December 6 and 8, 2010 The Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a scientific conference "190 years of Russian Oriental Studies: history, achievements, prospects". The first day of work was devoted mainly to the history of Russian Oriental studies, primarily of the Soviet period. Director of the Institute V. M. Alpatov covered the history of the Institute after the move of its head office from Leningrad to Moscow in 1950. Noting that at first it was a small academic institution dealing mainly with historical and philological problems, the speaker highlighted 1956 as a milestone year - after the XX Congress of the CPSU, a prominent state and party figure, former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, B. G. Gafurov, was put at the head of the institute. Under his leadership, the Institute's membership grew several times, research on contemporary problems in the countries of the foreign East was established, and a specialized publishing house was created. Soviet Oriental studies received wide recognition abroad, which was facilitated, in particular, by the holding in Moscow in 1960. World Congress of Orientalists. Another milestone in the development of the Institute was the period of Primakov's leadership (1977-1985). The main attention at that time was paid to the problems of modern development of the states of Asia and North Africa. The Institute has become an influential institution in the field of studying international problems, social and economic development of the East as part of the"third world". In the future, the main achievement, as the speaker noted, can be considered the preservation of the institute as a functioning academic institution, whose activities reflect the complex nature of Oriental studies. We managed to continue and develop the traditions of studying the ancient history of the East, including organizing archaeological and ethnographic expeditions, the subsequent stages of its historical evolution, culture, literature and language, economics, politics and sociology. After the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute's field of activity included problems not only in the foreign, but also in the Russian East, and the study of religious and civilizational complexes, in particular Islam, took a prominent place.

In the report of L. B. Alaev " Russian Oriental Studies: heritage of the Soviet period " presented a view of the science of the Soviet period as a complex complex, depending on the political and ideological imperatives of the time. With them in mind, significant progress has been made in understanding many aspects of colonial and post-colonial development in Asia and North Africa. At the same time, Oriental studies, according to the speaker, was within the strict framework of the Marxist approach to historical processes, which determined the style of thinking that has a great impact on modern research. The current situation is characterized by the lack of monopoly of the old theory and the lack of development of new theoretical concepts.

A. M. Khazanov in his speech highlighted some major milestones in the formation of ideas about the countries of the East in Russia, starting with the famous "Walking across the Three Seas" by Afanasy Nikitin. The final chord in the prehistory of Russian Oriental studies was the creation of the Asian Museum in St. Petersburg in 1818. The speaker paid special attention to N. N. Miklukho-Maklay, who managed to make a significant scientific contribution to the study of the indigenous population of South-East Asia and Oceania in 42 years of his life.

A. O. Tamazishvili's report "Interpretation of the concepts of "East" and" Oriental studies "in the USSR in 1918-1945" analyzed the collision of two schools - the old, academic, and new, revolutionary, Marxist-in the field of studying phenomena related primarily to Asia abroad for the USSR. If the first school, studying this area, focused on culture,

page 135
The second one emphasized the colonial state as a factor separating the "East" from the rest of the world, and the main emphasis was on the national-colonial issue. For this reason, Japan in most cases was not considered by representatives of the second school to be "Eastern", but this concept often included the countries of Africa, and sometimes Latin America. The speaker traced how, as academic Soviet Oriental studies developed, differences in the interpretation of basic terms related to the two traditions were revealed, which were of considerable importance for the future of the scientific industry.

B. G. Seyranyan's report was devoted to the history of the formation and development of research in the Department of Arab Countries of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the 1950s-1970s. It noted that the most authoritative Arabists at the beginning of this period, around whom Arabic studies at the Institute developed, were E. A. Belyaev and V. B. Lutsky. Under their influence, the team of the department was formed, in which N. A. Ivanov, L. N. Kotlov, R. G. Landa, I. M. Smilyanskaya, B. G. Seyranyan and others worked for a long time. Thanks to the efforts of the department's staff, significant progress was made in studying the past of the Arab world and the political and socio-economic processes that took place there.

