Celebrating the 350th birth anniversary of the Russian emperor Peter the Great, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts RAS and the Faculty of Asian and African Studies of the St Petersburg State University will jointly hold the academic conference “Peter the Great and the East” on June 27, 2022.

Peter the Great played a decisive role in the establishment of diplomatic and trade relations between Russia and Eastern countries. Following his orders, members of various expeditions and missions brought back objects that formed the basis of rich Oriental collections. Systematic study of the culture of Eastern countries began under his rule. The figure of Peter the Great also had some influence on the politics of Eastern states.

Topics to be discussed in the conference “Peter the Great and the East”:

- expeditions to Siberia and the East in the 18th century;
- formation of Oriental collections in Russia;
- Eastern diaspora in Russia in the time of Peter the Great;
- teaching Eastern languages in 18th-century Russia;
- reception of the figure of Peter the Great in Eastern culture.

The conference will be held in the Green Hall (IOM RAS) in face-to-face format with social distancing measures in place.

Conference organizing committee:
Irina F. Popova, RAS corresponding member, Doctor of Sciences in History, IOM RAS Director
Tatyana A. Pang, Candidate of Sciences in History (PhD), IOM RAS Academic Deputy Director
Nikolay A. Samoylov, Doctor of Sciences in History, Professor of St Petersburg State University

Please submit your applications and brief abstracts to the following emails before June 20, 2022:
ptatiana@inbox.ru
samoylov_nikolay@mail.ru