moscow

INSTITUTE OF GENERAL HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

On September 12-13, 2007, the international scientific conference "Pax Africana: the Continent and the Diaspora in Search of Themselves in the second half of the XX century" was organized by the Center for African Studies of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Department of African Studies of the ISAA at Moscow State University.

Scientists from Great Britain, the USA, South Africa, Madagascar, and Russia (Kirov and Yaroslavl) participated in its work. In addition to the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, RSUH, and RUDN University were represented by Moscow Africanists. Students and postgraduates of ISAA, RSUH and the Institute of Africa joined the audience.

The conference was opened by A. B. Davidson's report "African Studies at the Institute of World History". The head of the Center for African Studies of the IVI RAS emphasized that from the very beginning of its existence, the sector-department-center paid great attention to sources on the history of Africa. The result of many years of work of its employees was the two-volume book "Russia and Africa" published in recent years, as well as two volumes of the three-volume fundamental work " History of Africa in Documents. 1870-2000", "Comintern and Africa", "Comintern and South Africa" (in English). These publications provide a solid source base for further research.

J. Pinfold (Great Britain) in his report "Obtaining documentary information from Africa in the XXI century: a librarian's view", summarizing his 30-year experience as an African bibliographer, identified three groups of materials that he has encountered in his work recently: printed materials, archives and electronic media.

The participants ' reports were devoted to both the problems of the African continent proper and the diaspora. A separate session was devoted to a whole block of speeches on modern South Africa. V. Visser (South Africa) in the report " Afrikaners and the Diaspora after the loss of hegemony. Revising Afrikaners 'Identity in Post-Apartheid South Africa "examined Afrikaners' reactions to the new situation they have found themselves in since 1994. Preserving Afrikaners ' cultural identity, the speaker believes, will depend on their ability to correctly identify themselves. P. Moller (South Africa) in the report "In Search of Channels for Identity maintenance: the Evolution of Afrikaners 'Cultural Institutions in South Africa after 1994". 1994" told about the history of the creation of the Language and Culture Association in 1930, which continues to play a positive role in South African society today. In the report of I. I. Filatova (Russia) "What color is the South African miracle? National politics and national relations in South Africa after 1994 " spoke about the transformation of the national policy of the South African government since 1994, about the theoretical premises that determine this policy, as well as about its practical consequences, for example, about the growth of ethnic and racial tensions, the outflow of qualified personnel from the country and the resulting economic problems.

V. P. Gorodnov (Russia) in his report "South African Apartheid: a Dead-end historical experiment" linked the origins of the apartheid policy in South Africa and the beginning of its crisis with the position of the Afrikaner Reformed Church. A.V. Voevodsky (Russian Federation) 'Islam in the Social and political life of South Africa (1994-2007)' was devoted to the situation of Muslims and the role of Islam in modern South Africa. He highlighted the history of the formation of the Muslim community and analyzed the dynamics of its development in 1994-2007. Special attention was paid to the relationship between

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the main groups of South African Muslims, as well as the reasons for the emergence and growth of the influence of the radical organization of Cape Muslims " People against Gangsterism and Drugs "(PAGAD), which peaked in 1996-2002.

The reports sparked a lively discussion.

A block of reports was devoted to ethno-racial and ethno-religious problems and the state's participation in their solution.

Yu. N. Vinokurov (Russian Federation) in the report "Lumumbism at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries-Epigonism or the program of the revival of the Congo?" He noted that the attraction to Lumumba's ideas for building a sovereign Congo was especially strengthened after the overthrow of the Mobutu regime (1997) and the coming to power of politicians who consider themselves followers of Lumumba. The program of the Government headed by A. Giesenga, developed in 2006, is based on the ideas and ideas of Lumumba. It is democratic and socially oriented. Doubts remain that the DRC rulers will have the political will and resources to implement it. V. I. Evseenko (Russia) analyzed the Guinean experience of solving ethno-religious problems from the standpoint of totalitarianism and liberalism.

