i opisaniiakh: istoriko-spravochnyi putevoditel [Kharkiv: Its past and presentin drawings and descriptions: Historical reference guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: SAGA (Reprint: Kharkiv: Tip. Adolfa Darre, 1902). [In Russian].
7. Dysa, K. L. (2016). Obraz modernoho mista u putivnykakh po Kyievu mezhi 19–20 st. [The image of the modern city in guides to Kyiv at the turn of the19th - 20th centuries]. In O. Betlii, K. Dysa, O. Martyniuk (Eds.). Zhyvuchyv modernomu misti: Kyiv kintsia 19 – seredyny 20 stolit [Living in a moderncity: Kyiv of the late 19th - mid 20th centuries] (pp. 82-95). Kyiv, Ukraine: Dukh i Litera. [In Ukrainian].
8. Diachenko, N. T. (1974). Ulitcy i ploshchadi Kharkova [Streets and Squaresof Kharkiv]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
9. Diachenko, N. T., Umanskii, M. V., and Oleinik, V. V. (1967). Kharkov: putevoditel [Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
10. Budilov, Ia. (Ed.). (2007). Ekaterinoslav i Kharkov – 1905 g.: illiustrirovannyi putevoditel [Ekaterinoslav and Kharkiv – 1905: An illustrated guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine : SAGA (Reprint: Kharkiv: Tip.-litogr. I. M. Varshavchika,1905). [In Russian].
11. Kiseleva, L., Pild, L., and Stepanishcheva, T. (2008). Nekotorye itogi "Putevoditelnogo proekta" [Some results of the "Guidance Project"]. In Travel guide as a semiotic object (pp. 7-14). Tartu, Estonia: University Press. [In Russian].
12. Kushnarenko, I. (1931). Misto Kharkiv ta yoho okolytsi: dovidnyk [The city of Kharkiv and its environs: Handbook]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Rad. shk. [In Ukrainian].
13. Leibfreid, A. Iu., Reusov, V. A., and Titc, A. A. (1985). Kharkov: arkhitektura, pamiatniki, novostroiki: putevoditel[Kharkiv: Architecture, monuments, new buildings: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
14. Mykhailov, H., and Bysov, V. (2019). Kharkiv stolytsia konstruktyvizmu [Kharkiv is the capital of constructivism]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Dim reklamy. [In Ukrainian].
15. Nemchonok, B. Ya. and Sarana, O. L. (1967). Kharkiv. Pamiatni istorychnimistsia: korotkyi putivnyk[Kharkiv. Memorable historic sites: A quickguide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Ukrainian].
16. Orlenko, I. A. (1986). Turistu o Kharkove = Kharkov. A tourist’s guidebook [To the tourist about Kharkov = Kharkov. A tourist’s guidebook]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Prapor. [In Russian].
17. Pavlikovskii, V. K. (1934). Kharkov: neskolko slov o gorode i ego ekskursionnyh obektakh [Kharkiv: A few words about the city and its excursionsites]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Obl. Sovet "Ukrature". [In Russian].
18. Paramonov, A. F. (2008). Kharkov. Kharkovskaia oblast: putevoditel [Kharkiv. Kharkiv region]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Bibleks. [In Russian].
19. Posokhov, S. I. (2020). Pochatok formuvannia "kharkivskoho panteonu" (namaterialakh putivnykiv druhoi polovyny 19 – pochatku 20 st.) [The beginning of the formation of "Kharkov pantheon" (based on guides of the secondhalf of the 19th – early 20th centuries.)]. Visnyk Kharkivskoho Natsionalnoho Universytetu imeni V. N. Karazina. Ser. Istoriia, 57, 74-87. [In Ukrainian].
20. Providnyk po istorychnykh mistsiakh revoliutsiinykh podii u Kharkovi [Guideto the historical sites of revolutionary events in Kharkiv]. (1937). Kharkiv, Ukraine: Ukr. tsentr. muzei revoliutsii. [In Ukrainian].
21. Providnyk po Kharkovu z nazvamy vulyts ta planom mista [Guide to Kharkivwith street names and city plan]. (1927). Kharkiv, Ukraine: Khark. nauk. t-vo. [In Ukrainian].
22. Revoliutsiini pamiatky Kharkova: dovidnyk dlia dytiachykh ekskursii ta viiskovizovanykh vylazok i pokhodiv[Revolutionary sights of Kharkiv: A guide for children’s excursions and paramilitary raids and campaigns]. (1936). Kharkiv, Ukraine: Obl. dyt. ekskurs.-turyst. stantsiia. [In Ukrainian].
23. Reshetov, A. (1978). Dobro pozhalovat v Kharkov: putevoditel [Welcome to Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Moscow, Russia: Tcentr. reklam.-inform. biuro "Turist". [In Russian].
24. Sklokina, I. (2019, December 30). Putivnyky yak dzherelo [Travel guidesas a source]. In Center for Urban History. [In Ukrainian].
25. G. Skovoroda stal pobeditelem proekta "Glavnye kharkovchane – zvezdy Slobozhanshchiny" [G. Skovoroda became the winner of the project "Themain Kharkiv citizens are the stars of Slobozhanshchina region"]. (2008,April 17). In Status Quo. [In Russian].
26. Ustinov, I. A. (2007). Opisanie g. Kharkova: putevoditel [Description of Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: SAGA (Reprint: Kharkiv: Tip.-litogr. I. V. Popova, 1881). [In Russian].
27. Kharkiv: korotkyi providnyk po stolytsi Ukrainy [Kharkiv: Short guide to the capital of Ukraine]. (1932). Kharkiv, Ukraine. [In Ukrainian].
28. Kharkiv: putivnyk [Kharkiv: Travel guide]. (1958). Kharkiv, Ukraine: Obl. vyd-vo. [In Ukrainian].
29. Kharkov i Kharkovskaia oblast: putevoditel [Kharkiv and Kharkiv region:Travel guide] (n. d.). Kharkiv, Ukraine. [In Russian].
30. Posokhov, S., Denisenko, O., Baida, I., and Dolgopolov, D. (2004). Kharkov: putevoditel [Kharkiv: Travel guide]. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Zolotye stranitcy. [In Russian].
31. Kharkov: putevoditel dlia turistov i ekskursantov [Kharkiv: A travel guidefor tourists and sightseers]. (2007). Kharkiv, Ukraine: SAGA, 2007 (Reprint: Kharkiv: Tip.-litogr. I. M. Anichkina, 1915). [In Russian].
32. Zgurska, J., and Baida, I. (2017). Kharkiv: Tourist prospect. Kharkiv, Ukraine: Golden Pages. [In English].