Russian Orientalism Research Articles

Vyacheslav Y. Belokrenitsky: On the Study of the East, on Pakistan, on Colleagues, and on Luck (An Interview)

This interview with a well-known scholar in the humanities, an orientalist historian, a Pakistani scholar and a theorist of science, the head of the Center for the Near and Middle East of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Vyacheslav Yakovlevich Belokrenitsky was prepared as part of the project “Russian Oriental Studies — Oral History” of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, supervised by Valentin Ts. Golovachev, publisher and compiler of the authoritative series “Russian Sinology — Oral History”. Interviewers are interested in the history of the family of Vyacheslav Ya. Belokrenitsky, his life path before entering Moscow State University, professional training at Moscow University and assessment of the formation and development of Pakistani studies as an oriental specialty. The interviewee pays special attention to his colleagues-pioneers of domestic Pakistani studies — Yury V. Gankovsky, Vladimir N. Moskalenko, and others.

Grattez le russe, et vous verrez le tartar: перверсия французской поговорки в творчестве Ф.М. Достоевского

The article considers the famous saying Grattez le russe, et vous verrez le tartare (Scratch a Russian and you’ll find a Tatar) taken from A Writer's Diary and The Raw Youth by F.M. Dostoevsky. The interpretation of the cultural and historical meaning of this French saying is given, associated with the tradition of identifying Russians with barbarians, “Asians”, which is confirmed by the punning and ironic roll call of homophones barbare and tartare. The major contribution into transformation of this stereotypical belief about the nation was made by Dostoevsky in the relevant journalistic and artistic texts of 1870s. He had experienced staying in the Siberian Asia and would speak to kazakh scientist Chokan Valikhanov and other Russian orientalists. The writer used to have a Europe-centric perspective of Russia. However, he gradually transformed and started from sharp criticism of the Eurocentric view of Russia to adopt a positive interpretation of the “Asian” origins (existing along with the European ones) in the Russians’ nature. Eventually Dostoevsky shaped a trinitary Eurasian formula that he used to define the national and cultural essence of Russia. The essence includes not only Russian and European origins, but also the third origin which is Asian and no less substantial. This idea was fully explained by A Writer's Diary’s author in his late days in 1881: “Europe <…> is the mother of Russia just like Asia is”.

Маньчжуро-монгольский социум на страницах региональных научных изданий первой половины ХХ в.

Introduction. The article focuses on Manchu-Mongolian society as a historical and cultural community of East Asia which has had significant impacts on destinies and paths of many Eurasian peoples. Having been dramatically influenced by both objective and subjective factors in the early-to-mid 20th century, one part actually lost its identity while the other one preserved and even strengthened it. These and many other aspects have been actively explored by Russian (Soviet) and foreign scientific communities but works authored by our compatriots to have lived and worked in the to be examined region have been largely overlooked. Goals. The study attempts a source analysis of publications that somehow cast light on Manchu-Mongolian society and that were published in scientific centers of the Far East in the early-to-mid 20th century. Materials and methods. The work examines articles and notes from journals once published by the Society of Russian Orientalists, Society for the Study of Manchuria, Russian Law Faculty of Harbin, and non-periodical editions. The research methodology was determined by an interdisciplinary approach with the prevalence of historical tools. The work comprises data collection, thematic monitoring of publications, discourse analysis, a narrative approach, external and internal criticism of sources and their textual analysis, systemic historical and retrospective methods. The conducted research identifies key early 20th-century trends of Mongolian and Manchu studies, delineates the place of Manchu-Mongolian peoples in the population structure of the Qing Empire / Republic of China assigned to the former in those publications, characterizes the degree of awareness about legal traditions and law practices of the region. Conclusions. The publications under study and their authors contributed a lot to the understanding of the mentioned region of East Asia and its native peoples. The paper states that Orientalists at large — and particularly those engaged in historical and political studies — are obliged to revive names of those researchers, travelers, translators and other participants to have joined that grandiose process of exploring the Manchu-Mongolian region in the early-to-mid 20th century, and made (and still do) our stay in this part of Eurasia peaceful, with most complete knowledge about the latter.