G. V. Tsypkin (Russian Federation) considered the theory and practice of such a phenomenon as Italian racism during the years of Italian aggression in Ethiopia (1936-1941). E. S. Lvova (Russian Federation) in the report " Indians of Ethiopia and Tanzania (based on the materials of the expeditions of 1991-1992 and 2006 to Ethiopia and 2003 to Tanzania)" She reviewed the history of the formation of Indian communities in these countries and stressed that the communities of Indians there are very different in a number of parameters.

The conference participants also paid attention to such a relatively new reality for the African continent as the African Union (AU). Sergey Nikulichev's report was devoted to the functioning of the African Union in the current system of international relations. The issues of the AU's dialogue with such organizations as the UN, the European Union, the WTO, and UNESCO were discussed. The problem of self-determination of this organization, which united an entire continent, on the world stage is raised. The article analyzes the AU's activities and their results, comments on the AU's policy in resolving the Darfur conflict and the AU's desire to preserve the competitiveness of African countries in world markets, as well as their attitude to the WTO system. Conclusions are drawn regarding the conditions in which the continued existence of the AU has favorable prospects, and interim results of the organization's seven-year work are summed up.

A number of reports were devoted to the problems of culture. T. M. Gavristova (Russia) made a presentation " African artists in search of identity (on visualizing the image of Africa in the art of the "African abroad")". It was the artists of the "African diaspora" who raised the question of identity in a new way, formulating it taking into account the most diverse components - within the framework of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religious and professional affiliation, trying to define the boundaries of the common and special, in the context of authenticity and exclusivity. Self-awareness as an artist went through the interpretation of images, symbols, signs belonging to world culture, European and African, in relation to such categories as past and present, space and time, memory and oblivion. A. S. Balezin (Russia) in the report " Meeting cultures in Africa in the era of colonialism: main areas and results The forum focused on terminology issues, areas of cultural interaction in colonial Africa, and some of the results of this process. Zafaniyassi Bemananzara (Madagascar), in his report "Language education - an eternal challenge to the authorities in Africa", emphasized the importance of language policies implemented by independent African countries at the present stage to achieve an adequate level of education.

A number of reports analyzed various aspects of relations between African-Americans and Africa, African-Americans and the African diaspora in Russia. J. Carew (USA) titled her report "Offering Hope and Opportunity: Dubois, Hughes, and Robson. A bridge between the Soviet experiment and the global African Diaspora." All of them, the speaker noted, were impressed by the Soviet experiment in creating a non-racial society and each played an important role in attracting the attention of African Americans to the USSR, which later brought many students from Africa and other parts of the third world to the USSR.

N. G. Shcherbakov (Russian Federation) in his report "Africa in the view of African-American public organizations" traced the transformation of the image of the historical homeland in the public thought of African Americans from the end of the XIX century to the end of the decolonization of the African continent. In the report "Images of Africa in the public life of African Americans of the XX century"

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Alexander Litinsky (Russia) said that images of the African past are an integral part of the ethnic identity of African Americans. The 20th century is of particular interest in this context, since it was at this time that the ethnic identity of African Americans developed most actively. L. O. Golden (Russia) made a presentation about the new Harvard encyclopedia "Africana".

Several reports examined the situation of Africans in Russia and the USSR. S. V. Mazov (Russian Federation) in the report " Africans in the USSR. 1960-ies" told about little-known aspects of the Soviet state policy towards African students. Based on archival documents, he came to the conclusion that the authorities fought against racist sentiments among Soviet citizens, but they themselves did not always act against Africans in accordance with the officially declared principles of internationalism.

V. V. Gribanova and N. A. Zherlitsyna (Russia) in their joint report "Training students from African countries in Russian universities: problems and prospects" analyzed statistical data and scientific developments of recent years concerning the training of African students in Russian universities. The most acute problems currently include:: decrease in the total number of African students studying in Russia caused by the growth of xenophobia and racism; gaps in legislation; language barrier and difficulties in adaptation; domestic difficulties.

L. V. Ivanova (Russia) in her report "The Somali Diaspora and the Internet" noted that recently members of diasporas are increasingly using the Internet system. For the Somali diaspora, it has become a way of maintaining ties with the homeland and family, preserving and reviving disappearing traditions, a system for sending financial resources to the homeland, etc. Features of Somali web sites: an abundance of visual and audio images, rather than written information.

