Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
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Name	Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Native name	Институт востоковедения Российской академии наук
Established	1818 (as Asian Museum), 1930 (modern form)
Location	Saint Petersburg; Moscow
Parent	Russian Academy of Sciences

Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a leading Russian research institution specializing in the languages, histories, cultures, religions, and politics of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The institute traces institutional roots to the Asian Museum and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and it has played a central role in Soviet and post-Soviet scholarship on China, Japan, India, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and Central Asia. Its programs link philology, history, anthropology, archaeology, and international studies and have produced major editions and reference works used across Eurasia and beyond.

History

The institute evolved from the Asian Museum (St. Petersburg) founded under the auspices of the Russian Empire and the Russian Academy of Sciences in the early 19th century, inheriting collections related to Persia, Ottoman Empire, Tibet, and Mongolia. Reorganized in 1930 amid Soviet academic reforms associated with the Soviet Academy of Sciences, it expanded during the Great Purge era and the World War II mobilization to incorporate specialists from the Leningrad State University and the Moscow State University Oriental faculties. During the Cold War the institute engaged in state-directed area studies linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union), the Kremlin, and the Comintern legacy, while producing scholarly editions comparable to the work of the British Museum and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. In the 1990s transformations followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and reforms within the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading to a dual presence in Saint Petersburg and Moscow and collaborations with institutions such as the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the National Library of China.

Organization and Departments

The institute is structured into departments and centers devoted to regions and thematic studies, including the Departments of China studies, Japanology, Korean studies, South Asian studies, Central Asian studies, Middle Eastern studies, African studies, as well as linguistic, archaeological, and religious studies units. Specialized laboratories focus on manuscript studies, epigraphy, and cartography, interfacing with the Hermitage Museum, the State Historical Museum, and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents. Administrative oversight resides with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the institute coordinates with the Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) for academic degrees and with the Ministry of Culture (Russia) for heritage projects.

Research Areas and Publications

Research covers classical and modern philology for Sanskrit, Pali, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian language, Turkish language, Uyghur language, Tibetan language, Mongolian language, Chinese language, Japanese language, and Korean language; historical studies of empires such as the Mughal Empire, Safavid dynasty, Qing dynasty, Tokugawa shogunate, and the Ottoman Empire; and topical work on religions including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity in Asia. The institute publishes monographs, periodicals, and critical editions, including journals comparable in scope to Asia Major and collaborations for annotated translations of texts like the Baburnama, The Travels of Marco Polo, and editions of Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi. Its bibliographic output has supported projects tied to the UNESCO Memory of the World and partnered with presses such as Oxford University Press and Brill.

Library and Archives

The institute maintains extensive manuscript collections featuring materials from Samarkand, Bukhara, Kashgar, Lhasa, and Isfahan, including illuminated manuscripts, rare prints, and archival documents from consular and missionary collections. Holdings include correspondence linking to figures like Nikolai Przhevalsky, Vladimir Minorsky, Semyon Godin, and expedition reports from the Great Game era. The library cooperates with the Russian State Library, the National Library of Russia, and foreign repositories for digitization initiatives and preservation projects following protocols used by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Vatican Library.

Education and Training

The institute supervises postgraduate research and confers doctorates in cooperation with Saint Petersburg State University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and regional universities in Samara, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg. It offers language training for diplomats and specialists working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Gazprom, Rosatom, and international organizations, and runs summer schools and seminars patterned after programs at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the Harvard University Asia Center.

International Relations and Collaborations

Internationally, the institute maintains formal ties with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Yale University Council on East Asian Studies, the University of Tokyo, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Cairo, the Institute of Ismaili Studies, and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. It participates in joint archaeological expeditions with teams from Germany, France, Japan, and China and contributes to multilateral networks including projects funded by the European Research Council and bilateral agreements between Russia and countries across Asia and Africa.

Notable Scholars and Directors

Prominent scholars associated with the institute include orientalists and philologists such as Vasily Radlov, Nicholas Marr, Vladimir Ivanov, Vladimir Minorsky, Ignaty Krachkovsky, Yuri Knorozov, Boris Marshak, and Igor M. Diakonoff. Directors and leading figures have engaged with contemporaries like Sergey Oldenburg, Mikhail Rostovtsev, Alexander Vostokov, and international partners including Aurel Stein and P. N. B. Baker. The institute's alumni and staff have influenced scholarship at institutions including Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Cambridge, École pratique des hautes études, and the Max Planck Society.

Category:Research institutes in Russia