MOSCOW INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL STUDIES OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

On February 27, 2008, the first round table meeting of the Russian-Iranian Women's Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations was held in the Iranian sector on the topic "Constitutional Rights of women in Iran and Russia". It was attended by scientists, teachers of higher educational institutions and employees of practical organizations in Moscow (IV RAS, MGIMO(U)). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation, the International Academy of People's Diplomacy and the State Duma of the Russian Federation) and representatives of the Iranian side-Puran Valaviyun, Adviser to the Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, employees of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Russian Federation and the Cultural Representation at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Five reports were presented at the meeting, which was opened with a welcoming speech by Head of the Iran Branch of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences N. M. Mammadova. She noted the importance of creating a Russian-Iranian women's society and the topics chosen for its first meeting, and stressed that the peoples of Russia and Iran have many similarities and differences, and therefore the task of the society is, in particular, to determine what unites them. It is a fact that the first meeting of the "round table" is held at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is one of the initiators of the creation of this society. Women's issues are being studied in the Iranian sector, which was reflected in the international conference "The Role and Status of Women in Iran" held in 2005 and the publication of a collection of articles of the same name based on its results. Another initiator of the creation of the society, as well as the 2005 conference, was the Iranian side. According to the speaker, these events were the first attempt to study women's issues, which certainly requires a comprehensive approach. Mammadova noted that the company does not yet have governing bodies, a clearly defined structure, and its composition is not formed. She suggested, for example, creating a Women's club within its framework, organizing an exchange of tourist groups, and encouraged everyone present to take part in the work of the society.

Masoud Sheikh Zeyneddin, Acting Head of the Cultural Representation at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Russian Federation, highlighted the activities of the organization headed by him and presented his vision of the issues discussed to the audience. He said that the Cultural Representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been doing a lot of work in Russia for almost 10 years in the following areas: maintaining broad scientific contacts with Russian Iranists; providing assistance in teaching Persian to Russian students (organizing short-term language courses for them in Iran, holding four Olympiads in Persian language and literature, etc.) providing financial support in the field of scientific publications; organizing events that introduce the culture of Iran and its religion - Islam; assisting the Russian side in holding the Week of Russian Culture in Iran and much more. Sheikh Zeyneddin stressed that both Iranian and Russian women play an important role in the public life of their countries.

Shokhin Ansari (Karbalai), one of the initiators of the Society and the President of its Iranian branch, the wife of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to the Russian Federation, spoke about the importance of women's issues for the entire world community. Shaheen Ansari stressed that women in the modern world play a significant role in many spheres, including in government bodies. Issues of the global women's movement are discussed at numerous forums, conferences and seminars. She expressed her gratitude to the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the International Academy of People's Diplomacy for organizing a "round table" where you can discuss problems related to the women's movement. Speaking about the future activities of the established society, the speaker identified the following:-

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Its main goals are: to strengthen and comprehensively develop relations between Russia and Iran at various levels (state, non-state, parliamentary and legal); to help familiarize women with the situation, including in the family; to promote cooperation between women of Iran and Russia in the field of science; to help bring the positions of Iran and Russia closer together using the opportunities of people's diplomacy; cooperation in strengthening family foundations in Iran and Russia; exchange of information between members of society; providing organizational, methodological, informational and practical assistance to members of society; assistance in expanding cooperation with organizations and public associations of all countries aimed at strengthening friendship and interethnic harmony. In conclusion, emphasizing the international nature of the women's issue, Shaheen Ansari highlighted such important aspects for subsequent discussions as women and the family; women and social activities; women and education; and women and health.

N. N. Karpovich, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Women, Children and Family of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, made a report on the issue of legislative support for women's rights in the Russian Federation. She spoke about the documents, and first of all the Constitution of the Russian Federation, that ensure and legislate equal rights of women and men, as well as protect the rights of mothers and children and women from any type of discrimination (labor, family, criminal, criminal procedure, administrative law, etc.).

The issue of women's electoral rights and their implementation in modern Russia was highlighted in the report of the Head of the Department of Sociology of the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation G. G. Sillast. In Russia, she noted, de jure equal voting rights for women and men are guaranteed. The current stage of the women's movement is characterized by a reduction in the number of women's organizations and their lower activity than in previous years, the heterogeneity of the female electorate, which is strongly divided by income level, and the prevalence of the female electorate (60%) over the male one. In conclusion, G. G. Sillaste presented her own vision of the future of the women's movement in the Russian Federation.

