Leisure time of students of Kharkiv University (1804-1917) (according to memories of pupils)

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the memoir heritage of Kharkiv University alumni through the prism of the evolution of leisure time of student youth during 1804–1917. The topicality of the topic is determined by the anthropological turn in modern historiography and the need to rethink the socio-cultural history of Ukrainian students as an autonomous subject of urban space. The study of informal aspects of academic everyday life allows for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of formation of intellectual identity and the strategy of self-organization of youth in the conditions of imperial regulation. The methodological tools of the research are based on the principles of historicism and objectivity with the use of systemic analysis, which allowed to consider leisure as a complete socio-cultural system. The comparative-historical method contributed to the discovery of the local specificity of the Kharkiv center, and the descriptive approach ensured the factual accuracy of the reconstruction of household details of the era.

The work traces the transformation of leisure practices: from the strictly regulated private life of the first half of the 19th century. to the emergence of an extensive network of student organizations, mutual aid funds and scientific circles at the beginning of the 20th century. Special attention was paid to the comparative analysis of ego-documents, which proved that, unlike the Kyiv and Derpt university centers, Kharkiv memoirs contain significantly fewer stories about deviant behavior. Instead, the authors of the memoirs emphasize the intellectual solidarity and cultural demands of the community. It was found that even during periods of weakening of administrative supervision over discipline and alcohol consumption, the leisure activities of Kharkiv students remained a significant factor in the modernization of the cultural landscape of the city, contributing to the institutionalization of new forms of public activity.