Development of Yelets local studies and their present condition (based on the example of Yelets and its historical neighbourhood)
The article is devoted to the problems of historical regional studies, which comprise interests of local studies. The author makes an attempt to conceive the cultural and historical phenomenon that has been named «Yelets local studies» and is characteristic of the development of Yelets, one of the provincial Russian towns in the Lipetsk region. The author views the problem of origin of Yelets local studies and analyses the conditions of keeping and maintenance of provincial traditions, which extend over the cultural, educational and spiritual spheres of a small town.