Маньчжуро-монгольский социум на страницах региональных научных изданий первой половины ХХ в.

Introduction. The article focuses on Manchu-Mongolian society as a historical and cultural community of East Asia which has had significant impacts on destinies and paths of many Eurasian peoples. Having been dramatically influenced by both objective and subjective factors in the early-to-mid 20th century, one part actually lost its identity while the other one preserved and even strengthened it. These and many other aspects have been actively explored by Russian (Soviet) and foreign scientific communities but works authored by our compatriots to have lived and worked in the to be examined region have been largely overlooked. Goals. The study attempts a source analysis of publications that somehow cast light on Manchu-Mongolian society and that were published in scientific centers of the Far East in the early-to-mid 20th century. Materials and methods. The work examines articles and notes from journals once published by the Society of Russian Orientalists, Society for the Study of Manchuria, Russian Law Faculty of Harbin, and non-periodical editions. The research methodology was determined by an interdisciplinary approach with the prevalence of historical tools. The work comprises data collection, thematic monitoring of publications, discourse analysis, a narrative approach, external and internal criticism of sources and their textual analysis, systemic historical and retrospective methods. The conducted research identifies key early 20th-century trends of Mongolian and Manchu studies, delineates the place of Manchu-Mongolian peoples in the population structure of the Qing Empire / Republic of China assigned to the former in those publications, characterizes the degree of awareness about legal traditions and law practices of the region. Conclusions. The publications under study and their authors contributed a lot to the understanding of the mentioned region of East Asia and its native peoples. The paper states that Orientalists at large — and particularly those engaged in historical and political studies — are obliged to revive names of those researchers, travelers, translators and other participants to have joined that grandiose process of exploring the Manchu-Mongolian region in the early-to-mid 20th century, and made (and still do) our stay in this part of Eurasia peaceful, with most complete knowledge about the latter.

Vietnamese Cult of the Tutelary Spirits (Thành Hoàng) and its Place in the Vietnamese Folk Religion

This article discusses the cult of the tutelary spirits (thành hoàng) in Vietnam. These are spirits venerated as patrons of villages, rural communities and urban areas in Vietnam are expected to protect area against calamities, disasters, epidemics, wars, etc. These are mythical, historical and pseudo-historical characters who have merits to the area and its inhabitants. The veneration of them is rooted in the traditional culture. It is an integral part of the Vietnamese folk religion (tín ngưỡng dân gian Việt Nam). The spirits of the area are included in the pantheon of numerous deities and spirits (thần) worshipped by the Vietnamese nowadays despite the anti-religious policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam (in the second half of the 20th century). The article describes the main features of the Vietnamese folk religion, which is the context in which the thành hoàng cult still exists, describes the role of the cult and its connections with other phenomena of the Vietnamese folk religion. Our comparison of the thành hoàng cult with similar cults of neighboring peoples allows to identify the influence of alien religious and philosophical systems - Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, ideologies of the 20th century. This comparative analysis allows to reconstruct the origins and milestones in the development of the thành hoàng cult. The cult has not previously been studied by Soviet and Russian orientalists. I propose the first systematic description of the cult, its place in the Vietnamese religious system and its origins.

The study of medieval kipchak-arabic dictionaries

It is known that handwritten monuments to the Kazakh people are stored in the archives and libraries of the world. It is known that many of these monuments have been studied by European, Russian Orientalists and other foreign and domestic Orientalists-Turkologists. One of these handwritten monuments is a valuable relic of languages ​​belonging to the Kipchak group, including historical phonetics, vocabulary, morphology of the Kazakh language of the XIII-XIV centuries. The Mamluk Kipchaks in Egypt wrote the work "Tarjuman...". This work is a Kypchak-Arabic dictionary written with the aim of teaching the Arabs the Kipchak language. When comparing the works of scientists who studied and translated the work, there was a lack of consistency in the transcription and meanings of some Kipchak words. We, in this article, still compare the Kypchak words in translations and research on the work "Tarjuman...". By studying the interpretations in Arabic given in the original, we reveal the meaning and find out the reasons for giving different meanings to Kypchak words in works and translations.In addition, the transcriptions and meanings of various words of Kypchak are unique.Studying the Arabic interpretations of the manuscript, the Turkic root of some Arabisms is revealed, the Turkic equivalent of which is forgotten in the Kazakh language. Keywords. "Tarjuman ...", Kipchak language, Arabic language, Kipchak-Arabic dictionary

