The concept of social reality and the problems associated with its scientific knowledge are considered. Author considers three aspects of the meaning and significance of this concept to explicate it. The article analyzes the objective and subjective reasons that determine the theoretical and methodological conservatism of social and humanitarian sciences which is expressed in the ontologization of knowledge and the rejection of theoretical pluralism of scientific research. The article substantiates the basic principles of studying social reality in modern socio-humanitarian science which open up new perspectives of knowledge and transformation of the social world.

The article discusses the shortcomings of the style adopted by analytic philosophy. This style is designed to give a science­like look to the text. The article begins with the origins of the style. Particular attention is paid to G.W. Leibniz who first aimed to reduce the solution of philosophical problems to formal procedures. Later similar ideals influenced analytic philosophers. After that, the article deals with the problems associated with the tacit demand of analytic philosophy to express thoughts using the science­like language. At the same time, the works of the continental philosophers are rejected only on the basis of a stylistic discrepancy. It makes possible to simply ignore opponent’s theses and arguments. The article claims that it’s possible to bridge the gap between two philosophical traditions by refraining of such attitude towards this style. It would enrich both analytic and continental traditions.

The article is devoted to the analysis of prospects for a sociological study of the space­time coordinates of society. The philosophical interpretation of the categories “time” and “space” are considered in the framework of German ide- alism. The transition of I. Kant’s transcendental ideas to sociology is represented. The origin of the concepts of social space and social time is considered in the framework of the research program of E. Durkheim. Attention is focused on the study of social time in the works of P. Sorokin, R. Merton, P. Shtompka, E. Zerubavel. The dichotomy of astronomical and social time is considered as a point of problematization in sociological research. This dichotomy seems to be insufficiently correct, because the astronomical concept of time does not reflect “objective time”, but acts as a generally accepted scale, according to which people correlate their actions. In order to avoid terminological inaccuracy, it is proposed to distinguish the following categories: “time” as a meta­phenomenon that permeates all spheres of reality; “time scale” as a universal measuring con- struct; “temporary regularity” as the rhythm of events. The productivity of using the category “temporality” in the analysis of social phenomena is justified in the article.

The main theoretical approaches that exist in domestic and foreign historiography on the problem of ego­docu­ ments are given in the introduction. Role of the Dutch historian Jacques Presser in creation of this term and its use in foreign historical science in the 1980–1990s is analyzed. The author of the article, taking into account European experience, is trying to give his own definition of the term “ego­documents”, adapted to Belarusian historiography. The author also notes the scientific feasibility of the active use of ego­documents when studying the history of the Belarusian national movement in the interwar Western Belarus.

The main part of the article reveals the scientific value of ego­documents as sources for studying various topics related to the history of the Belarusian national movement in the interwar Western Belarus. As an example, the author took letters to the Vilnius Belarusian bookstore, and analyzed the scientific potential of business correspondence as part of epistolary sources. Five types of memoir literature, which help to expand knowledge about various figures of the Belarusian movement in the interwar Western Belarus, were formed. An analysis of university autobiography and curriculum vitae emphasizes the lack of knowledge of this type of ego­documents and its scientific value in the study of relations between Belarusian activists and the Polish state.

In conclusion, conclusions are drawn about the insignificant use of ego­documents in the study of the history of Bela­ rusian nationalism in the interwar Western Belarus. The anthropological turn in historiography has determined the desire of modern historians to pay attention to the everyday problem of the Belarusian movement, its local features that determines the active use of ego­documents as sources.

