The “Caucasian trace” in the scientific and pedagogical activity of professor A.V. Venkov: The 70th anniversary of the scientist

Abstract. The collapse of the USSR, liberal reforms, and the “war of historiographies” inflicted significant damage to the Soviet tradition of close cooperation between
scientists and educators in Southern Russia. This tradition, founded by Yu.A. Zhdanov, an outstanding organizer of science and education, rector of Rostov University and
Chairman of the North Caucasus Scientific Center of Higher Education, played a crucial role in regional academic development. The article examines the contribution of a new generation of scholars who have carried forward the legacy of their predecessors to further integrate scientific and educational institutions in support of Russian statehood in the North Caucasus. Using the example of the scientific and pedagogical activities of the renowned Rostov scientist and teacher Andrei Vadimovich Venkov, who turned 70 on December 15, 2024, the study highlights his role in this ongoing process.

Keywords: Russia, North Caucasus, Yu.A. Zhdanov, A.V. Venkov, historical science and education, reforms, integration processes.