TO THE QUESTION OF THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF “THE MIGHTY BUNCH”

The article characterizes the historical significance of the creative community of composers “The Mighty Bunch”. The activity of M.A. Balakirev, A.P. Borodin, C.A. Cui, M.P. Mussorgsky and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov is considered. The conclusion is made about the peculiarities of the creativity of “The Mighty Bunch”, its ethnically Russian orientation.

The Indian National Movement in the Works of A. E. Snesarev

The subject of the study is the reflection of the activities of the Indian National Congress and the national movement in India in the works of A. E. Snesarev, a Russian and Soviet military commander and orientalist. The article examines the history of the study of the Indian national movement in Russia by A. E. Snesarev's predecessors in this field - I. P. Minaev and E. Lamansky (1870-1890s). The reasons for A. E. Snesarev's appeal to the development of socio-political and economic thought of British India are analyzed. Special attention is paid in the article to the work "India as the main factor in the Central Asian issue" and the analysis of the attitude of Indian society to British rule carried out in it. In the course of the study, the following conclusions were made: the national movement in India and the activities of the Indian National Congress were not the main subject of research by Russian orientalists in the pre-revolutionary period, however, interest in the development of socio-political thought in British India and the problems of the relationship of Indian society with the British colonial authorities intensified as the confrontation between the Russian and British empires in Central Asia intensified. Asia during the "Big Game", an example of which was the work of A. E. Snesarev, who, despite the limited range of available sources, was one of the first in Russian historiography to turn to the study of Indian nationalism.

Переводы ярлыков крымских ханов иудейскому населению Кырк-Ера (Чуфут-Кале) в архивах Российской Федерации (по материалам ГАРК и РГИА)

Research objectives: Introduction of archival materials for the history of the Jewish communities of Crimea in the Middle Ages and Modern Times into scientific discourse. Research materials: Study of funds of the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA, St. Petersburg) and State Archives of the Republic of Crimea (GARK, Simferopol) resulted in the introduction of the materials related to the history of the Karaite community of Kyrk-Yer (Chufut-Kale) into scientific discourse. This includes little-known translations of yarliqs and fermans, securing the legal and economic status, issued at different times by the Crimean khans to representatives of the Karaite community. The translations into Russian were made in the second half of the nineteenth – early twentieth century by representatives of Russian academic circles, orientalists, historians, as well as officials of the institutions of the Taurida Governorate. Results and scientific novelty: The study considers a number of little-known documents related to the history of the Crimean Khanate, found in the archival collections of the Russian Federation. One of the earliest translations into Russian of the yarliq of the Crimean Khan Selyamet-Girey I (1608) from the collection of the Russian orientalist and statesman V.V. Grigoriev was discovered in fund No. 853 “Vasily Vasilyevich Grigoriev (1816–1881), professor of the history of the East of St. Petersburg University, governor of the Orenburg Kirghiz region, head of the Main Directorate for Press Affairs of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA)”. This document is particularly important because its original has not survived. Additionally, materials of the fund 241 “Taurida and Odessa Karaite Spiritual Government” of the State Archive of the Republic of Crimea (GARK) were found to contain documents, reporting the translations of the decisions of the “Kadiasker court”, as well as fermans to the Kyrk-Yer Jewish community of khans: Saadet-Girey I (1524), Inayet-Girey (1635), Mohammed-Girey IV (1642), Murad-Girey (1678–1683) and Saadet-Girey IV (1717–1724). The appendices to the article contain the full texts of the translations of the khan’s fermans into Russian made in the late 19th – early 20th centuries with the participation of prominent Russian orientalists. These documents are a valuable source for the scientific reconstruction of the past of the old nations of the Crimean peninsula in the Middle Ages and Modern Times, as well as the economic and legal life of representatives of various categories of the communities of the Crimean Khanate.