Puran Valaviyoun, Adviser to the Minister of Justice, graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of Tehran, the first female judge in Iran, who spent 28 years working in the country's judicial bodies, made a report on "Women's rights in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran". She noted that the basic law restored a woman's rights, allowed her to find her human essence. Attaching great importance to the family as the basic unit of society, where the ground is being prepared for further development and improvement of the individual, the Constitution rejects the approach to women as things or working tools "in the service of exploitation and consumer ideology." An Iranian woman rediscovers a serious and honorable duty-motherhood, she brings up her children in a religious spirit and participates in public life together with a man. According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, all laws and regulations should be aimed at facilitating the creation of a family, protecting its sacred status and strengthening family relations on the basis of Islamic law and morality. The Constitution obliges the Government to guarantee equal rights of citizens, regardless of gender, in all spheres of material and spiritual life, including political, economic and cultural life. Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the proposal of the Council on Socio-Cultural Problems of Women in 2005 Approved the Charter of Rights and Duties of Women in Iran. The Charter was also approved by the Mejlis and the Council for the Protection of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a law "On the protection of women's rights and duties in domestic life and at the international level".

The Law is the main normative document representing and explaining the place and position of women in the Islamic Republican system of Iran and in the international community. First of all, Puran Valaviyun draws attention to the rights and obligations of an Iranian woman in marriage and divorce. Thus, when a woman is married, she has the right to official registration of marriage, possession of property rights throughout their life together, decent housing, current expenses, as well as financial support that makes up the mahr, or dowry, of the spouse. Divorce is permissible if it is impossible for the spouses to reach compromise options after conciliation proceedings in a competent court, while the woman retains her matrimonial rights. In the event of a divorce, a woman is granted the rights and duties of custody, feeding and raising a child up to seven years of age, as well as the right to keep it with her for a long time.

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this period. The financial support of the family is entrusted to the father. And after the expiration of the guardianship period, the woman retains the right to see the child. In addition, the law stipulates the right of the spouse to file a lawsuit in court in order to prevent the former husband from remarrying. It is also very important that in a divorce, in addition to her dowry, the spouse transfers half of the jointly acquired property or its equivalent to the spouse by a court decision. According to the speaker, the law also gives women the right to social and political activities.

The law defines the status of women in the field of education, upbringing and research. And the high percentage of women's presence in higher education institutions, research and educational institutions, according to the author of the report, indicates the high potential of women in meeting the needs of the state. In the financial and economic sphere, a woman enjoys the right to own her personal property and dowry, to provide her with means of subsistence by her spouse, even if her wife receives a decent salary, to inherit a certain part of the property of her husband, father and children, to receive remuneration from her husband for running the household and raising children, and to appoint a mahr marriage, the right to receive it from the husband and independently dispose of it. In the social sphere, the law gives women the right to equal working conditions with men and an equal approach to assessing their quality, preventing forced, heavy and dangerous work. Women's legal rights are also established by law.

In conclusion, Puran Valaviyoun highlighted the role of Iranian women in modern judicial and law enforcement agencies. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, women took an important place in this field. According to the latest data, more than 460 women currently work as judges, advisers and consultants to administrative justice bodies.

F. A. Maksumova, President of the International Academy of People's Diplomacy, spoke about the role of people's diplomacy in establishing ties between Russia and Iran. Drawing the attention of those present to the wider possibilities of people's diplomacy in comparison with the official one, she focused on the areas in which, in her opinion, the newly created society should work, namely: studying constitutional laws; familiarizing with religious and national specifics; studying cultural heritage and cultural traditions; charitable activities.

Summing up the results of the meeting, N. M. Mammadova named the following among the priority tasks facing the company: development of a detailed program of the company's activities; creation of the company's governing bodies; resolution of the issue of membership in it (both individual and collective); determination of the thematic focus of the company's work.

As part of the round table, the Orthodox women's magazine Slavyanka was presented. Member of the editorial board O. Tertyshnikova told the participants of the meeting that the magazine, which has been published for three years, is designed to determine the moral guidelines of modern society. In the section" Women and the World", the editorial board intends to publish articles about the daily life of an Iranian woman, her role in the family and society.

