By Ilya S. Smirnov
Research fellows working at the Institute include renowned students of Oriental cultures.
There are also Russian and foreign associated members participating in certain individual
projects started by the Institute.
The main direction of the Institute's research is The Comprehensive Study of the
Oriental Cultures on the basis of concrete historical, linguistic, ethnological, and
archaeological data; special groups of scholars have been formed to that end.
Comparative Cultural Studies
Research in the domain of comparative cultural studies is based on the classical analysis of
texts belonging to this or that cultural tradition of the Orient. This sphere of research, being
a long-established, the best developed, and most traditional part of Russian Oriental Studies,
is chosen as a basic area for scholarly and educational activity of the Institute.
This area of research covers the widest range of topics, and is most extensive both
geographically and chronologically, since it embraces the study of traditional poetic systems
of many Oriental countries (during various epochs), as well as of oriental philosophy,
history, and religions.
Scholarly activity is realized in the form of permanent seminars: Culture as a Way of
Defining Meanings; Civilization of the Orient in the Mirror of Aesthetic Self-
Consciousness: self perception and dialogue of cultures; Translation from Oriental Languages
as a Problem: translation and interplay of cultures; East-Russia-East (the same topic, as a
project, received a Soros Foundation Grant).
In the work of the above seminars scholars participate whose area of research include Japan,
China, Iran, the Arab Nations, and Africa.
Indian Studies
The group of Indian Studies, headed by Yu. M. Alikhanova, conducts research in the domain
of Indian culture and literature. The issues of mutual influence of North Indian and South
Indian cultures are of special interest to the group. The following three areas of research are
planned: Interaction and mutual influence of Sanskrit and Tamil theatrical cultures;
correlation between theoretical poetological traditions of South and North; the History of
shaping of certain poetic genres (e.g., poems-messages, a genre that had been developed both
by North Indian and South Indian literatures).
The Centre for Linguistic and Ethnocultural Studies
This centre, which is headed by A. Yu. militarev, represents a comparatively new area of
interdisciplinary research. Linguistic data are accumulated and used as a basis for the
reconstruction of ethnic and cultural history. The Centre's activity will be focused primarily
on gathering of lexical material, its analysis and special 'processing', to make it suitable for
interdisciplinary research. The linguistic material obtained from the languages of Western
Asia (the heartland of the most important innovations of the preliterate epoch of human
history, as well as those of early literate societies) and North Africa (the nearest zone to
which those innovations were first spread and 'creatively' adapted to local conditions) is the
main source for the reconstruction.
The Centre of Non-verbal Anthropology
The objects of material culture of Oriental peoples are the subject of research conducted by
the Centre of non-verbal anthropology, which is headed by M.J. Nazarli. The notion of 'non-
verbal' texts of culture is being developed. The task is set to elaborate a special language and
a new system of concepts which would enable the researchers to work with 'non-verbal' texts
and to better describe them.
Currently, the permanent seminar Non-verbal Sphere of Culture is in operation.
The institute participates in educational activity as well. Its members teach at different
faculties and departments of the Russian State University for the Humanities. They deliver
lectures both as a part of some larger course and as special courses in languages, history and
most importantly, cultural problems of the East. Students and postgraduates attend the
Institute's seminars and participate in scholarly work of it permanent fellow
researchers.
Among the plans devised by the Institute for the near future, two items are of the foremost
importance: we plan to publish works of our fellow researchers and to take under our
scholarly supervision a certain numbers of postgraduate students who apply to do the PhD
degree.
The Oriental Institute
Russian State University of the Humanities
Miusskaya Sq. 6, Bldg 2
Moscow
Russia 125267
Tel: +7-95-250 6994/6733/6380
Fax: +7-95-250 5109
Email: afn@rggu.msk.su
Ilya S. Smirnov is the director of the Oriental Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities
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