A review of basic and applied research in the field of technological mineralogy from its early history to the present time is given. An original bibliographic listing of Russian publications on various aspects of technological mineralogy is presented and analyzed. The role and significance of technological mineralogy as an independent discipline which underlies the technological assessment of mineral raw materials for obtaining the final product are considered. Specific examples are given to show that over years technological mineralogy is becoming increasingly important in the complex of geological exploration activities as new technological mineralogy methods are developed for the assessment of metal ores and industrial minerals. The morphological and constitutive traits of small particles and their role in the technological processing of mineral raw materials are specified, the possibilities for targeted modification of the processing properties of mineral raw materials at the nanoscale and for the production of new materials are revealed. The role of technological mineralogy in enabling a comprehensive utilization of mineral raw materials in mining and processing is highlighted, using the example of wastes from the South Urals mining and smelting industry, which can be efficiently used at mining enterprises for creating artificial massifs of various technogenic origins. Attention is drawn to the development of a system of geological and technological modeling when mapping mineral deposits of various genetic types.