Sergey Serov (Russian Federation) spoke on the topic "Internet sites as a means of self-organization and self-representation of Africans living in Russia". To identify the role of the Internet in the lives of people from Africa who live permanently or temporarily in Russia, the speaker analyzed the content of their websites. In the course of the study, he was able to answer the following questions: what role do Internet sites play in the self-organization of Africans living in Russia, at what level do Africans show self-consciousness; what influence does religion have on self-consciousness; which countries are more active in using the opportunities provided by the Internet space for self-organization of their compatriots who came to Russia.

For the first time, the conference included a section of African philologists. Reports were presented by the staff of the Department of African Studies of ISAA at Moscow State University: I. V. Gromova "Indian influence on Swahili culture and language", M. R. Urb "The role of the Afrikaans language in modern South Africa", T. A. Balashova "Fiction and theater in Ethiopia at the beginning of the XXI century", S. L. Kravchenko "Some features of phraseological literature in the country". systems of the Amharic language", Yu. G. Suetina "Nominal phraseological units in the modern socio-political vocabulary of the Hausa language", I. Friedman"Comparative analysis of the use of perfect forms in the Amharic and English languages".

As always, there was a friendly and respectful atmosphere at the conference, many questions were asked and a number of valuable observations were made. Of course, we did not solve all the questions formulated in the stated topic, but many of them were raised.

Students of the ISAA Department of African Studies were very helpful in the work of the conference, in particular, they translated from Russian for foreign guests of the conference.

A. S. BALEZIN

NUSANTARA SOCIETY

The first meeting of the Nusantara Society after the summer holidays on October 4, 2007, was devoted to recent events of considerable interest. Mikhail Kuritsin (Geo-Spectrum) spoke about Vladimir Putin's visit to Indonesia last September. Before-

Kladchik, a graduate of the Indonesian department of ISAA at Moscow State University, represented business circles rather than academic ones during the visit. However, in his speech, he focused on the country-specific aspect of this epochal, by his definition, visit, the significance of which he saw-

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The difference is that Indonesia has the opportunity to once again prove itself as a powerful country in the region and in the world. The speaker, taking the opportunity to communicate with experts on Nusantara, also spoke about the publishing project of the series "The World through the eyes of Russians", the editorial board of which is headed by Academician E. M. Primakov, and the members of the council are many specialists in Oriental studies, including the speaker. He presented the first book of this series, M. M. Bakunin's valuable work " Tropical Holland. Five years on the island of Java " - reprint of the 1902 edition.

V. V. Sumsky (IMEMO) gave a fascinating account of his trip to Java. The purpose of the trip was to collect illustrative material for the upcoming tourist guide on this interesting and rich in its ancient culture and history of the island. Together with a group of cameramen, V. V. Sumsky visited first of all the capital Jakarta, which, according to him, is now not inferior to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore in terms of its architectural appearance and megacity parameters. This was followed by all the significant cultural and historical points on the map of Java-Bogor (formerly Beitenzorg) with its famous Botanical Garden (where many Russian naturalists came back in the XIX century), the capital of students and art Yogyakarta, all the monumental ancient temples and archaeological sites-Borobodur, Prambanan, Dieng Plateau and other places of recreation in the highlands of Java, etc. The need for such a reference and illustrative publication, the speaker stressed, has long been overdue in order to correct the unfair disparity in the tourist preferences of Russians, who make only the "promoted" Bali the object of their visit.

T. V. DOROFEEVA

SUDAK (CRIMEA)

On September 17-21, 2007, the XVII International Conference " Man and Nature. Problems of socio-natural history". The annual conference, organized by E. S. Kulpin-Gubaidullin, was supported by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University, the Tavrichesky National University, the National Crimean Tatar Library and the journal "History and Modernity". In preparation for the forum, a "round table" was held in Simferopol in May 2007 (see the Crimean weekly "Peninsula" and the issue of the SEI series, No. 31). The Organizing Committee was presented with 70 reports, most of which were published in the collections of the series "Socio-natural History" - "Man and Nature". nature: opposition and harmony "(Moscow: IAC-Energiya, 2007), " Nature and Society. Siberia -the Fate of Russia "(Moscow: IAC-Energiya, 2007) and in the journal " History and Modernity "(2006, N2; 2007, N1, 2).

