HSE University–St Petersburg Holds First International School for Early-Career Researchers in Arab Studies
HSE University–St Petersburg has held the first 'Contemporary Studies of the Sultanate of Oman: Methods, Concepts, Texts' international school for early-career researchers. The programme gathered more than 30 students and experts from Russia, Oman, Italy, and France.
The school was organised by the Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University–St Petersburg and the Centre for Arabic Studies and Humanities at the University of Nizwa (the Sultanate of Oman). The programme of the week-long intensive course included interdisciplinary lectures, workshops, a colloquium on the book Sufism after the USSR, a laboratory for translating Omani literary fiction, and a series of cultural events featuring open lectures and film screenings.
Milana Iliushina
According to Milana Iliushina, Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, HSE University–St Petersburg is distinguished by its progressive approach to academic development. The university tries out various formats of projects for young and experienced specialists alike. This approach to science finds support in the Centre for Arabic Studies and Humanities at the University of Nizwa.
'The international school represents two values of our institute in its approach to Asian and African studies: interdisciplinarity and interregionality. We strive to look at the East through the intersection of methods, approaches, and research perspectives that unite the works of historians, culture experts, political scientists, economists, and anthropologists,' explained Milana Iliushina.
Elena Malozyomova, curator of the oriental harness collection at the State Hermitage Museum, confirmed that without an interdisciplinary approach, it is impossible to assess the importance of museum artifacts. For researchers and museum employees, it is not enough just to be able to work with the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula; they have to have a good understanding of the cultural environment of a specific region and the purpose of the object.
Natalya Philippova, academic co-supervisor of the Master's in Cross-Cultural Studies of Asia and Africa in the Context of International Relations, held workshops on political economy analysis and the concept of identity in the Middle East. According to her, the intensive course helps students identify their range of academic interests. This is especially relevant to bachelor's students who are just starting to get acquainted with the diversity of the academic world.
Grigoriy Lukyanov, Research Fellow at the Centre of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences
The format is important for Russian researchers. Their goal is not just to speak and show themselves but to share their knowledge, learn something new, and enhance mutual understanding and ties with each other. This is exactly what the driver of science is. Early-career researchers can build their trajectories by studying at various universities and using the opportunities provided by research projects. That is why the school is of great importance for young researchers.
Valeriia Novikova
Valeriia Novikova, a fifth-year student of the Bachelor’s in Asian and African Studies and programme coordinator of the school, highlighted that the school sparked great interest among young experts in Arab Studies. There were more than 130 applications from researchers from the Middle East from leading Russian universities.
'We wanted to go beyond a simple academic perspective. So we invited representatives of cultural and state institutions in Russia and Oman for a dialogue. Their participation added an important practical aspect to those academic topics, which the participants discovered,’ shared the school co-organiser.
In the ROSPHOTO cultural and exhibition centre, film directors Hamad Al-Qasabi and Ali Al-Bimani presented the documentaries The Last Remaining and Long Distances covering the daily life of the ancient market in the city of Bahla and the female runner Suad. Hamad Al-Qasabi delivered a lecture on the use of artificial intelligence in films.
Hamad Al-Qasabi, Film Director
We talked about the ways AI has helped with work on films, shared our experience, and discussed ethical aspects and the process of generating creative AI content. I am impressed by the scale of HSE University–St Petersburg's projects. I feel like everyone wants to learn something new and truly loves what they do.
Ali Al-Bimani, Head of the Audiovisual Department of the National Records and Archive Authority of Oman, shared with the school participants his experience of working at the National Records and Archive Authority of the Sultanate of Oman with audiovisual materials—films, records, and other media. According to him, the collection of the department can be useful for young researchers who study the Sultanate of Oman—the documentary materials can expand one's ideas about the processes happening in the Middle East.
The school helped Kamilla Takhautdinova, second-year student of the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, to deepen her knowledge of historiography and working with Arab manuscripts. The intensive course served as a reference point for her further research work:
I wanted to learn about various research directions to choose a sphere that is interesting for me. Meeting the participants and learning about their development trajectory and experience inspires me to take new steps in research. I was most impressed by the screenings of Omani documentary films, the opportunity to talk to the film directors, and the visit to the 'History and Culture of the Middle East' exhibition in the Hermitage. The school is a wonderful chance to exchange experiences and knowledge.
Daria Sdobnova, fourth-year student of the Department of Oriental Studies at GAUGN, was struck by the plurilingualism of the HSE University–St Petersburg project. The school allowed her not only to meet experts in Middle Eastern Studies but also to practise her spoken Arabic:
I used to think that lectures in foreign languages only took place abroad. At HSE University, it is possible. It is important that I can practice Arabic by communicating with native speakers during breaks, when discussing films, and at lectures. My brain constantly switched from Russian to English and Arabic. This is a huge advantage of the school.
In the future, the Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University–St Petersburg plans to expand the geographic scope of its participants and hold schools for young experts in Asian and African studies at the University of Nizwa in the Sultanate of Oman.
