The Conference on Middle Eastern Studies in Eurasia Opened in Moscow

On September 20, the II International Conference "Middle Eastern Studies in Eurasia" began at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. More than 30 leading specialists from nine countries gathered to exchange experiences and discuss prospects for the development of Oriental studies in the modern world.

Alikber Alikberov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, addressed the participants with a welcome speech:

"In our country, the brotherhood of Orientalists is of great importance. We have a real sense of community. Together, we need to think about priority research areas and the benefits we can bring to both Oriental studies and our peoples."

Victoria Karslieva, Executive Director of the Yevgeny Primakov Center for Foreign Policy Cooperation, joined his words:

"After the collapse of the USSR, the training systems in different Middle Eastern schools and universities in the post-Soviet countries began to differ greatly. But this is not bad; it means that now we can exchange experiences and talk about practices that can be applied in our scientific schools. This will also help unite our graduates and determine how they can work and conduct joint research. This is why our conference was created."

For his part, Vasily Kuznetsov, Doctor of Political Sciences and Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, highlighted the results of last year's conference:

"After the first conference, two important things happened: a journal was created, which will be presented during the conference, and a report was prepared that we will discuss today. We very much hope for constructive criticism, but it seems to us that we have already taken a certain step towards integrating our scientific space."

After the opening ceremony, the conference participants began work in thematic sessions. The first day's program included four key areas. The first session, "Current Issues in Research Implementation: Organization of Project Activities and Science Funding," was devoted to discussing changes in the system of funding scientific research in Russia.

A representative from the Russian Science Foundation gave a detailed report on the scale and specifics of grant support for science in the country. Special attention was paid to projects by young scientists and research in the humanities and social sciences. During the discussion, participants discussed new opportunities for Orientalists within grant programs and prospects for the development of project activities in this field.

The focus of the second session was a report prepared by the consortium of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and MGIMO on the state of Oriental studies in Central Eurasian countries. The study covered almost all countries of the post-Soviet space and presented a detailed analysis of the development of Oriental studies schools in the region.

Experts discussed a number of key issues facing modern Oriental studies in Central Eurasia. Among them were the problem of the identity of Oriental studies as a science, methodology issues, and the balance between research in national languages and languages of international communication. Of particular interest was the experience of Uzbekistan, where Oriental studies acquired the status of an "image" science, receiving significant state support.

After discussing the state of Oriental studies in Eurasia, conference participants moved on to discussing breakthrough research projects in the field of Oriental and African studies. Experts noted the growing interest in African studies and the need to update the goals of African research in modern geopolitical conditions. Special attention was paid to the practical significance of research in the context of developing economic relations between Russia and African countries.

In the final session of the conference, participants exchanged experiences in the field of Middle Eastern studies in Eurasia. Experts noted that classical Oriental studies is gradually giving way to new approaches and needs to adapt to modern requirements. Reports on the activities of the Islamic University in Uzbekistan and the expansion of research geography in Armenia aroused particular interest. Participants also discussed promising areas such as nomadic studies. An important topic was the influence of external factors on the formation of the Oriental studies agenda in the countries of the region.