Foreword

Fabio Belafatti

doi:10.15388/aov.2016.13.10634

Abstract

Highlights

The idea to publish the current series of articles developed from a panel presented at the 2014 Baltic Alliance for Asian Studies conference, during which the panel convenor, Dr Zsuzsanna Olach, of the University of Szeged, and a group of scholars working in the field of Turkology gathered to explore aspects of the rich and complex linguistic, religious and cultural traditions of Turkic-speaking groups across Eastern Europe―a region that a non-specialist public would normally not immediately associate with a significant historical presence of Turkic-speaking peoples
The relevance and conceptual strength of the panel led the Centre of Oriental Studies to offer the possibility to turn it into a publication, with at its core some of the papers presented at the conference―with the addition of new material―prepared under the careful supervision of Dr Olach
Communication and dialogue between geographic areas, and the academic field of Oriental Studies can and should try to provide the tools and the framework to look beyond old divides, highlight similarities, decipher and understand differences, and promote a better mutual understanding between regions that often see themselves portrayed as irreconcilably opposed to one another

Summary

Fabio Belafatti Vilnius University

It is with great pleasure and pride that Vilnius University’s Centre of Oriental Studies presents the latest special issue of Acta Orientalia Vilnensia, featuring a collection of peer-reviewed articles on the religious and linguistic diversity of Turkic-speaking peoples in Eastern Europe. The idea to publish the current series of articles developed from a panel presented at the 2014 Baltic Alliance for Asian Studies conference, during which the panel convenor, Dr Zsuzsanna Olach, of the University of Szeged, and a group of scholars working in the field of Turkology gathered to explore aspects of the rich and complex linguistic, religious and cultural traditions of Turkic-speaking groups across Eastern Europe―a region that a non-specialist public would normally not immediately associate with a significant historical presence of Turkic-speaking peoples. FABIO BELAFATTI communication and dialogue between geographic areas, and the academic field of Oriental Studies can and should try to provide the tools and the framework to look beyond old divides, highlight similarities, decipher and understand differences, and promote a better mutual understanding between regions that often see themselves portrayed as irreconcilably opposed to one another

Some example of recent activities in this direction

Specific contributions of this publication to our academic vision