The system of scientific certification, which was gradually formed in the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century, included higher educational institutions on the territory of the Belarusian­Lithuanian provinces: Vilnia University, Vilnia Medical and Surgical Academy, Polatsk Jesuit Academy, Vilnia Roman Catholic Academy. The training of scientific personnel in the natural sciences and humanities was the responsibility of the professorial colleges of these educational institutions, each of which was an independent certification center. The activities of these educational institutions within the framework of the system of scientific certification assumed the existence of a hierarchy of academic degrees, the composition of which was actually reduced to the following scheme: “candidate” – “master” – “doctor of sciences”. The most representative on the scientific and pedagogical weight and the number of professors and teachers was Vilnia University. The practice of defending of the dissertations by specialists from internal Russian provinces and from abroad in it evidenced of the high recognition of Vilna University. Vilnia University and the Vilnia Medical and Surgical Academy were well­known centers for the training of scientific personnel in the field of medical sciences. Under the academic jurisdiction of the Vilnia University, as well as the Polatsk Jesuit Academy, Vilna Roman Catholic Academy was theology. A significant contribution to the training of scientific personnel, the creation of new areas of agricultural science was made by the Hory­Horki Agricultural Institute, although it was not an independent center of scientific certification. After the closing of this institute, there were no higher educational institutions in Belarus capable of training specialists for scientific research, but at the beginning of the 20th century. a certain role in the formation of personnel in the field of special historical disciplines was played by the Vitsebsk branch of the Moscow Archaeological Institute.

The article describes the structure and powers of the provincial government in the implementation of the main directions of state social policy. It was noted that on theterritoryofBelarusthey played a major role in solving the social problems of the population due to the lack of zemstvos. The outdated legal framework and the lack of a clear division of functions hampered their effectiveness.

In the mid 1880s regulatory committees were established in the structure of the provincial institutions. On the territory of the Belarusian provinces they played an important role in the implementation of social policy, as they controlled the financing of the rural­medical part and partly public charity. However, the experience of the activities of the regulatory committees was unsatisfactory. In this regard, at the end of the XIX century the Interior Ministry proposed to eliminate them, as well as to abolish the provincial food commissions and departments of public charity. It was planned to transfer their functions to the zemstvos. This proposal was implemented partially, as a result of the introduction of the institutions of local economy in theVitebsk,MinskandMogilevprovinces in 1903.

At the end of the XIX century in the structure of the provincial administration ofBelaruswere created the offices which were entrusted with the functions of monitoring compliance with the workers’ legislation, and then the insurance of workers. They were formed under the influence of new social demands. These offices corresponded to new social and economic conditions, in contrast to the provincial institutions, which managed public charity, national food and health care.

This article explores changes in the lexicographic presentation of personal nouns with the suffix -ц(a). The study is based on materials from 20 dictionaries of the 20th and early 21st centuries, academic grammars and monographs. The dynamic processes of the entry of words of this type into the lexicon, their competitive interaction with identical masculine nouns with suffix -ец, -нік and adverbial nouns are analyzed. There are given examples of new formed words, which were included in lexicographic publications. The study notices differencies in presentating of the lexemes with -ц(a) in modern dictionaries: in quantity of these nouns as derivating synonyms of nouns of masculine gender with suffix -ец, -нік ets. and in gender marks (only masculine or masculine and common). Analysis of modern media texts shows a wider use of nouns with the suffix -ц(a) to mark a female person. In practice, variants of the gender and type of declension of nouns with the suffix -ц(a) causes difficulties in the use of case endings.

The author analyses the specifics of writing a script for a television documentary drama (hereinafter referred to as docudrama), which combines the characteristics of the feature and documentary films. The article points out that many books have been written about the rules of scriptwriting for a feature film. However, there is no literature on the art of scriptwriting for a docudrama despite the fact that there are numerous docudramas being created worldwide. The opinion is given that the mastery of the docudrama scriptwriting is in choosing the most interesting and paradoxical moments in a hero’s life and showing his or her character through the resistance to life challenges: how the hero overcomes them, the motivation behind their actions and why a particular choice is being made. While in feature films the narrative is presented through action and actors’ performances, the article emphasises that docudramas explain the hero’s motivations through an additional figure such as an expert or co­participant in the events. While the difficult moments in the hero’s life and their overcoming are usually depicted through the staged episodes, an exploration into the hero’s character is supported by historical documents, a chronicle or other genuine historical sources. Docudrama is inherently narrative and the author investigates how the best practices of television journalism are used in scriptwriting, in addition to the cinema laws that are used in creating an image. The author explores the methodology of the docudrama scriptwriting in the project “Countdown” (“Vladimir Bokun’s Workshop”,Belarus) as an example.

