The author associates the return of interest in the historical past and conflicts over its interpretation with significant changes in the historical culture and in the regime of historical temporality. Public representations of history in the context of modern transformations appeal mainly not to reason and authenticity, but to imagination, affects, entertainment and a sense of belonging. These changes are associated with globalization, digitalization and the reorientation of modern society from production to consumption. In historical culture, the consequences of these transformations are plurality, virtualization and presentism. This provokes a blurring of the sense of historical duration and images of the future. The images of the past obey the retroactive logic of extrapolation of current ideas. The appeal to historical grand-narratives in these conditions does not allow, as it was before, to achieve social integration, but on the contrary, provokes conflicts. The new wars of memory are characterized by the hybrid historicism, which is seen as a product of the transformation of fragments of the old grand narratives that now function in a fundamentally changed society. Along with the signs indicating the crisis of the previous model of representation of history, new tendencies are observed. They are manifested, in particular, in the reassembly of history in the multiple perspectives of transhistoricism, a revolutionary view of history unlike the traditional one, the approach which contributes to the coexistence of antinomianism and conformism, the acceptance of differences and the establishment of the boundaries of one’s own identity, playfulness and the desire for authenticity. Thus, transhistorism serves as a vehicle to promote coexistence of multiple stories that work together and through their interconnectedness help to overcome contradictions that once were deemed impossible to handle and to add to a shared sense of unity. The new regime of temporality is considered in the context of removing the contradiction between the progressive spirit of modernism and the deconstruction of historicism in the postmodern idea of post-history. The temporality of transhistoricism is determined by the nonlinearity of the time of culture, in which complex interactions of the constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed, lost, acquired and restored take place.

National identity, an ever-important concept, today is arguably more verbalized and publicized than at any other time in history. Its media representation both reveals people’s understanding of the idea and serves as a medium of shaping the identity itself, being a powerful tool in the hands of political elites. At the same time in a quest of providing the target audience with a balanced and acceptable view of the reality, global media seek to express their own distinguishable stance. The Economist, a British based global media outlet, is an example of these processes. Value of the events covered lies both in their newsworthiness, and the outer sentiment of journalists that is conveyed to readers. Overall, discourse analysis of media texts may reveal a lot about conceptualization of certain phenomena. And this research of empirical data has identified main conceptual fields and blocks that make up our understanding of what it takes to identify oneself as one nation. Looking into discursive construction of national identity means distinguishing national identity from similar and related concepts and evaluating its role in the processes that take place in the world today. National identity is a complex phenomenon that lies at the core of collective and personal identity alike. For groups of people, nations, it represents an in-group that is — counterintuitively — artificial and illusionary and comes from a natural human desire for the sense of belonging. However, the resulting national identity functions on its own as a symbol of a state. Thus territory, location of a state on the world map, is one of the key features of national identity. Contested national borders and challenged sovereignty made up a majority of national identity issues covered in the analyzed materials of The Economist. There are multiple factors that influence national identity, politics being one of its major drivers. Research shows that it works mostly at the level of national politics and occurs mostly in the context of elections and partisanship. Another significant factor that brings national identity into the spotlight of media is transformation or retention of the status quo. Identity is neither innate nor permanent, and constant fluctuations, push and pull of arising, re-established and defended identities attracts readers attention and provide a venue for manipulating public opinion. Bearing in mind the limitations of this research we describe and suggest an interpretation for the main conceptual fields and contexts national identity is present in the media.

The paper claims that if the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a man-made risk (А. Giddens), i.e. an unforeseen consequence of a person’s own behavior and actions, then in order to avoid such fatal contingences that occur so unexpectedly, it is necessary to change the type of behavior and actions that have established in the culture of the Modern Period. During the pandemic people are forced to observe the spatial order. Distancing, self-isolation, the Red Zone and other spatial limitations made people acutely aware of the deficit of presence, the lack of their independent active participation in life. The new virus, on the one hand, returned a person to the awareness of the biological, natural origin of human existence, which has been forgotten by culture (science). On the other hand, the practices of social rationing and restriction revealed the influence of various forms of alienation — social, political, economic, cultural — on the fate of each individual. The introduction of the bioprinciple (the virus) into the social, cultural and political space radically changes the relationship between people and nature. This situation makes one think about the meaning of the notion of culture, which got its definition in the 18th century and is understood as non-nature reflected in the formula culture vs nature. The paper shows that the cultural ideal of human activity, which was established in modern times, became the reason of the alienation of technogenic civilization and social forms of life from nature. By destroying nature, turning it into the material for people’s various techne, people found themselves in conflict with their own life. Culture has lost its inner meaning of the presence of the world and of an individual which dissolved in various interpretations and ideas. Contemporary history is moving towards the establishment of a culture of Presence, where the world is viewed not as a mere material to be used, but an area for humans to engage with. What we see today is the assertion of the right to difference and the right to the presence of diversity — in nature, culture, politics (struggle for a multipolar world), in the personal domain (selfies, blogs, chats, etc.).

