The Institute of Oriental Manuscripts RAS and the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Higher School of Economics (Saint Petersburg) will hold the 2nd All-Russia conference of young orientalists “Army and military traditions of the Near East”. This is an opportunity for senior students and postgraduate students to present their research.

The Conference will take up a wide range of issues related to military traditions and warrior arts, army history and its role in politics, state and society in the Near East and North Africa from antiquity to modern times.

Military traditions of the Near East have a rich history that goes back many centuries. These traditions are reflected in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literary works, art works of Mesopotamia, Arabia and Asia Minor, ancient epics and folklore.

In many countries of the Near East, the army has been acting as an active political power and, at the same time, as an integral part of society. Military elites’ coming to power in the medieval era, early modern and modern times, had considerable influence on the structure of state administration and on the interaction of military-political elite with state administrative institutions and social groups. This led to a profound permeation of military traditions into the culture and ideology of Near Eastern countries.

Continuous tradition, found in many countries, of delegating power to military structures influences army’s perception in society and formation of cultural and ideological elements that aim to sustain and reinforce the authority of military elites. Comprehensive research on interaction between army and society is a way to an adequate understanding of socio-political processes and specific features of ideological and cultural development in Near Eastern countries.

To participate in the conference it is necessary to fill the following registration form:

https://forms.yandex.ru/cloud/664c959deb6146ea14b7cd79/

Please submit 2 separate files: your presentation abstract (1000 characters maximum without bibliography) and your academic supervisor’s approval (1000 characters maximum) by October 21, 2024.

Time limit: 15 min. for presentation + 5 min. for discussion.

If you have any questions about participation in the conference, please contact the Organizing Committee: conference-army-middle-east@yandex.ru

Publication of conference materials is planned (with RSCI indexing).