M. S. KAMENEVA

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On March 26, 2008, an international seminar on relations between Russia and Thailand was organized by the Department of Southeast Asia with the support of the Oriental University. It was attended by diplomats of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand in Moscow, including Minister-Counselor Wattanu Kunwong, headed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Russian Federation Suphot Dhirakaosan. On the Russian side, the seminar was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: Director of the Asia-Pacific Department L. G. Vorobyova, Head of the South-East Asia Department A. V. Borovik, Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Department. directors of the Historical and Documentary Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs N. M. Baranova, employees of the Department E. I. Guseva, M. A. Donets. The scientific community was represented by employees of the Department of South-East Asia and other international organizations.

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departments of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as N. P. Maletin (MGIMO(U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs OF the Russian Federation), L. V. Larionova (MGIMO), OB. Novakova (ISAA at Moscow State University), columnist of the magazine "Russian Federation Today" P. Yu. Tsvetov, N. A. Gozheva (State Museum of Oriental Art). cultures).

Opening the seminar, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. I. V. Zaitsev, Director of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stressed that if we count down diplomatic relations between Russia and Siam from the visit of King Rama V of Siam to St. Petersburg in 1897, then bilateral relations have entered the 111th anniversary. Siam, then the only independent state in the region, was a pioneer in establishing diplomatic relations with the Russian Empire. These relations have passed the test of time and, despite the sometimes unfavorable international situation, continued to develop throughout the XX century. I. V. Zaitsev confirmed the deep interest of the Russian public in Thailand and noted the constant attention to the Thai direction of scientific research on the part of the Institute's management.

D. V. Mosyakov, Head of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, spoke about the problems of Thai research conducted in the department in the last decade. All the most important political events of the country were subjected to scientific comprehension, which together creates a broad event-problem picture of modern Thailand. The results of scientific monitoring of events in Southeast Asia are published in the annual collections of the department, compiled on the basis of reports of annual inter-institute conferences, which are attended by employees of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as researchers from other scientific institutes and practical organizations.

Suphot Dhirakaosan stressed the importance of Thai-Russian relations. At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Russia has become an unselfish partner in international relations for Siam, supporting it in times of crisis in Thai history. Even when our countries found themselves on opposite sides in international relations during the Cold War, they never fought among themselves, and there were never any conflicts between them. At the beginning of the 21st century, new opportunities are opening up for further strengthening of diplomatic relations and cooperation. The Ambassador of Thailand stressed that the visit of Queen Sirikit to Russia in the summer of 2007, as the representative of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the head of the Thai state, marked the beginning of a new stage in relations between the two countries. Cooperation between the two countries is carried out in solving political problems, such as the fight against international terrorism and the peaceful resolution of East Asian problems. Currently, Thailand and Russia are actively developing bilateral economic relations, with energy and new technologies being promising areas. In 2007, the volume of bilateral trade reached $ 1.8 billion. which means an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. The tourism sector is developing, and in 2007 Thailand was visited by more than 200 thousand Russians. At the same time, the number of Thai tourists visiting Russia has tripled over the past two years.

L. G. Vorobyova described in detail the development of modern relations between the two countries in various fields, in particular, drew special attention to the constantly functioning mechanisms of political interaction between the governments and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Thailand. The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Thailand in 2003, she noted, determined the priorities of Russian-Thai cooperation in the long term. Agreements were reached on cooperation in international and regional affairs, on holding annual consultations at the level of foreign ministers, on developing bilateral cooperation in trade and economic, military and military-technical, energy, scientific and technical and humanitarian fields, as well as in the fight against terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking. Undoubtedly, the visit of Queen Sirikit of Thailand to Russia in 2007 gave a powerful impetus to the intensification of Russian-Thai cooperation in all areas.

The Russian side supports the further development of political dialogue, economic, scientific, technical and innovative cooperation, and the deepening of humanitarian ties with Thailand, which remains one of Russia's important and promising partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

N. A. Gozheva spoke about the Thai exposition of the Museum of Oriental Cultures and the contribution of individual benefactors to the replenishment of the collection, the work on organizing exhibitions of artifacts from Thailand and printed publications published on this topic.

The topic of the presentation by E. A. Fomicheva (IB RAS) is research in the field of Thai studies and training of specialists in Thailand. In Moscow, these are the ISAA at Moscow State University, MGIMO (U), which combine the educational process and scientific research.-

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scientific research. The Museum of Oriental Cultures collects and researches artifacts belonging to Eastern cultures, including the culture of Thailand. The Russian Foreign Ministry has a significant collection of diplomatic documents, particularly those related to Russian-Thai relations. The Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, in collaboration with researchers of the Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published a collection of Russian-Siamese documents of the XIX - early XX centuries. There is also a part of the state archives in St. Petersburg that contains materials on Siam. Specialists are trained and research activities are carried out at St. Petersburg State University. The Oriental Studies Center of the University of Vladivostok establishes working relations with the Southeast Asian countries.

A special role in the scientific Oriental community belongs to the oldest center of Russian orientalism-the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where the first scientific studies on Thailand were published. Currently, the Southeast Asian Division continues the traditions of its predecessors, carrying out research on various scientific issues, and also conducts constant monitoring of the political life and economic development of the ASEAN countries, including Thailand. E. A. Fomicheva stressed that the activities of Russian Orientalists are of great importance in the scientific understanding of the processes and problems of development of the Eastern countries, and the results of scientists ' work is essential for politicians and diplomats. They make a significant contribution to the education of higher school students and the training of Oriental specialists.

Implementing the idea of integrating academic research with education, the staff of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences created the Eastern University, which has been successfully operating for more than 10 years. University graduates with knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Indonesian and other Eastern languages are very popular and successfully build their careers. There is every reason to hope that the opening of the Thai department of the Eastern University will attract the interest of students and become a new contribution to the development of Russian Thai studies.

E. A. FOMICHEVA

Voronezh

On December 17, 2007, the first meeting of the Council of the Center for Russian-Iraqi Studies at Voronezh State University was held. The first Vice-rector, Vice-rector for Research A. M. Khoviv welcomed the members of the Council and spoke about the place of VSU as one of the leading universities in the Russian higher education system. The meeting was attended by the Center's directors from the Russian and Iraqi sides, as well as other council members.

Director of the VSU Institute of International Education, Director of the Center for Russian-Iraqi Studies V. V. Rodionov said that some members of the council from different countries and some Russian cities were unable to attend the meeting for a number of reasons and sent greetings with wishes of success and confirmation of their intention to work actively in the council. Among them: Secretary General of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia and Africa N. A. Huseyn, President of the Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation, corresponding member. Russian Academy of Sciences Yu. L. Vorotnikov, Rector of the Pushkin State Institute Yu. E. Prokhorov, Adviser on Culture and Information Affairs to the President of Iraq D. Al-Mashta, Professor of the University of Homs (Syria) K. M. Al-Jawahiri, Adviser to the Arab Organization for Science and Technology in the OAU M. K. Aref, Doctor of Philosophy Professor of RUDN University M. M. Al-Janabi, President of the Iraqi Association of Graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities D. M. Abdel Gafour, Head of the Russian-Arab Dialogue Center at the Institute of Higher Education of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. Z. Egorin, Director of the Smolny Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences of St. Petersburg State University V. M. Monakhov, Rector of the Tbilisi Institute of Asia and Africa G. G. Chikovani.

D. N. Hasan, Director of the Center on the Iraqi side and Vice-President of the Iraqi Association of Soviet and Russian University Graduates, expressed gratitude to VSU for agreeing to open the Center for Russian-Iraqi Studies at the suggestion and initiative of the Iraqi Association of Soviet and Russian University Graduates. He stressed that VSU is the only Russian university that has made such a historic step in Russian-Iraqi relations. Then he spoke about the Center's projects for the near future, believing that it will play an important role in expanding and strengthening the Russian-Iraqi dia-

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loga in the field of science and culture. The center plans to open translation courses for Iraqis and Russians, publish translations on Russian literature, as well as introduce Russians to Iraqi literature, organize seminars on topical issues, and invite professors from the University of Baghdad to give lectures on issues of interest to both sides. The center also intends to establish two awards: the first one is named after him. Ibn Fadlan for expanding and strengthening the Russian-Iraqi dialogue, and the second for the Iraqi translators from the Russian language named after him. Gaiba Toma Foreman.

A. K. Abuhat, Cultural Adviser of the Embassy of Iraq in the Russian Federation, believes that the establishment of the Center will contribute to the expansion of relations between the two countries. He stressed that Russian higher education institutions have trained more than five thousand Iraqi specialists, who have played and still play a major role in the development of Iraq. The Adviser assured that the Cultural Bureau of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq will support and facilitate the work of the center and will make every effort to assist in cooperation with official organizations of Iraq, primarily with the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Culture.