18 plenary reports (9 from the Russian Federation and 9 from Ukraine, Poland, and the United States) presented by doctors of Historical, philosophical, economic, geographical, biological, and technical sciences were heard and discussed at the meetings, and two round tables were held - " Evolution of the Biosphere and Society "(hosted by V. V. Klimenko, V. V. Khomenko) and "The Past and Future of Crimea" (hosted by A. R. Vyatkin, A. R. Emirov), seven reports were heard.

The conference discussed the problems of the past and future relations between man and nature - natural science, political, economic and social, divided into four main topics-"Russia in a globalizing world", "Nature and society", "History of civilizations" and "Socio-ecological problems of the Crimea".

The main report defining the main research direction for 2008 was presented by E. S. Kulpin-Gubaidullin (IS RAS/IV RAS) and O. N. Yanitsky (IS) "Siberia and the Far East in a globalizing world". Problems related to the place of the Russian Federation in the modern world, the role of Siberia in the near future of Russia, and the claims of other states to the natural resources of Siberia and the Far East were considered.

A number of reports addressed different aspects of these problems: "Environmental policy of Russia: State and prospects "- O. Y. Tsitzer (Rostekhnadzor); "Analysis and forecast of environmental situations in Western Siberia" - A.V. Antipova, S. K. Kostovska, B. I. Kochurov (All-IG RAS); "Sustainability of the global system nature-man-society" - V. V. Bushuev, V. S. Golubev, A.M. Tarko (vse-In-t energeti-

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of the Russian Academy of Sciences); "Russia in ecosystems of the West and East" - L. O. Karpachevsky, T. A. Zubkova, Yu. N. Ashinov (all - MSU); V. V. Khomenko (Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan) "Ensuring Russian transport rent on the basis of joining the system of the North-South international transport corridor".

The leading report on the topic "Nature and society" - "World energy and climate of the Planet in the XXI century" was made by V. V. Klimenko and A. G. Tereshin (both MPEI). The reports "Macroeconomic patterns of spatial distribution of "imperiogenesis"" - V. Turchin (University of Connecticut, USA), "Problems of Aggression in History"-A. P. Nazaretyan (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) were also heard and discussed.

The third topic - "History of civilizations" - was devoted to the reports "Man and nature in the Golden Horde Khorezm" - A. A. Burkhanov (Humanit. University of Kazan) and "Pereyaslavskaya Rada of 1654" - K. Petkevich (A. Mickiewicz University, Poland).

Presentations on the topic "Socio-ecological problems of Crimea" were made by researchers representing the Tavrichesky National University: A.V. Malgin "Cultural and political situation in Crimea", S. A. Karpenko "State of the natural environment in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea", V. E. Abduraimov "Political organizations of the Crimean Tatars", V. A. Bokov " Evolution eco-networks of Crimea". A number of speakers were represented by political and public organizations of Crimea: Yu. F. Komov (Green Party of Ukraine) "Ecological situation in Crimea", P. V. Volvach (Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society) "Crimean field farming: Past, Present, Future", A. R. Emirov (Crimean Tatar National Academy of Sciences). b-ka) "Information field of Crimea".

During the conference presentations were made by: A. R. Vyatkin (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "Redistribution of South-bank lands in the Crimea and Crimean Tatars"; M. G. Kramarovsky (State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg) "Petrarch on the Golden Horde"; Yu. V. Zinkina (State University, Kazan) "The role of the state in the development of natural resources". host landscape (on the example of Syria)", A. I. Kogan (Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences) "Socio-natural history and prospects for studying ethnic processes in Kashmir", S. V. Kiryukhina (Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences) "Women's Question" and the Crimean Tatar ethnic group at the beginning of the XXI century", Yu. E. Kulpina (Institute of Contemporary Art) "Socio-ecological crises and the origins of drunkenness and hooliganism in Russia", A. Sh. Kabirova (Institute of History, Kazan) "Natural resources of Tatarstan and their use in 1941-1945"

The round table "Past and future of Crimea" is dedicated to the prospects for the development of the peninsula. It was decided to hold a seminar on this topic in Simferopol in late 2007 or early 2008.