The troubled times we so unexpectedly found ourselves in urge us to reconsider the path we have been choosing for decades. In the present essay on the post-pandemic world, the plague metaphor serves to emphasize parallels between our collective history and our collective present and helps to shed light on the emergence of a new world. The philosophical approach offers a unique perspective on contemporary values and their practical realization in relation to today’s global trends and tasks. The fragility of our condition should be acknowledged and addressed with solid principles. Coping with insecurity requires a shared sense of purpose. Human decency is a prerequisite to defeat Covid-19 in a world plagued by fragmented economies and societies and in need of stability. To provide adequate solutions to end the pandemic, politics must remember what is to be a human. We need to distinguish between the economic and the social, the impassive and the compassionate, the autonomous and the cooperative. It is through acts of service that people, not machines or impersonal institutions, exercise their agency to give much-needed relief to their communities. Policy- and decision-makers have to ensure that economic sectors and civil institutions allow for interpersonal action. The crisis has sped up the trends many refused to acknowledge, and it is our hope that seeing the ongoing processes for what they are and acting bona fide with true liberality in mind will bring us back to the steering wheel of change to address multiple social, political, and economic questions. Consciousness and agency, despite (or due to) technology and democracy, are unequally distributed. With the rise of identity politics, it is once again obvious that power feeds on inequality. Beneficiaries of inescapable surveillance are far from being ordinary citizens. The newly found understanding of sovereignty by nation-states challenges political and social equilibrium worldwide. Economic or political utilitarian considerations alone leave little space to manoeuvre contested reality safely. Navigating the troubled waters of the virus-shaken world to a sustainable order means a certain injection of humanity and purpose to the predominant ideology. When we look closely and thoughtfully at the contested reality of today, there appear several possible iterations of liberalism: contemproary liberalism, antiliberalism, and postliberalism. Humble understanding of the true value and worth comes at a price, the plague has deflated our arrogance and the misleading sense of invincibility at the cost of economic and healthcare collapse, thousands of lives taken or broken. Thinking through what we had to endure coupled with the limitations we discovered might result in re-establishing the principles worth striving for – tolerance and pluralism.

