About the Department

The Department of Asian and African Studies was established in 2014 at the Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg with the mission to carry out high quality interdisciplinary research into Asian and African countries. The goal of the Department is to provide students with advanced knowledge and understanding of specific regions of Asia and Africa, dealing with a number of different academic disciplines, such as anthropology, art, history, economics, languages, literature, philosophy, political science, religion, etc. Currently, the Department offers one undergraduate programme with two educational tracks (East and South East Asia Studies, Middle East Studies) and plans to launch a graduate and a PhD programme. With a minor programme in Asian and African Studies, the Department aims to promote communication and cooperation among all scholars interested in these regions at the Higher School of Economics.

The Department is based on two pillars: the long tradition of Asian and African Studies in St. Petersburg, and the interdisciplinary approach to education promoted by the Higher School of Economics. It maintains a balance between ancient and modern studies, offering a wide range of courses on both the classical traditions and the current state of Asian and African countries. Our multilingual team speaks English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Turkish and Vietnamese. Moreover, the Department is developing dynamically and prepares to expand its language training with Korean, Hebrew and other Asian and African languages.

The Department of Asian and African Studies is well-integrated within the Higher School of Economics and has a strong network of international partners. It strives to build new connections with other universities, departments and foundations abroad and to engage in academic exchange with foreign colleagues.