The biography of the Belarusian artist, sculptor, designer, teacher, professor Anatoly Fedorovich Kovalev is considered. A. F. Kovalev was one of the organizers of Belarusian education in the field of fine and decorative arts. He was the author of the first design dissertation in the BSSR, a member of the Union of Artists of theUSSRand Belarusian Union of Artists, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. During his long career he transferred knowledge and a huge professional experience to more than one generation of talented students, including workers of culture and art ofBelarus– V. K. Lebedko, M. Sakhuto, G. F. Shauro, V. I. Prokoptsov. In1965 A. F. Kovalev, being the head of the department of decorative and applied art of the art and graphic department of the Vitebsk State Pedagogical Institute named after S. M. Kirov (now Vitebsk State University named after P. M. Masherov), made a lot of efforts to transfer technical work into the artwork channel based on traditional techniques of decorative processing of materials, and also influenced the development of history and design theory at the initial stage of its formation. The contribution of A. F. Kovalev to the sphere of culture and art of theRepublicofBelaruswas marked by many state awards.

The article is addressed to young designers, artists, sculptors, teachers of the humanities and technical disciplines, research scientists who are interested in the history of design.

A hypothetical proposition is stated that mythologization of objects in M. Garetsky’s works is a way to harmonize the surrounding world and man in it, and also a precise picture of the reality, a sign of changes and calamities.

In accordance with M. Garetsky’s mythopoetical concept, the tragic spirit of human life is vivid in simultaneous personi­ fication of objects and objectivation of people; it is revealed in such moments as hiding face (“Winter”), or partial identification of man with clothes (“Guiet current”). Complete and irrevocable objectivation of man is presented by the author in the story “Winter” and the novel “Guiet current”.

In the story “Winter” the central place, or a scene where objects attack man is a mythological image of a house, which fulfills various content and conceptual functions in the author’s mythmaking. On the one hand, the house is a protective hearth, which gives man complete protection, like in the stories “In a Sauna”, “Native Root”. On the other hand, it is a place of uncomfortable and constrained human life.

It is stressed that in M. Garetsky’s descriptions we see a transition from life precision to dethronement of social myth. There is a similar fine line between life plane and myth in the story “In a Sauna”, but this work, unlike the story “Tar”, depicts not destruction of myth, but its growth and reinforcement, which is symbolically revealed in sentences and in magical charms (the story “Winter”).

The article analyzes the views of scientists on the development of local self­government, as well as legislation and law enforcement practice in this area. The importance of local self­government for the formation ofBelarusas a democratic state is emphasized. Data on the number of persons elected to local representative bodies, as well as those participa­ ting in the work of territorial public self­government bodies, are given. The position is justified according to which collegial bodies that have a dual nature (Councils of Deputies) function in the system of local self­government bodies. They exercise authority on behalf of the state and at the same time are local governments. It is emphasized that the national legislation of any modern state is influenced by the norms of international documents, foreign experience, the study of which allows us to compare the level of development of public relations and their legal regulation, to identify potential and prospects. In this regard, considerable attention is paid to a comparative analysis of the provisions of Belarusian legislation and the European Charter of Local Self­Government. It is concluded that the European Charter has a significant potential for improving national legislation. Particular attention should be paid to the financial and economic system of local governments. A number of proposals have been made to improve legislation.

The article is devoted to the creation of think tanks in the academic environment. Based on systematization of the modern theoretical base, think tanks are defined, their distinctive features in comparison with traditional research institutions are given, and the functional field of tasks that they solve is specified. It is established that analytical centers in many countries of the world are a promising tool for strengthening the scientific and analytical support of governments and improving the efficiency of public administration. The role of academic think tanks is growing right now, in a period of global external transformations, instability of traditional markets for domestic products, new exogenous socio­economic and informational challenges for Belarusian state when the national and local government is in urgent need of scientific and analytical support. An approach to the organization of scientific and analytical support for interdisciplinary clusters of the National Academy of Sciences ofBelarus, commercialization of applied research results and support of specialized public administraion bodies is presented. It is concluded that the creation of new analytical centers within the cluster structures of the National Academy of Sciences ofBelaruswill allow using all the intellectual potential of the academic community to solve priority state tasks.