Secretary of the Union of Composers of Russia, Chairman of the Voronezh Composers ' Organization, E. B. Trembovelsky noted the role and place of Iraqi music in world culture and emphasized the traditional attention of Russian composers to Oriental music. He believes that the Center's activities will contribute to the rapprochement of different cultures, and expressed readiness to cooperate with Iraqi musicians, as well as to accept Iraqis to study at the Voronezh Academy of Arts.

Chairman of the Writers ' Union of Iraq FA Tamir believes that the Center will play a major role in the dissemination of Russian literature in Iraq and Iraqi literature in Russia. He spoke about the perception of Russian literature in Iraqi society and its impact on Iraqi readers and writers, and expressed the readiness of the Union of Iraqi Writers to work closely with the Center.

Dean of the Faculty of International Relations of VSU O. N. Belenov spoke about the growing interest of students of this faculty in Arabic culture, language and, in particular, in Iraq and such languages as Kurdish, Turkmen and Assyrian. He considers it useful to organize a series of lectures by Iraqi professors for students of the faculty.

Head of the Department of Translation Theory and Intercultural Communication of the Faculty of Romano-Germanic Philology of VSU V. B. Kashkin stressed that Arabic has been taught at the department for the third year as a third language, and, in his opinion, it is necessary to give it the status of a second language. He also spoke about the possibility of establishing contacts between the Center and the Russian Translators ' Union.

Director General of the Ministry of Education of Iraq H. Al-Jaff, a member of the Center's board, spoke about the state of education in Iraq. He promised to help organize the teaching of all Iraqi languages at the Center.

The meeting was attended by Assistant to the Cultural Adviser of the Embassy of Iraq in the Russian Federation, D. Yasin.

At the suggestion of V. V. Rodionov, the Council unanimously elected VSU Rector V. T. Titov as the chairman of the Center's Council. Finally, an agreement was signed between the Center and the Writers ' Union of Iraq and between the Center and the Ministry of Education of Iraq. The Cultural Adviser of the Republic of Iraq in the Russian Federation received an official letter from the Center to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Iraq with a proposal to expand scientific cooperation between the two sides.

A. Z. YEGORIN

ULAANBAATAR

Second International Conference "Past and Present of the Mongolian Peoples"

It was held on August 28-30, 2007 in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The Institute for the Study of Asian and African Languages and Cultures of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (ILCAA TUFS) initiated a series of comprehensive Mongolian studies conferences. The first conference of this series was held in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2006, after which Mongolian scientists from Japan, Mongolia, China, Russia, Finland, and the United States came

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we came to a common opinion about the great benefits of a more dynamic and substantive exchange of scientific information and the urgent need to consolidate intellectual potential for the development of promising scientific areas.

The Ulaanbaatar conference was organized by the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, the Mongolian-Japanese Institute of Culture and Science, and the Mongolian State University, with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Tourism of Mongolia, the World Union of Mongolian Scholars, and the Mongolian-Japanese Society for the Promotion of Culture.

The second conference in comparison with the first one, Tokyo, was much broader both in terms of participants and subject matter. Reports were delivered in Mongolian, English, Japanese and Russian, and discussions were held in Mongolian. The largest centers of Oriental studies in the Asian area of the world presented their vision of further ways of developing Mongolian studies in different countries, and highlighted problematic areas.

H. Futaki, who is currently the head of the Mongolian Department at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, in his report "The history of Mongolia in the XX century and Japan" highlighted the key points of Japanese Mongolian studies, which turned one hundred years old. In 1907, Naka Michie published the world's first complete translation of The Hidden Legend from the Mongolian language. Since 1908, the Mongolian language was taught at the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages, and since 1911 a special Mongolian department was opened. The development of Mongolian studies in Japan was initially strategic in nature. In 1912. Russia and Japan entered into a secret agreement on the division of spheres of influence in the territories of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia along the Beijing meridian: the lands to the east of it belonged to the jurisdiction of Japan, and to the west - to Russia. However, as a result of further political events and military defeats, Japan lost its former influence on the mainland, and with it the strategic need to study Mongolia. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Japanese Mongolian studies maintain a high quality level of research. In this, believes X. Futaki, there are factors that cannot be explained in terms of policy and economic benefits.
In his opinion, the level of development of Mongolian studies in Mongolia was negatively affected by the "socialist theory of communism", when the deification of the commander D. Sukhebator became the goal of literature and art, and the Mongols of Inner Mongolia of the PRC were forgotten. The initial position of Chinese historians on the formation of the state of Mongolia is to assert the illegality of the Mongols ' withdrawal from Chinese rule, and the continuing censorship of the Communist Party of China on the works of the Mongols of the autonomous region does not allow them to speak openly to this day. As for the Russian Mongolian studies, which have more than 200 years of history and have become the cradle of world Mongolian studies, the science had quite practical application during the XX century due to the extension of the sphere of influence of Russia on Mongolia. However, the future of Russian Mongolian studies in the XXI century is still difficult to predict, in any case, it should be noted that over the past century, Russia has accumulated a wealth of material for further study of Mongolia.