At the end of another round table "Evolution of the biosphere and society", a resolution on the development of Siberia was adopted, prepared by Academician-Secretary of the Department of Social and Economic Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan-V. V. Khomenko. The main provisions of the resolution are as follows:

- The scientific community and political circles of the West are forming an opinion about the inability of Russia and the Russian population to ensure the economic use of the territory of Siberia, which implies its transfer to the "global economic turnover";

- The involvement of the border regions of Siberia and the Far East in preferential cooperation with Asian states and states of other continents, as opposed to all-Russian cooperation, determines the possibility of a gradual change in the mentality of the population, the development of the orientation of public consciousness in favor of separation from the European part of Russia, which does not adequately initiate global integration processes;

- The current period of time has been marked by a sharp decline in the attractiveness of living in most of Siberia and the Far East, there is a significant change in the structure of the local population, the outflow of the Russian-speaking population to the European part of Russia. This process is practically not affected by positive climate change, which indicates that it is impossible to solve the accumulated problems and tasks within the existing models of regional development management.;

- Siberia, with its vast natural resources and transcontinental location of its territory, provides the basis for Russia's industrial development, obtaining natural transport rents by the state, and maintaining a strategic military balance on the Asian continent. The paradigm of a transitional society, as it has developed in the real economic policy of Russia , is essentially a resource-depleting, not a reproductive, accumulative paradigm. ECO resource orientation-

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nomics seriously changes the fundamental foundations of the entire economic and social policy of the country. Countries like Russia are becoming dependent not so much on their own (intellectual) productive forces and high technologies, but on the situation on the global hydrocarbon market. The orientation of producers of this raw material to the foreign market due to its high profitability reduces the level and quality of life in the country;

- The basis for changing the current situation, according to the participants of the round table, is the formation of a regional policy based primarily on regulating the allocation of productive forces, realizing the potential of integration of Russian regions. The differentiation in the levels of regional development that has increased during the economic reforms cannot be eliminated by mechanical redistribution of territorial revenues;

- It is necessary to form in each region targeted programs for the development of territories and territorial development funds ("development budgets") with an increased share of investments. I.e., the priority of the task of mechanical alignment of the socio-economic level of regional development through centralized redistribution of budget funds should be changed in favor of alignment based on accelerated development of territories;

- The problems of Siberia need a deep study, in which multilateral cooperation of scientists is desirable. Scientists of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, participants of the conference, expressed their desire to work in this direction, using their experience in solving many problems similar to those in Siberia.

E. S. KULPIN-GUBAIDULLIN

SHCHUCHINSK (KAZAKHSTAN)

The development of military symbols and heraldic support for the daily activities of the armed forces remains very relevant for the CIS countries, whose leadership is striving to create modern combat-ready armies. It is quite natural that in solving these tasks, the national military leadership seeks to rely on military-historical traditions and use existing world experience. The international scientific and practical conference "Turkic Heraldry and problems of Weapons Studies", held on December 7-8, 2006, was devoted to the discussion of actual problems of military history of nomadic peoples who lived on the territory of Kazakhstan and neighboring states in ancient and medieval times, and the possibility of using historical symbols for the needs of military heraldry. The conference was organized by the National Defense University of Kazakhstan (NUOC), which is the highest military educational institution for training senior command personnel of the Kazakh army, similar to the General Staff Academy in the Russian Federation. The conference was attended by military specialists, historians, archaeologists, museum workers, teachers from Kazakhstan and Russia. Among them were teachers and students of NUOK, employees of the scientific center of this university, teachers of the military College from Shchuchinsk, employees of the Military Institute of Foreign Languages and the Institute of Military History, the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan from Astana and Alma-Ata, university teachers and museum employees from Kokshetau, representatives of regional commands of the armed forces of Kazakhstan, an employee of the heraldic service of the armed forces Russian Federation, Military Attache of Russia in Kazakhstan, Russian teachers of military disciplines and an employee of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, among the participants of the conference were only two archaeologists - Professor V. F. Seibert from the University of Kokshetau and the author of this report.