The significance of the study of philosophic aspects of building a new game universe in an RPG, abbreviation for a role-playing game, stems from the popularity of this type of virtual reality entertainment. The paper gives an analysis of the anti-world, a key concept of role-playing gaming, basing on the RPG project The Witcher (Ved’mak). The game is founded on the original series of works under the same title created by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The case under consideration serves as a good example for looking into the patterns of forming the space of the game universe that can be equally regarded as a moment when a cultural landscape of virtual entertainment is formed. In this case, RPG can be considered as a socio-cultural practice of the global information society and/or one of the variants of the performance society. The methodological basis of the study is comparative analysis, which implies the identification of borrowings in the process of developing a culture of virtual entertainment and requires learning about basic cultural codes and archetypal designs that are specific to RPG. As a result of the research, the specificity of the new imagery form inherent in the game universe of The Witcher was revealed. The cultural landscape created in the game includes elements of the medieval laughter culture integrated into the unique system of dynamic images and meanings, constantly evolving and functioning in a way analogous with the established cultural and symbolic reality. The effect of the double symbolic analogy is determined by the creative nature of the game, in which players in addition to participating in the gaming process also contribute to the creation of the game. The introduction of game images into the language and thinking of the players causes the emergence of new forms of dialects, fixing the peculiarities of perception by the group (sociolect) and the individual (idiolect) of both primary and secondary reality. These dialects are geographically localized and at the same time multicultural. The article substantiates the conclusion that the instrumentalization of the performance society occurs due to the active use of grotesque symbolism, which, due to its archetypal nature, ensures the formation of a new social mythology that enables the discovery of Eastern Europe by the rest of the world. Thus, the anti-world of the new universe turns into an integral part of the modern information space.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the correlation between the process of mediatization of religion and the modern Orthodox fundamentalist discourse, which is a specific phenomenon in-between political ideology and the religious system. In the article, Orthodox fundamentalism is considered as a new phenomenon that emerged as a response to the massive changes in modernity in 20^th and 21^st centuries. The technological progress and digitalization processes bring new aspects to everyday life and cause change in the existing religiosity. The novelties result in the integration of new mechanisms into the traditional functioning of religious organizations, social movements and ideologies. However, the very concept of mediatization is relatively new to science and has not been fully formed yet. At this stage religious institutions in Russia continue their development as full-fledged public institutions after the long period of state atheism in the USSR. The author points out the formats and forms of interaction in the media of official religious institutions and organizations, as well as informal and marginal associations. Special attention is paid to the unique nature of the new religious media and functioning of religion in the media. The empirical part of this study is based on the qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the four Orthodox media outlets. This analysis is aimed at classifying and clustering the main types of content and thematic blocks in the analyzed media. This approach has a number of advantages, because it allows us to understand the attitude of people to certain topics, images or events. The discourse of the selected four media has partial fundamentalist tendencies. The main variables of the study are such variables as the volume of the audience, the number of published posts, “like” marks, reposts from the group for the specified period, the most popular posts by views, the most popular topics by ratings. The author also describes and conceptualizes the basic concepts inherent in the religious conflict in the media about religious values, their relationship with secular ones. Orthodox religious media in Russia vary in their media outreach and identification of their core audience. It is concluded that for Orthodox fundamentalist media, the most important part is not religious, but socio-political.

The author sees the purpose of this study in introducing to the scientific circulation the materials published by Soviet journalists and diplomats based on the results of their stay in fascist Italy. This topic is of particular relevance due to the fact that modern people’s ideas about the cultures of other countries are often superficial and are influenced by stereotypes. The ideological confrontation between Rome and Moscow of the time left a special imprint on these texts: criticizing the fascist regime, the authors of the publications portrayed the Italian people as their victims. The essays and reports considered in the text of the work were written by direct witnesses of the events that took place on the Apennines in the 1920-1930s, which makes them important sources of information regarding the history of Italy and Soviet-Italian relations. The memoirs conceived by the First Plenipotentiary of Soviet Russia in Italy V. Vorovsky, could have been an outstanding historical document, but his premature death thwarted these plans. The first journal publication following a visit by the Soviet correspondent to Italy was a report on the visit of the destroyers Nezamozhnik and Petrovsky to Naples in 1925. Boris Zilpert’s essay on the Italian press was published in the «Journalist» in 1926. It was written based on the conversations in Rome with colleagues. The materials of A. Keen, D. Ilimsky, I. Robin are of considerable value for the purposes of historic and cultural studies. S. Ignatiev in his writings was able to illuminate the situation in the Italian colony of Eritrea. In the 1920s Soviet domestic press also actively collaborated with Italian journalists (G. Giogo, C. Rossi). Almost all materials of the Soviet press of the period under review emphasized the alienness of the fascist regime to the national character of the Italian people. Authors focused their attention on the Nazis’ violation of civil rights and freedoms, the imposition of militarism, and the persecution of communists. The Za rubezhom magazine posted translations of the materials of the foreign press that were written in the similar vein. The author comes to the conclusion that the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini was criticized in the Soviet press from humanistic positions.