Mongolian academician D. Tumertogoo gave a historical review of the development of Mongolian studies in his country. The sources of these studies were collections of historical and cultural monuments, documents, manuscripts and woodcuts, which later became the basis for the creation of the Mongolian National Library, National Archive, and History Museum. In the 1930s, a research institute was established, which in 1961 "grew" into the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia. A new stage in the history of Mongolian studies began with the opening of the Mongolian State University in the post-war years, which became a training center not only for domestic students, but also a place of internship for foreign specialists. Leading teachers of the university have made a significant contribution to the development of Mongolian studies as visiting professors at universities in Russia, China, Japan, France, India, England, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Korea, etc. In the late 1950s, the tradition of holding the World Congress of Mongol Scholars was established in Ulaanbaatar. To date, nine such congresses have already been held, the breadth of coverage of the topic and the depth of the problems considered at which increases every time. According to D. Tumertogoo, Mongolia retains the status of the world's leading center for Mongolian studies.

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Lee Narango, a professor at the Australian National University, presented an original vision of the geopolitical picture of Northeast Asia in the report "Mongols between Russia and China". Academician Zh. Boldabaatar, Director of the Institute of Historical Research of the Mongolian State University, spoke about the current research directions. Mongolian studies in Kalmykia is the subject of reports by G. M. Borlikov, S. Batyreva, D. B. Gedeeva, and E. Omakaeva. The reports of scientists from Buryatia-S. D. Syrtypova, D. V. Shulunova, V. Khartaev-contained the results of their scientific research. Scientists of the Russian-Mongolian Integrated Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences spoke about the critical ecological situation in modern Mongolia. In total, more than 40 reports were heard and discussed, the abstracts of which were published by the time of the conference (Mongol tuurgatny ert ba edugee. Olog ulsyn erdem shinjilgeeny II chuulgan. Улаабаатар, 2007). The next conference will be held in 2009 in one of the Mongolian studies centers of Russia.

S. D. SYRTYPOVA

TSUKUBA (JAPAN)

On December 14-16, 2007, the international conference "Central Asian Studies: History, Politics, and Societies" was organized by the University of Tsukuba (Japan), Stockholm University (Sweden), the University of Tokyo (Japan), and the University of Cambridge (Great Britain).

In recent decades, Japanese scientists have been actively seeking to establish themselves in the international scientific community. For a long time, the Land of the Rising Sun, closed in its own interests and traditions, is increasingly opening up to the outside world and declaring its ambitions in various fields of humanitarian knowledge, offering its achievements and institutions to the knowledge market. This productive activity is especially noticeable in Central Asia, which involves a significant number of Japanese researchers. Many projects, grants, and publications (including in Russian and English) devoted to this region have already attracted the attention of specialists from other countries and have taken a worthy place in the general scientific space. Japan, of course, has become one of the world's main centers for the study of Central Asia and continues to increase its capabilities, which was confirmed by the speech of Professor Hisao Komatsu of the University of Tokyo (Japan) at the plenary session of the conference in Tsukuba, who spoke about the history of Central Asian studies in Japan.

The conference consisted of five sections and reflected a fairly wide range of issues and topics that Central Asian researchers deal with.

At the section" Politics: Transformation and Challenges", the following speakers made presentations: A. Frank (USA) "Mass Islamic literature in Turkmenistan: sources and trends", S. Dudoignon (France) "Sorcerers" or "Priests"? On the typology of spiritual authorities in Soviet and present-day Tajikistan (1924-1997)", P. Mulladzhanov (Tajikistan) " Analysis of modern conflicts: methodology, features and approaches (on the example of the civil war in Tajikistan (1992-1997)", M. Gubaidullina (Kazakhstan) "Experience of political transformation in modern Kazakhstan", Moscow. Fredholm (Sweden) "Russia's role in Transforming Central Asia". All the reports were informative, but I would like to mention the speech of a well-known French expert on the region, Dudoignon, who, in a rather expressive manner, questioned the simplified cliches and approaches to the study of Central Asian Islam, which until recently dominated the Soviet and Sovietological literature, and today flood the texts of "experts" and "political scientists".