The conference was opened by the head of NUON A. U. Shoinbayev.

The first report of the head of the scientific center of NUOC H. S. Mukhanbetkaliyev "Military heraldry of the Republic of Kazakhstan: formation and development prospects"was heard at the plenary session. Emphasizing the importance of military symbols in the formation of statehood, he noted that the origins of heraldry originated in the Stone Age, in the Paleolithic and Neolithic. These are "graphemes - the simplest graphic signs", signs of hieroglyphic writing and tribal symbols of tamga, tanba in Kazakh. The medieval Turkic and Mongolian states, according to Kh. S. Mukhanbetkaliyev, inherited military and state symbols from the Saks. The report included

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evidence of some ancient and medieval sources from the writings of Herodotus and Al-Jahiz, related to the first stage of the development of heraldry in Kazakhstan. The second period of development of heraldry falls on the time of the Kazakh Khanate. The speaker emphasized the importance of battle cries-uranus. The common tribal uranium for all Kazakhs in this period was "alash". The speaker noted the peculiarities of the Soviet and modern period in the development of heraldry in Kazakhstan.

Deputy. V. Y. Kudeikin, Head of the Heraldic Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Moscow), in his report "Military symbols of the Russian Federation: history and modernity", considered the main problems of the development of military symbols that arose during the formation of the modern armed forces of the Russian Federation. The Russian military heraldic service is characterized by the desire to combine the historical experience of pre-revolutionary Russia and preserve the traditions of the Soviet period.

In the report of the military heraldmaster of the scientific center NUOK G. V. Plotnikov "Heraldic arrangement of the Armed forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan", the main principles and results of the development of military symbols carried out in Kazakhstan in recent years were considered. Yu. S. Khudyakov (IAET SB RAS, Novosibirsk) in his report "Development of the armored cavalry of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia" presented the results of studying the personal metal protective equipment of soldiers in the armies of nomadic states of the Central Asian historical and cultural region in the periods of antiquity and the Middle Ages. The report was accompanied by a demonstration of reconstructions of the armor of Xianbian, ancient Turkic, Jurchen and Dzungarian warriors.

A. A. Mukishov (NUOK) in his report "Heavily armed warriors of Central Asia and adjacent territories of the XVI-XVII centuries" demonstrated color drawings-reconstructions of late medieval Central Asian warriors made by L. A. Bobrov and displayed on the Internet. The speaker gave Kazakh names for some types of weapons (for example, saber-kylysh, nagaika-kymchi, etc.). M. K. Karaguishiev (NUOK), speaking with the report "The importance of military heraldry in the military-patriotic education of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan", touched upon the issues of spiritual culture of the Turkic peoples of the VI-XII centuries. In his opinion, the Iranian nomads who inhabited the steppes of Kazakhstan in ancient times switched to the Turkic language. Some information related to the study of ancient Turkic runic writing, as well as Kazakh proverbs and sayings, references to the work of H. A. Yasavi "Divani Hikmet" of the XI-XII centuries were given. Head of the Department of Military Heraldry K. A. Bisenov (NUOK) in his report "Military signs: their role and place in the history of Kazakhstan" noted that rock carvings of patron spirits played a significant role in military symbols in the historical past. Later, many images "migrated" from petroglyphs to flags. In the report of R. T. Tleukobylova (NUOK) "Symbolism - as a cultural heritage of the people", the signs characteristic of the banners of Kazakh clans were considered. Among them are various tamga signs in the form of a grid, volute, circle, cross, bow with a stretched arrow, shield with crossed spears, etc. A. Zh. Kopirov (Regional Command" West", Kazakhstan) in a report also devoted to symbols of power, proposed to define state and military symbols. In particular, he noted that the combination of three crowns, which is characteristic of Russian heraldry, appeared under Ivan III, although they are symbols of the later Kazan and Astrakhan khanates. K. S. Serikbayev (NUOK) emphasized the significance of the symbols of the Soviet era.

