News

Wednesday 17 August 2022

“The Path of an Orientalist”: Sergey Dmitriev

 
On the 17th of August, 2022 a lectures series from the Young Scientists Council of the Institute of Oriental Studies (the Russian Academy of Sciences) has started.

The first open remote lecture was held for sinologists from the leading Russian universities, as well as for the young employees of the research institutions.

The first lecture was given by Sergey Dmitriev, the Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher of China Department, the Head of Ancient and Medieval History of China Sector, Institute of Oriental Studies. He said:“A sinologist is not someone who knows Chinese, it is a person who thinks about China and wants to understand it and to explain it to others.”

Nikolai Rudenko, the Chairman of the Young Scientists Council of the Institute of Oriental Studies, delivered a welcoming speech at the beginning of the meeting. He noted a wide range of questions from  the listeners addressed to Mr. Dmitriev. Then he invited the young researchers to consider the possibility of entering the graduate school of the Institute of Oriental Studies https://aspirantura.ivran.ru/.

Sergey Dmitriev paid special attention to his teachers speaking about his professional path development. Then he noted the need for scientific continuity, the importance of being worthy of the orientalist’s teachers in continuing their path.

The lecture aroused considerable interest.  More than 150 registered listeners asked Sergey Dmitriev many questions: about the significance of the Eastern philosophy in the modern world, working with the sources, the prospects for Oriental Studies as a professional activity, the specifics of the Chinese mentality, etc. 

In particular, Sergey Dmitriev compared the preparation for lectures with mineral ore washing: when reading scientific papers, one has to constantly ask himself the question: will this be useful in a training course? This process is endless, as there are so many sources of scientific information in the modern world, and it is almost impossible to keep track of them. The solution to this problem is one of the most important for every scientist, since there are no ready-made recipes yet.