Continuing the story about the history of science in the Institute of General Problems of the USSR Academy of Sciences, R. G. Landa noted the milestones in the formation of the Department of General Problems and the development of theoretical knowledge at the Institute. At first, as the speaker noted, the role of the theoretical center at the Institute was played by the Department of India, but with the creation of the Department of General or General Theoretical Problems under the leadership of G. F. Kim, who later became Deputy Head of the Institute. Director of the Institute and acting director in 1985-1987, the center for theoretical research moved there. In its formation, a special role was played by A. I. Levkovsky with the theory of multiculturalism, N. A. Simonia, who developed the concept of a special way of development of the countries of the East, and L. I. Reisner with ideas about the civilizational specifics of the East. The result of intensive work in the department was the publication of a number of notable individual and collective monographs. Among the latter, the speaker singled out the three-volume book "Foreign East and Modernity "(1980-1981) and the book "Evolution of Eastern Societies: a Synthesis of traditional and Modern" (1984). The work of the department developed in a number of problem-related areas, such as the study of social structure, cities, the national question, religion, the agrarian sphere, political struggle and political regimes. In the post-Soviet period, theoretical studies were continued, although not in full. At the same time, there was an interest in the problems of socio-cultural synthesis and intercivilizational contacts.

Speaking about the history of Russian Iranian studies, L. M. Kulagina noted that the study of Iran is one of the oldest branches of Oriental studies. In the second half of the 19th century, famous Iranists A. K. Kazem-Bek, I. N. Berezin, academicians B. A. Dorn, V. R. Rosen, K. G. Zaleman, and N. I. Zhukovsky worked in Russia. Later, such prominent scientists as V. V. Barthold, V. M. Miller, A. E. Krymsky, K. E. Inostranov, and V. A. Zhukovsky worked fruitfully in the field of Iranian studies. B. N. Zahoder, who headed the Iran sector established at the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1956, played an important role in the new Soviet stage of Iranian studies. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, employees of the sector carried out a number of interesting analytical works, among which the generalizing book "The Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979 stands out. Reasons and lessons".

V. N. Moskalenko's report "Formation and development of Pakistani studies in the USSR and Russia" emphasized that the study of Pakistan is one of the youngest branches of Oriental studies. Indologists and biologists A. M. Dyakov, L. R. Polonskaya, and Yu.V. Gankovsky took part in its creation. The latter became a true leader of the direction, which was recognized in the country, in particular in the Central Asian republics of the USSR, and abroad, including in Pakistan itself. In terms of the number of books published in translation, Russian Pakistani studies, as the speaker noted, occupied one of the first places in the Soviet period. Research was continued after 1991 due to the fact that the Institute, although not without losses caused by the departure of a number of young talented specialists from the profession, retained a team of qualified Pakistani scientists. Among their achievements are such publications as "Encyclopedia of Pakistan" (1998), " History of Pakistan. XX century" (2008) and others.

O. I. Zhigalina noted in her report that Kurdish studies as an independent field of orientalism emerged in Russia in the 19th century and eventually established itself in the recognized status of an independent Oriental specialty. After going through several stages of development and concentrating mainly in the Academy of Sciences and St. Petersburg University, it developed fundamental and applied areas. Scientists in the pre-revolutionary period managed to sde-

page 136
There are many important studies and discoveries to be made. The old school traditions were developed during the Soviet period. The largest centers remained Leningrad and Moscow, where research was conducted in the field of Kurdish philology, history and the Kurdish national movement. Centers of Kurdish studies were established in Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Such scientists as M. A. Gasratyan, M. S. Lazarev, and Sh.K. Mgoi made an important contribution to the study of Kurds. Under their leadership, fundamental studies "The Kurdish National Movement in modern and contemporary times" (Moscow, 1989), "History of Kurdistan" (Moscow, 1999) were created.

In the report of A. K. Alikberov "On some methodological problems of studying society, religion and the historical process", examples related to the coexistence of different cultures in the same space were considered. This phenomenon is especially characteristic of the Caucasus, where a variety of cultural types has developed under the influence of the natural environment and historical factors. The methodology of studying society, religion and the historical process itself in these areas, as the speaker noted, requires taking into account the factor of a kind of" timeless", preserving the features of continuity and immutability, the alignment of tribal, clan, traditional confessional structures and modern forms of organization of social space.