«Восточные» направления в русской и венгерской архитектуре

В статье рассказывается о трех направлениях ориентальной архитектуры – культовом, дворцовом и парковом. Основной блок посвящен архитектуре будапештских синагог. В качестве примера русского ориентализма приводится феномен черноморских дворцов петербургской аристократии. Анализируется венгерский шедевр парковой ориентальной архитектуры – слоновник в зоосаде Будапешта. Делается вывод о том, что ориентализм повлиял на формирование национальных стилей и способствовал развитию ар-нуво, ар-деко и модернизма.

Vietnamese Tutelary Spirits (Thành Hoàng): History Of the Cult and its Current State

This article discusses the cult of the tutelary spirits (thành hoàng) in Vietnam. These are spirits venerated as patrons of villages, rural communities and urban areas in Vietnam are expected to protect area against calamities, disasters, epidemics, wars, etc. These are mythical, historical and pseudo-historical characters who have merits to the area and its inhabitants. The veneration of them is rooted in the traditional culture. It is an integral part of the Vietnamese folk religion (tín ngưỡng dân gian Việt Nam). The spirits of the area are included in the pantheon of numerous deities and spirits (thần) worshipped by the Vietnamese nowadays despite the anti-religious policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam (in the second half of the 20th century). The article describes reconstruction of the history of the cult and a description of its current state. The milestones of its development are considered: the formation of the cult during the Late Lê dynasty (1428–1788), development trends during the Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945), which included the period of colonization of Vietnam by the French, the decline of the cult in the second half of the 20th century in socialist Vietnam, the revival of the cult and the entire religious system with the beginning of economic reforms and the democratization of public life in the 1980-90s, and finally, the modern flourishing of the cult and the features of its adaptation to modern conditions. The definition of the historical forms of the cult allows to identify the dynamics in its development and describe the inevitable transformations of the cult in the 21st century, which often are not realized by the bearers of culture, who perceive the cult as an ancient unchanging tradition. The cult has not previously been studied by Soviet and Russian orientalists. I propose the first systematic description of the history of the cult and an assessment of its current state.

The place of the scientifi c heritage of Russian Orientalists of the 19th – 20th centuries in modern theological research: Arabic-Russian dictionaries to the Quran

The presented article attempts to get acquainted with the first Arabic-Russian dictionaries to the Quran, which are the legacy of Russian Orientalists of the 19th – 20th centuries, created to answer a number of questions that arise in the course of theological research aimed at understanding the Quranic texts. The results of the work done revealed a sequence of various dictionaries, the authors of which relied on the works of their predecessors, supplementing or correcting the previously existing dictionaries. The article considers the dictionaries by A.V. Boldyrev. (1836), Gottwald I.F. (1861), Girgas Vl.F. (1881), Juse P.Cr. (1903), Attaya M.O. (1913), Ode-Vasilyeva K.V. (1929), Baranova H.K. (1940–1946), as well as the expert opinion of I.Yu. Krachkovsky about these works. The research done proves the importance of the need to draw the attention of the Islamic Theological Scientifi c Community, as well as of the students of Islamic Universities, to the first Arabic-Russian dictionaries containing the Quranic vocabulary. The phenomenon, unfortunately, remains a bibliographic rarity these days, and the knowledge about will significantly enrich the researches in the field of Islamic Theology, as well as will contribute into the distribution of the Russian Orientalists legacy, which often remains unknown to the Muslim ummah.

