Tuning In to the East: Wrapping Up the InteRussia Fellowship in Oriental Studies ✨

Hello, hello — how are our orientalists doing out there? They have just completed a remarkable deep dive into centuries of Eastern wisdom, hidden archives, and vibrant cultural layers — and now it’s time to share what they uncovered.

❌Guided by scholars from the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, the fellows decoded complex narratives and defended research projects that bridge the past and present of Eastern civilizations.

❌They joined discussions at the Valdai Discussion Club and the Russian International Affairs Council and explored how natural sciences support archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology.

❌The participants also gained access to rare archival collections at the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, and the Pushkin Museum’s closed vaults.

❌In St. Petersburg, they met with Mikhail Piotrovsky and stepped into the intellectual heart of the East, visiting the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, the Saint Petersburg Institute of History, and the legendary Kunstkamera.

❌Not just observers, our orientalists stepped into the rhythm of Russian cultural and spiritual life — from the halls of the State Historical Museum, the State Russian Library, and the silence of the Novodevichy Monastery to the call to prayer at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and reflections inside the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia.

What do they take with them? A new lens on the East, informed by context, complexity, and curiosity, that will become building blocks for the future of scholarship and cross-cultural dialogue.

Their research is almost ready to meet the world — and we promise it’s worth the wait 💎

#interussia #orientalstudies #PresidentialGrantsFoundation

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