Concept of a Systematic Historical Atlas of Krasnodar Krai: Principles and Structure

The relevance of the problem lies in the absence of systematic historical and cartographic publications covering all periods and aspects of the history of the Kuban. The object of the article is to argue the concept and structure of the systematic historical atlas of Kuban. Research objectives: to assess the state of historiography and the source base of the historical geography of the Kuban, to find out the directions and controversial aspects of historical research of the problem. The authors of the article evaluate cartographic publications, statistical data, ethnographic studies and normative legal acts containing information on changes in state and administrative borders, population geography, ethnic and linguistic areas, urbanization, and the transport network. The research methods are the civilizational approach, historical-systemic, comparative-historical and cartographic methods, concepts of regional history and humanitarian geography. The novelty of the research is that for the first time, based on the interpretation of historiography and sources, the concept of a systematic historical atlas of the Krasnodar Krai is argued; the region is considered as an area of intercivilizational, interstate and interethnic contacts, integration of peoples and confessional communities into the Russian state. The continuity and discreteness of the historical space of Kuban throughout Antiquity, the Middle Ages, Modern and Modern times has been revealed. The authors pay special attention to the patterns of integration of the polyethnic community of Kuban into the Russian state (1774–1864). Little-known cartographic sources identified and interpreted. For the first time, a program for creating diagrams and cartographic images revealing changes in the areas of ethnic groups in the twentieth and early twenty–first centuries, the geographical distribution of support for political parties and candidates in elections is substantiated. The historical trends of the development and interaction of the natural environment, economic, socio-ethnic, political and socio-cultural processes in the region are determined. The research is useful for improving textbooks and reference books on the history of the Kuban, the activities of museum institutions and historical parks for the development of educational tourism, strengthening Russian identity.