The second session, devoted to economic issues, focused on long-term trends in economic development-demographic and food problems-and the vision of prospects for the development of economic research developed in the Department of Economic Research at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I. V. Deryugina's presentation "Problems of agricultural production efficiency in the countries of the East and Russia in the late XX - early XXI centuries" was devoted to the presentation of the results of many years of work by V. G. Rastiannikov and I. V. Deryugina on agricultural problems in the countries of the East, typology of agricultural economy development in the world, and Kondratiev cycles in agriculture in such countries as India, and Russia. Having shown the wave-like dynamics of agricultural production in different countries, significant similarities and some differences on the diagrams, the speaker noted that the world economy is now in the upward phase of the next Kondratieff cycle, which, according to forecasts, may change to a downward phase in 2026 or a little earlier.

V. G. Rastyannikov in his report "Malthus shadow in densely populated regions of Asia" showed the results of agricultural production development in Eastern countries, primarily in India, from the point of view of solving the food problem in countries with a growing population and limited natural opportunities for the development of grain farming. Describing the tense state of food supply in these conditions, V. G. Rastiannikov pointed out that in the coming decades the food problem may sharply worsen. He also noted such phenomena as rising food prices on world markets, limited land space, water scarcity, and declining returns on investment in large, densely populated regions of the world.

In the report "Socio-economic factors of demographic processes (on the example of Japan)" S. B. Markaryants clearly showed that demographic processes depend on the specific historical situation, on the totality of economic, social and political conditions in the country, that such important demographic categories as birth rate and mortality are determined precisely by social conditions, and not by economic factors. biological laws. But at the same time, feedback is equally important, because demographic processes directly affect the socio-economic situation in society. Perhaps it is Japan that will be able to create a new model-a model of an aging society with a small number of children - and show a way out of this impasse to other countries in the same situation, especially the States of East Asia.

A.V. Akimov's report "Economic research in the Department of Economic Research of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences: achievements, problems and prospects" described the experience of attracting senior students and undergraduates to research work on the economy of Eastern countries and formulated the tasks of the department: long-term forecast of population growth and resource constraints; interaction of civilizations in the course of economic evolution; Russia's role in the global economy with a focus on the development of export-oriented agriculture; participation in the project on studying the experience of Eastern countries for the modernization of Russia, conducted by the Faculty of Political Science of MGIMO(U)Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Institute of Practical Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ISAA MSU.

page 137
Four reports were presented at the session on the classical cycle of Oriental studies. E. V. Antonova in her report "On one of the ways of interpreting the meaning of signs of pre-written cultures" showed the possibilities of understanding drawings on objects of the Bronze Age (late 3rd-early 2nd millennium BC), found during archaeological excavations in southern Turkmenistan and northern Afghanistan (Margiana culture). The special features of culture, the speaker noted, in particular, are the significant continuity of monuments belonging to different periods of its existence.

A. A. Suvorova's report " The 'Female' archetype of the Kashmiri problem: symbolism of the Lal Dead image " presented the iconic image of Kashmiri history and culture reflected in the literature, emphasizing syncretism, mutual influence of Hinduism and Islam. The speaker also emphasized the importance of gender in legends, which serve as a unifying factor for Kashmiri culture. The fate of Lal Dead, who left her family because of harassment, echoes modern ideas of emancipation of women, her determination to break the ties of family, caste, and the usual way of life.

I. P. Glushkova in the report "Movement as a historical category (on the example of studying South Asia)" noted that movement, being the subject of study in mechanics and physics and being a philosophical category, also exists as a biological function of human organisms, and since a person is a historical and cultural product, his meaningful movement, especially in the context of scientific research, is considered to be as part of a team, it can transform from "instrumental" to "expressive" and "communicative". Taking this into account, I. P. Glushkova emphasized, it is advisable to give the movement the status of a historical category that emphasizes the values of remoteness and proximity, which play the role of key landmarks in the formation of society and its space. As an example, the speaker cited the phenomenon of pilgrimage in the history of India that she had studied, considering it as a socio-cultural and political factor.