Reflection of the national policy of Russian Empire on the Central Asian outskirts in the works of Russian Orientalists (late 19th - early 20th century)

Reflection of the national policy of Russian Empire on the Central Asian outskirts in the works of Russian Orientalists (late 19th - early 20th century)

М.Х. ДУЛАТИ ЖӘНЕ ОНЫҢ «ТАРИХ-И-РАШИДИ »ЕҢБЕГІ ОРТАЛЫҚ АЗИЯ ЕЛДЕРІ МЕН ҚАЗАҚСТАН ТАРИХНАМАСЫНДА

The present article describes how the work of M.Kh. Dulati "Tarih-i-Rashidi" as one of the outstanding written monuments in the historical literature of the Muslim countries of the XVI century, before its translation into English, attracted the attention of Russian orientalists. For them, "Tarih-i-Rashidi" was a very valuable source. Because it was difficult for Russian orientalists to find information about East Turkestan. They had to look for information about the region in Chineese literature or in the writings of Persian and Mawarannahr historians.The study of "Tarih-i-Rashidi" was conducted by Russian historians V.V. Velyaminov-Zernov started. Tarih-i Rashidi was instrumental in writing his famous work "The study of the Kasym Khans and Tsarevich". The second part of his work contains voluminous copies of the original and translation of the work of M.Kh. Dulati. The work of Velyaminov-Zernov has not lost its value to this day. After all, none of the research scientists in Kazakhstan is V.V. Velyaminov-Zernov's work is inevitable. In the twelfth chapter of the second volume of the book "The study of the Kasym Khans and Tsarevich", published in St. Petersburg in 1864, Velyaminov-Zernov wrote about the history of Zhanibek and Adik khans in the XV century. The most accurate information about Adik Khan is given in "Tarih-i-Rashidi". It was written in Persian by Muhammad Haidar Gurgan between 948 (1541-42) and 953 (1546-47)

Ignatij Julijanovič Kračkovski (Ignatij Ûlianovič Kračkovskij) and His Translation of the Qur'an

This year marks the seven decades of the death of Игна́тий Юлиа́нович Крачко́вский, (1883-1951), Russian Orientalist and one of the translators of the Qur'an. His translation is one of the most famous translations of this holy book. This essay deals with Крачко́вский primarily as Arabist and Islamicist who published over 500 works, and one of the foremost names in Russian Oriental Studies. His studies of Arabic literature, both contemporary and classical, as well as Arabic history and geography served Крачко́вский as a background for his translation of the Qur'an done at the end of his life. His famous translation was published posthumously, in 1963. The edition was supported by the Russian Academy of sciences in Moscow.

Transformation of Artistic Imageries of the World and National Cinema in the Era of Postmodern

Introduction. In the last third of the 20th century new trends appeared in various spheres of public life. That made possible to characterize this time period as the era of postmodern. The culture processes of this period were called postmodernism. Despite significant research on the topic and phenomenon of postmodernism, it remains a subject of discussion, which makes the problem of its further study actual. The article reveals postmodernism through the prism of new accents in the disclosure of artistic images in world and national cinema. Transformation of artistic imageries in the cinema is analyzed in the historical, cultural and philosophical terms, which is an element of novelty of the article.Methodology and sources. The methodology is based on the analysis of sources and literature, taking into account interdisciplinary approaches. Historical, comparative, systemic and semiotic research approaches are used. The author also used an integrated approach (formational and civilizational), which gives us a new perspective in understanding cultural phenomenon.Results and discussion. The artistic images of the world cinema are conceptually considered in a comparative analysis with the pre-war and post-war eras. The theoretical basis is the work of foreign (F. Jameson, J. Lacan) and domestic researchers (V.M. Dianova, I.P. Ilyin, N.A. Khrenov). National cinematography in the postmodern era is studied in the context of global and European processes, which makes possible to identify its general and specific feature.The results of the study show that in the last third of the 20th century, a significant transformation of artistic imageries took place in the world and in the national cinematography. It was based on unprecented social and cultural processes that led to profound behavioral and discursive changes. National cinematography reflected in its development global trends. However, the cultural development of Russian society in the postmodern era coincided with a systemic crisis and the collapse of statehood. That determined the specificity of Russian postmodernism, its philosophical and cultural orientation. In this regard, the urgency of the problem of studying the cultural dynamics of spiritual processes of the late Soviet period and post-Soviet Russia, including in cinematography, is obvious.Conclusion. Cinematography as one of the most important phenomena fully reflects the dynamics of modern spiritual processes. Therefore, the study of artistic imageries of the world and national cinematography in the postmodern era is of significant research interest. The use of interdisciplinary and integrated approaches, taking into account the achievements of foreign and national researches, allows us to get a multidimensial picture of the spiritual transformation of the society. An unbiased understanding of the cultural and historical experience of the last third of the 20th century makes it possible to better understand the modern world, because without an analysis of the past, both the present and the future are inconceivable.