The section "Rethinking History" was attended by: Tomohiko Uyama (Japan) " Redefining the relationship between the tsarist Administration and Central Asian Intellectuals: Is Orientalism Theory viable?", Suchandana Chashterji (India) "Narratives of prelude and Interlude in the transfer of Power in Bukhara, 1920-1924", Clos Drew (France) " Central Asian Feature Films as a tool for history", G. Kurmangaliyeva (Kyrgyzstan) " In the light of oral history: from Stalin to Gorbachev (The Living history of the Central Asian population: on the example of the Kyrgyz project)", B. Babadzhanov (Uzbekistan) " Post-Soviet Re-Islamization in Central Asia: problems and new perspectives of the study-

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research Institute". This was probably the most intellectually intense section of the entire conference. Tomohiko Uyama argued argumentatively with the guru of critical thought E. Said, Clo Drew talked about the language and history of Central Asia, B. Babadzhanov fought fiercely against the politically correct attitude towards Islamists. The audience was delighted with what was happening.

Speakers at the section" Language policy and its essence " included: B. Schleiter (Sweden) "Uzbek language policy and the ideology of national independence", R. Turayeva (Germany-Uzbekistan) "The role of language in constructing social identities in Uzbekistan", Toshinobu Usuyama (Japan) "Social and linguistic research of the situation in the Kyrgyz cities of Bishkek, Karakol and Osh", E. Schlesser (USA)"Language Planning and Policy in Xinjiang: History, Identity, and Educational Policy". The problem of language and its relation to identity and nation-building is a topic that is consistently successful and is of great relevance for the region under consideration. I would like to single out from the whole series of excellent speeches the report of R. Turayeva, who emphasized the ambiguity and ambiguity of the processes of identification and language practices going on in Central Asia, which was a clear challenge to the current concept of national unification in the post-Soviet space.

The section "Sustainability, local institutions and networks" was attended by: Nicolas de Pedro (Spain) "Central Asia and the human security paradigm", Shailaja Fennel (Great Britain) "Historical dimension of biodiversity in Central Asia", S. Fenel (Great Britain) "Central Asian biodiversity in historical aspect: the example of Uzbekistan", S. N. Abashin (Russia) "Family, Gender, Community and Turgunboy: on Collectivity and Individuality in a 'traditional ' Society", I. Sahim (Turkey)" Gender and kinship Networks based on oral Sources", Takeshi Kimura (Japan)" Considering Sustainability and its potential". Of all the sections, this one was perhaps the most intriguing, especially where "biodiversity", ecology and local traditions of interaction with nature and natural resources were discussed. Despite all the desire to see examples of alternative economic development in the past, and even more so in today's Central Asia, it still seems like a utopia.

The section "International Relations of Central Asia"was the most comprehensive. Presentations were made by: T. Dadabayev (Japan-Uzbekistan) "Functionalist paradigm and scheme of cooperation in Central Asia (Russia)", F. Talipov (Uzbekistan) "Central Asia between the EurAsEC, SCO and Greater Central Asia", N. Omarov (Kyrgyzstan)" Current state and prospects of integration processes in Central Asia". Central Asia". The report of A. Sengupta (India) "Geopolitics of political space in Uzbekistan"was also read out. The section had a heated and interesting discussion about the ability of Central Asian states to integrate and seek common interests. N. Omarov expressed a pessimistic point of view, according to which the real contradictions between the countries of the region, despite the many integration initiatives, are growing, and the participation of external forces and their competition among themselves only exacerbate these contradictions and force local elites change your approaches and orientations all the time. There was more optimism in the speeches of F. Talipova and T. Dadabaeva. Without denying the existing difficulties, they postulated the existence of common problems and the objective inevitability of finding a collective solution to them.

Summing up in this brief overview, I can say that this conference on Central Asia certainly shows that Japan is becoming one of the international centers for studying the region, and the event itself is another evidence of this.

S. N. ABASHIN

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