A. O. Zakharov in his report "The theory of collective action in the politogenesis and epigraphy of ancient Java" analyzed the applicability of the theory of collective action to the polities of Java of the VIII-X centuries on the basis of the corpus of Ancient Javanese inscriptions. The theory of collective action assumes an active role of the social lower classes in the formation of statehood, including rational agreements between taxpayers and the upper classes. Collective action in Java was built into the local monarchy-kraton model. The ancient Javanese material shows that local communities could not influence the elite, and therefore the theory of collective action cannot be considered justified.

E. S. Kulpin-Gubaidullin, in his report "The East: Methods and results of Socio - natural History", emphasized that socio-natural history (SEI) as a scientific field emerged in the 1980s-1990s in the study of the modern East. The development of the SEI theory has brought general scientific and concrete results. It was possible, in particular, to establish the time period for the formation of the system of basic values of civilization-an analog of genes for wildlife. For China, it was more than 2 thousand years, for Japan-about 1.5 thousand years, and for Russia (a country between East and West) - less than four centuries.

A. P. Nazaretyan's report "The concept of universal history in modern science" focused on new ideas about the historicity and achievements of foreign and domestic science in the field of megahistory, the study of the regularities of processes occurring within extremely long periods of time. Despite the universality of history, the speaker noted, the peculiarities of its individual components, including such major ones as Eastern cultures, should be studied and taken into account.

The report of Z. M. Chaliapina, A.V. Kostyrkin, K. I. Demin and E. S. Tarasova "On the creation of the electronic Japanese-Russian dictionary ELEARS" presented one of the major achievements of linguistic Oriental studies. Speaking about it, A.V. Kostyrkin emphasized the practical significance of the research performed. The speaker used slides to demonstrate the features of using ELEARS, speed, and advanced features that translators and specialists will fully appreciate after the final refinement.

Two final reports were related to the field of political Orientalism. A.V. Vorontsov devoted his speech to the problems of security in East Asia. He described some concepts developed in Western, mainly American, science that are used to assess the security situation in connection with the DPRK's military nuclear program. Noting the close relationship between the practical objectives of US policy in the region

page 138
and their theoretical understanding, the speaker formulated several tasks that are faced by domestic political scientists-Orientalists. Among them is the development of approaches to analyzing security in East Asia, taking into account Russia's national interests in the context of possible aggravation of regional contradictions between the United States and China in the future.

F. A. Popov, in his report "The Geography of secessionism in the countries of the East in the XXI century", tried to extend to the Asia-African region the method of classifying movements aimed at separation and isolation of separate spatial areas, which he developed for the entire geopolitical space.

A survey was conducted among the conference participants to determine the main achievements and problems of Russian Oriental studies. The analysis of about two dozen questionnaires revealed the following main points.

Among the achievements mentioned are overcoming a narrow economic-centered theoretical approach to the problems of social modernization in the East; applying the experience of studying the problems of economic and social modernization in developing countries of Asia and Africa to the transitional societies of post-Soviet Eurasia; recreating on a systematic basis such an important field of Oriental studies as the study of Central Asia, the Caucasus, development of a concept for the development of export-oriented agriculture in Russia as part of the strategy for solving the world food problem; comprehensive research in the field of cultural studies, historical psychology, sociology of history, etc.

The list of problems included the most significant prospects for the aggravation of the resource and economic crisis in the East; prospects for the transition of Asian and African states to innovative scientific and technological development with a tendency to save resources; the relationship between politics and economics (market economy - liberalism, state entrepreneurship - authoritarianism and dictatorship); development of problems of countering the "religious renaissance", cultural fundamentalism and the resulting threats in some cases; economic, social and ethno-confessional problems in the East in the context of globalization; The East and the challenges of the XXI century (environmental, food, energy problems, international terrorism, drug trafficking, and other non-traditional security challenges); migration from the East to Europe and Russia; ecology and the East; theory of political modernization, features of political systems and political cultures in the modern East, development of problems of Eastern politics and political science, etc.

page 139

Permanent link to this publication: