International conference in the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg

From November 9^th to 12^th, the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg hosted the third International Scientific Conference "Army, Elites and Society in the Middle East and North Africa", organized with the support of the Al-Khalil bin Ahmed Al-Farahidi Center for Arabic Studies and Humanities, University of Nizwa (Sultanate of Oman). The conference brought together researchers from Russia, Oman, Belarus, Turkmenistan, the USA and other countries.

Valeria Novikova / HSE University–St Petersburg

Welcoming words from the conference organizers were said on the opening ceremony.

Dr. Milana Y. Iliushina, professor, Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, highlighted that the topics of the army and military traditions have been the focus of scientific interests of the staff and students of the Institute for several years already. “We’re glad that this subject remains popular and of interest of to researches all across Russia,” – she noted. “We especially thank our partners from the Center for Arabic Studies and Humanities, University of Nizwa, and personally it’s director, Dr. Suleiman Salem Al-Husseini, who came to St Petersburg along with his colleagues to participate in the conference.”

Dr. Suleiman Salem Al-Husseini, director of the Al-Khalil bin Ahmed Al-Farahidi Center for Arabic Studies and Humanities, University of Nizwa, expressed his hope for further partnership between the HSE University – St Petersburg and the University of Nizwa, emphasizing the importance of collaborative projects and the exchange of research experience.

The moderator of the conference, a 5^th-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme “Asian and African Studies”, Valeriia Novikova, noted that in three years of existence the conference has evolved from a small students’ initiative of the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies to a large international event, attracting over fifty speakers from diverse countries and research centers. “We sincerely thank our devoted participants and supporters, who play major role in the conference development with their papers and discussions,” – she pointed out. “And we are delighted to welcome new participants who have entrusted us with their research and ideas.”

The first day of the conference was dedicated to the contemporary studies of the Sultanate of Oman. Dr. Chafika Baghdadi Ouail, Dr. Suleiman Salem Al-Husseini, Dr. Nasser Saif Aamir Al-Saadi and Dr. Hamed Suleiman Al-Azri spoke in the special section, organized in cooperation with the University of Nizwa.

3^rd-year students of the Department of Middle eastern and African Studies – Vadim Golev and Lev Ozhegov, presented their work together with experienced scientists in a special session for young researches. They received valuable feedback from Omani colleagues. The section devoted to medieval topics in the history of the Middle East and North Africa was particularly engaging. The audience was captivated by the scholarly debut of Uliana Aleksandrova, 3^rd- year student, who presented a work on the Swahili elite during the Arabization period.

The second day of the conference was marked by the vast diversity of topics and profound discussions. Section devoted to 20^th century history, where both Russian and foreign experts met, was exceptionally interesting. Lengthy debates were sparked by the research on the historical memory of Libyans about the Chadian-Libyan wars, presented by Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies (IOS RAS), Deputy Head of the Joint Department with IOS RAS in HSE University, Deputy Dean of the Department of Oriental Studies in State Academic University for the Humanities (Moscow). The participants actively discussed issues of political identity, military history, and the processes of collective memory construction.

The final day of the conference was traditionally opened with a section dedicated to the modern state of Israel. The researches discussed the tunnel warfare phenomenon, issues of ethnic economics and the dynamics of political debate in Israel. Luiza Khlebnikova (PhD in History), Associate Professor in Jewish Studies Department of the Institute of Asian and African countries (Lomonosov Moscow State University), shared the results of her fieldwork and spoke about the current public and political confrontations surrounding the annexation of territories in the West Bank of Jordan. Middle Easter art section, featuring reports on Iran’s fine art and the visual representations of the war, was no less memorable.

At the closing ceremony of the conference, Dr. Milana Y. Iliushina and Dr. Suleiman Salem Al-Husseini expressed gratitude to the participants and stressed the significance of maintaining a scholarly dialogue between universities. Among the upcoming joint projects, International School for young Middle Eastern researchers was announced. It will take place at the end of November at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg.