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Russian diaspora in the countries of the East

Interdepartment group of IOS RAS

Leader: Valery Nikolaev, PhD in History

Academic Secretary: Sofia Pale, PhD in History

Staff:

Belyakov V.V.
Boykova E.V.
Vasiliev A.D.
Zagorodnikova T.N.
Kadyrbaev A.Sh.
Kirichenko A.A.
Kosmarskaya N.G.
Sarabyev A.V.
Skorobogatyh N.S.
Sokolov A.A.
Uturgauri S.N.
Khokhlov A.N.

The inter-divisional research group was created from the staff of the Institute of various scientific divisions in order to combine efforts to study the history and current state of the Russian diasporas in the countries of the East.

The creation of the group was approved at the meeting of the Academic Council of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences on October 20, 2010, at which a presentation was made by the head of the Group on its tasks and research directions.

The concept of scientific research of the inter-divisional group “Russian diaspora in the countries of the East”

Theme

Research groups are designed to develop a comprehensive study of the Russian diasporas in the East in the framework of one of the main areas of research of IOS RAS, “Russia and the East”. The following topics are relevant for the study:

  • the history of the diaspora from formation to modernity: the causes and characteristics of mass waves and individual migrations from Russia and the USSR at different historical stages;
  • determination of demographic, sociological and ethnocultural characteristics;
  • the role of the diaspora in the economic, political, scientific and cultural life of the host countries; the value of the Russian diaspora as a carrier of oriental knowledge;
  • the role of the diaspora in international relations (forms of support or refusal of it);
  • problems of conservation and distribution of the Russian language and cultural traditions; the line between assimilation and integration into the society of the countries of residence;
  • Russian communities as a factor in uniting compatriots, cultural centers, the media in Russian, communication with the historical homeland and organizations of the Russian Federation;
  • the role and importance of Orthodoxy in the emigre environment and the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in the East;
  • publications of archival sources and memoirs;
  • historiography of domestic and foreign studies.

Special attention should be paid to the study of “new Russian diasporas” that emerged after the collapse of the USSR in the independent states of Central (Middle) Asia and the South Caucasus (Transcaucasia), where the problems of determining the legal status of Russians, saving the Russian language and preserving cultural and historical traditions are relevant. However, there are practically no specialists in this field at the Institute of Oriental Studies. In this regard, it is necessary to establish cooperation with scientists and public organizations of the new independent states, to provide for the training of specialists in the postgraduate study of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is also necessary to develop questionnaires for collecting information about modern Russian communities abroad and to provide field work for collecting materials.

Cooperation

First of all, the group is intended to bring together specialists from research centers and departments of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences to concentrate research on the most pressing issues. The study will take place on the principle of network, combined and multilateral cooperation with institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, university centers of Russia, the Fund named after A.I. Solzhenitsyn's House of Russian Abroad, the Russian World Foundation, the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called, the Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, compatriots living abroad, and international humanitarian cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. There are established contacts with foreign scientific centers: the All-Japan Association for the Study of the Eastern Branch of the Russian Abroad, the Australian National University, the University of Queensland (Australia), and scientists from New Zealand and Malaysia. The circle of foreign centers and organizations of compatriots is to be expanded.

Implementation

The group’s work plans include annual conferences, preparation and publication of individual monographs and articles, cooperation with the media, and the implementation of a series of collective monographs “Russian Eastern Abroad”. Publications of materials of conferences and articles are expected on the site of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in “New Eastern Outlook”, in the journals “Vostok”, “Asia and Africa Today”, “Diasporas”, etc.

The implementation of the presented project will allow securing the position of the center and coordinating body for the study of the Russian diaspora in the East for the Institute of Oriental Studies, will increase the level of research on this topic, will be productive and useful in scientific, theoretical and practical terms. The materials presented in the form of analytical notes may be of interest to state and public organizations.