Further work of the conference was conducted in three sections: "Heraldry and genealogy", "Military history and problems of weapons science", "Military historical heritage". The author of this communication participated in the second section.

Its work opened with a speech by K. A. Zholtykbaev (Cadet Corps, Shchuchinsk)"Arming batyrs and their application". He touched upon the issues of describing weapons in the Kazakh epic, cited the Kazakh names of different types of weapons, and suggested that one or another weapon belonged to the Kazakh batyrs.

D. I. Soltynbek (Military Institute of Foreign Languages, Alma Ata) spoke about the role of the history of Kazakhstan in the patriotic education of cadets. B. B. Tokin (NUOK) made a report "History of the development of weapons of the ancient Turks", which, however, was about the weapons of the European Huns. The speaker made some rather bold but unsubstantiated assumptions about the role of the Huns in the development of military affairs in Eastern Europe. According to him, before the arrival of the Huns in Eastern Europe, "steppe grasses were wasted." It was the Huns, as the author believes, who brought iron weapons, saddles and shta to Europe.-

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new ones. And with them came "tsar's hunt" and "military science". As illustrations to the achievements of the Huns in military affairs, he drew images of warriors on shield plates that date back to the Early Middle Ages, and the reconstruction of the Saka horseman.

R. G. Rashitova (NUOK) touched upon the issues of studying traditional Kazakh clothing. M. O. Kulbayev and K. J. Akshulakov (NUOK) made reports on the weapons of ancient Turks and Kazakh warriors in the Middle Ages and in Modern times.

Of course, not all the speeches made at this section on weapons studies and military history of medieval nomadic peoples can be considered equivalent. Some of them were compiled in nature and contained unsubstantiated assumptions and outright historical errors. All the more important is the desire of the leadership of the National Defense University and its scientific department to establish scientific cooperation with Russian experts in the field of weapons studies and military history.

Within the framework of the conference, a round table "Heraldic system of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan - as an integral part of the military history of Kazakhstan" was held, dedicated to the issues of heraldry and weapons studies.

V. Y. Kudeikin shared his experience of military heraldic work in the Russian Armed Forces and expressed his thoughts on its further improvement. K. S. Serikbayev suggested organizing the work of the heraldic Council in Kazakhstan. Yu. S. Khudyakov noted the undoubted interest among the Kazakh military in the history of military affairs of nomadic peoples and pointed out the importance of scientific cooperation and exchange of special information Kh. S. Mukhanbetkaliyev touched upon the issue of the standard of the Minister of Defense. V. I. Zakharov (Russia) emphasized the importance of common elements in the military symbols of the CIS countries. G. V. Plotnikov considered the legal aspects of heraldic work. A. Zh.Kopirov expressed his thoughts on the connection of heraldry with politics.

The results of the discussion were summed up by H. S. Mukhanbetkaliyev, who noted the importance of the issues discussed for the development of military-historical knowledge and everyday life of the modern armed forces.

The conference participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the training and material base of the National Defense University. Employees of the Kokshetau Museum of Local Lore have prepared an exhibition dedicated to the military history of Kazakhstan. Among the exhibits were items of weapons of Kazakh soldiers of the late Middle Ages and Modern times from the museum's collections and expositions. The National Defense University also has a small exposition on the military history of the Kazakhs. The conference participants got acquainted with the library of this university, which has a selection of books on the military history of ancient and medieval nomads of the Eurasian Steppe belt.

I would like to emphasize the cordiality and hospitality of the organizers of the conference, the chief, officers and employees of the National Defense University of Kazakhstan, who did everything possible to ensure that the conference was held at the proper scientific and organizational level. This conference was an example of close cooperation and scientific cooperation between military historians, weapons experts and specialists in heraldry of Kazakhstan and Russia.

Yu. S. KHUDYAKOV

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