Central Asian Social Types as an Orientalism Pattern in Leonid Solovyov’s Prose

The literary work of the Russian writer Leonid Solovyov (1906-1962) was widely known in the Soviet period of the twentieth century - but only by means of the novel dilogy about Khoja Nasreddin. His other stories and essays were not included in the readers repertoire or the research focus. One of the reasons for this is that the writer was repressed by Stalinist regime due to his allegedly anti-Soviet activities. In the light of modern post-Orientalist studies, Solovyovs prose is relevant as a subcomponent of Russian Orientalism both in general sense and as its Soviet version. The Oriental stories series, which is the subject of this article, has never been the object of scientific research before. The authors of the article are engaged, in a broad sense, in identifying the features of Solovyovs Oriental poetics, and, narrowly, in revealing some patterns of the Central Asian picture of the world. In particular, the portraits of social and professional types, met by Solovyov there in 1920-1930, are presented. Some of them have sunk into oblivion, others can be found today, in the XXI century. Comparative, typological and cultural methods are used in the interdisciplinary context of the article.

Метаморфозы народных инструментальных традиций в творческой эволюции Александра Спендиаряна

The article outlines the evolution of A. Spendiaryan’s creative career. The composer’s attraction to Russian Orientalism in his Saint-Petersburg period, namely, to plot programmaticity of music and suite principle is emphasized. During his last years, in connection with his move to his historical homeland, the composer began to closely study Armenian music traditions. He reproduced the peculiarities of Armenian folk music employing modal, intonational, rhythmic, structural-constructive and timbre means for the further treatment of the material. The composer is rightfully considered the “founder of Armenian national symphonism”.

The trips of the famous orientalist V. V. Bartold to Bukhara and their scientific significance

In 2019, Oriental scholars celebrated an important date — the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Russian and Soviet orientalist Vasily Vladimirovich Bartold. Russian and Soviet orientalist, Turkologist, Arabist, Islamic scholar, historian, archivist, philologist, Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1913), member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society became one of the founders of the Soviet school of oriental studies. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Russian scientists worked and were engaged in scientific activities in Uzbekistan. It was V. V. Barthold showed a position according to which the necessity of creating an Asian history, which could be equated in Western history, was realized. This article examines the trips of Academician V. V. Bartold to Bukhara in order to get acquainted with the medieval monuments of writing, as well as scientific expeditions of Russian orientalists in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The attitude of the scientist to the issue of studying the history of Bukhara is analyzed.

The contribution of V. I. Filonenko to the development of Russian Oriental Studies: the Crimean stage

This article is dedicated to examination of pedagogical and scientific activity of the Russian and Soviet Oriental scholar of the XX century V. I. Filonenko. Having acquired excellent education in the field of Oriental Studies in St. Petersburg University, he devoted his entire life to the development of science, leaving behind a rich legacy. The goal of this research lies in systematization of the records on the Crimean stage of scholar’s activity (1915–1935), when he proved himself as a remarkable scientist and pedagogue, head of the oriental department in Crimean Pedagogical Institute, and deputy head of Tauride Society of History, Archeology and Ethnography that often dealt with Arabic, Iranian, and Turkic philology. Although several brief biographies of V. I. Filonenko, including such compiled by his colleagues, are widely known, there is yet no comprehensive research on his contribution to the development of Oriental Studies in Crimea. This article attempts to provide a briad picture of V. I. Filonenko's scientific and pedagogical activity in the field of Oriental Studies and preparation of specialists in Oriental Studies. The article employs autobiographical materials, correspondence of Filonenko with Academician Krachkovsky, as well as minutes of the session of Tauride Society of History, Archeology and Ethnography. The acquired results reveal the role of V. I. Filonenko in the development of Russian Oriental Studies.