DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2021.2.35152

Abstract: The article considers "Babaevets" newspaper as a source for the USSR food industry history during the first five-year plan. The author studies the issue of formulating the correct methodological approaches for the most complete disclosure of the information potential of the factory press and introduces the materials of a little-studied source (the newspaper of P. A. Babaev’s confectionery factory) into scientific discourse. The article studies the texts of this paper by means of content analysis and network analysis. The study highlights the priority topics that were traced in the newspaper during the first five-year plan, analyzes their internal relationships, both explicit and implicit. The analysis provided for a conclusion that the source understudy is informationally rich as far as food industry history and the impact on workers’ mass consciousness in 1928-1932 are concerned. The author comes to a conclusion that "Babayevets" primarily covered the issues of production process management and ideological work with the staff. The problem of production efficiency was the main connecting element in the content of the newspaper. Special role of all levels of the factory management in achieving the indicators of the first five-year plan was emphasized by the newspaper explicitly and implicitly thus proving the status of the factory newspaper to be an official tool of the party committee. 

DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2021.1.35525

Abstract: The article discusses the developing of correct methodological approaches to compare the content of the USSR food industry branch and general circulation newspapers related to the formation of the “new worker” in 1925-1937.  Analyzing branch newspaper “Pishchevik” (“Za pishchevuyu industriyu”, “Pishchevaya industriya”) and general circulation newspapers “Babaevets” (Babaev confectionery factory), “Nasha Pravda” (Krasnyi Oktyabr' confectionery factory) and “Za Boievye Tempy” (Rot Front confectionery factory) by means of MAXQDA program, the author concludes about the equal focus of these newspapers on the formation of the “new worker” who was expected to fulfill the tasks to develop food industry and industrialize the USSR. The "new worker" of general circulation papers is a young lady striving to become a competent and full-fledged participant in production processes, social and party life. The branch newspaper of food industry portrayed the youth, production leaders, shock workers, Stakhanovites and Komsomol members as the "new worker". Differences in the main features of the "new worker’s" image between the branch and general circulation periodicals tell us about the specific feature of the target audience of these periodicals. The confectionary factories were dominated by females whereas males were prevalent in food industry as a whole.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2020.2.32033

Abstract: The article considers the difficulties in formulating the correct methodological approaches for studying the Soviet print mass media. The article's research subject is the source study specifics of the sectoral newspaper of the USSR food industry during the first and second Five-Year Plans, which influence the choice of methods for analyzing this source. The author proposes an approach to studying this periodical based on a combination of classical sources and computerized analysis of editorial texts in the MAXQDA 2020 program, providing a brief description of the possibilities offered by the new version of this program to scholars studying media texts. The article concludes that the study of such a multifaceted historical source as the branch newspaper Pishchevik ("For the Food Industry", "Food Industry") should be carried out using content analysis, which will systematize the dynamics of changes in the agenda of one of the largest industries of the USSR in 1928–1937. The article considers the difficulties in formulating the correct methodological approaches for studying the Soviet print mass media. The article's research subject is the source study specifics of the sectoral newspaper of the USSR food industry during the first and second Five-Year Plans, which influence the choice of methods for analyzing this source. The author proposes an approach to studying this periodical based on a combination of classical sources and a computerized analysis of editorial texts in the MAXQDA 2020 program, providing a brief description of the possibilities offered by the new version of this program to scholars studying media texts. The article concludes that the study of such a multifaceted historical source as the branch newspaper Pishchevik ("For the Food Industry", "Food Industry") should be carried out using content analysis, which will systematize the dynamics of changes in the agenda of one of the largest industries of the USSR in 1928–1937.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2019.3.29991

Abstract: The article addresses the issue of forming a “new person” in the industry of the USSR in the 1930s on the example of the food industry. The author advances the thesis that mass-copy publications are an invaluable source for a thorough study of this issue. The study examines the activities of the “Nasha Pravda” and “Za Boevye Tempy” newspapers of the "Rot Front" and "Krasnyi Oktyabr" confectioneries in the formation of the “new man” at these enterprises. On the example of these publications, the author examines the basic techniques of shaping and the components of the image of the “new person”. The study applies the descriptive methods for interpreting sources, as well as content analysis in computerized and traditional versions. The author comes to the conclusion that the mass-copy publications used such techniques to construct the “new man” as: the publication of editorial articles that proposed workers specific behavioral patterns and the publication of biographies of “truly socialist workers” in which the life-course and personal qualities of the worker were covered only from the positive side. One of the important features of the mass-copy publication business of the confectionery industry was their primary focus on describing a young woman as a “new person”.

DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2019.2.29831

Abstract: The article reviews the content and the main features of the conference of researchers working with MAXQDA program. The MQIC conference is an event organized annually by VERBI Software GmbH in Berlin. The topicality of the article is in growing popularity of MAXQDA among historians. This software is increasingly used to analyze narrative historical sources. The article briefly describes analytical tools of MAXQDA (emphasizing its application in the field of historical research), reviews sections, seminars, round tables and other events held at MQIC 2019 conference as well as examines the main features of their organization and topics addressed. The article concludes that this international scientific event is an excellent opportunity to learn how to use MAXQDA not only at the basic level, but also at the advanced level as well as exchange contacts with international colleagues.