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The Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Shaanxi Normal University and Lanzhou University International Scholarly Conference
“The Written Legacy of Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Central Asia” Saint Petersburg, September 24–26, 2026 First Circular (PDF)
In 2026 we celebrate the 100th birth anniversaries of two outstanding scholars who made an important contribution to the study of the written legacy of China: Lev Nikolayevich Menshikov (1926–2005) and Leonid Ioakimovich Chuguevsky (1926–2000). To commemorate this occasion a Jubilee Scholarly Conference will be held in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS (18 Dvortsovaya Nab. [Palace Embankment], Saint Petersburg) on September 24–26, 2026.
The Сonference will focus on the fields of academic studies greatly influenced by research activities of Lev Menshikov and Leonid Chuguevsky, namely: the study of literary monuments and social documents from Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Central Asia.
Key topics of the Conference:
- The significance of written legacy from Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Western Regions for the study of China and Central Asia. Basic perspectives, principles and methods of research.
- Written documents from Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Western Regions as sources on the history, social life, culture and religion of China and Central Asia.
- Literary monuments of Dunhuang, their role in shaping the vernacular narrative and performative storytelling genres of Chinese literature.
- Methods for the study, publication, annotation and translation of manuscripts from Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Western Regions. Textual studies, codicology, paleography.
- Problems and prospects for cataloguing and preserving the manuscripts from Central Asia. The latest databases and digital archives.
- The history of Dunhuang, Khara-Khoto and Central Asian studies: expeditions, archives, collections.
Time limit for presentations is 15 minutes with no more than 5 minutes for discussion. The Сonference’s working languages are Russian, Chinese, English.
Applications and abstracts (250 to 300 words) should be sent by December 25, 2025 to the following e-mail addresses: sldr76@gmail.com and irina_f_popova@mail.ru.
The application should include:
1. Paper title (in English and Chinese);
2. Surname, given name and academic title of the speaker;
3. Affiliation and position;
4. Postal and e-mail addresses.
Confirmation of participation will be sent by December 31, 2025. |