From the second half of the 20th century bilateral relations between India and China have not received adequate coverage in domestic and foreign science. India and China, due to the strengthening of their economies and the gradual increase in political weight in the world arena, are increasingly viewed as geopolitical rivals, with the emphasis shifting from their bilateral to regional cooperation. It is notable that there are almost no articles on the cultural and civilizational ties between the countries. First of all, this is due to the limited nature of these contacts determined by a number of geopolitical and historical reasons. The countries separated by the world tallest mountain range developed independently from one another with little interaction between them, and it was not until the second half of the 20th century that these Asian powerhouses established solid relations. The bipolar period, in fact, formed the countries’ ambiguous perception of each other, which in many respects continues to restrain cooperation not only in the cultural sphere, but also in other areas. In addition, China and India themselves tend to pay little attention to this lack of communication, since at this stage and in the context of mistrust and rivalry cultural and civilizational ties are not a priority. Even statistics are scarce in both Indian and Chinese sources. At the same time, it is this line of cooperation that might somewhat smooth out the contradictions that have accumulated between the countries in other areas and contribute to a better understanding of each other. Because of intensifying personal contacts between the citizens of both countries and growing importance of the media sphere this mutual understanding is of utmost importance. This article aims to fill the gap that exists today in the scientific field regarding the dialogue of cultures between Delhi and Beijing. The author examines the main elements of cultural cooperation between the two countries and identifies the key problems they face today, as well as points out the opportunities for rapprochement based on the areas that make possible the development of appropriate interaction: religion, traditional health practices, similarities in the political outlook, large expatriot communities, education, art and tourism.

Modern commercials introduce not only information, but mostly suggest a certain lifestyle, thus creating myths; consumer society is one of those myths, and society perceives and sees itself through this myth. According to Jean Baudrillard, through mass-media things get a new deeper meaning, their own symbol and self-expression. People value not the goods as they are, but their aesthetics characteristics. And application of the precedent-related phenomena approach to the advertisements and commercials helps give the goods new characteristics, which have no direct connection to them. Precedent-related phenomena have axiological value and can express the concepts, that is why it becomes possible for a target-text to adopt the meaning, which is linked to the precedent-related phenomenon in the cognitive database of a cultural personality. Referring to those characteristics and features of a precedent-related phenomenon, the advertising product under consideration gets them. The object of this research is transformation of precedent-related phenomena in Japanese advertisements and commercials. The key aims are to reveal main types of transformation, reveal aims of transformation and analyze the function of transformed precedentrelated phenomena in Japanese advertisements and commercials. The study is considered to be relevant as transformations of precedent-related phenomena may cause transformation at semantic level, for example, transformation of the chronotope of a precedent-related text or situation, change of spatial patterns, features and attributes, connotations of precedent-related name. Analyzing the precedent-related phenomena in Japanese advertisements and commercials basing on lingua-cultural and lingua-cognitive methodology reveals new perspectives of the study. The findings of the study allow for the conclusion that the majority of the precedent-related phenomena in advertisements and commercials can be and are transformed; main transformations refer to chronotope, features and attributes as well as transformation of the form of phenomenon. The aim of transformations is to link the phenomena and the message of the phenomena to the narrative of the advertisement or commercial. With the help of transformation it becomes possible to provide the commercial text and advertising product with the necessary characteristics, evaluation and connotations, so that to make the commercial text more expressive, emotionally or intellectually attractive and restrict the range of recipients.

The growing interest in gender studies, the small number of works about the transformation of the concept of feminism in Iran, insufficient knowledge of the role of Iranian women in the formation of female identity, and the feminine worldview determine the relevance of the issue. The subject of the research is the genesis, evolution and characteristic features of the concept of feminism in Iran, as well as the differences between this concept and the ideology of feminism in Europe and other countries of the Muslim East. In the XX century, the structural and functional foundations of the Iranian society underwent certain transformations, which have revealed the process of a general modernization of the country, proceeding within the framework of a unique model. Changes in ideological dominants took place in the background of penetration into Iran and the development of feminist ideas in the Iranian society. The emancipation of women, their activity in the field of management and decision-making, as well as the legalization of their role in the socio-political life of the country has become a new reality in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Among female political movements, two types of feminism can be distinguished — secular and religious — characterized by different concepts of feminism, higher goals, and social groups of adherents. The ideas of secular feminism match with the liberal direction of this trend: the abolition of the Islamic dress code, the demonstration and maintenance of gender balance in politics, the economy and the social sphere, in other words, giving Iranian women all the fullness of rights. At the same time, special attention is paid to the preservation of the cultural identity of Iranian women, their orientation towards the ideals of Iranian culture, the tendency towards the secularization of the public and individual consciousness of citizens. Iranian religious feminism, called dynamic fiqh or aboriginal feminism, is less radical than Islamic feminism. Its followers strive to raise the status of a Muslim woman through more favorable interpretations of the Quran and hadith for her, as well as writing fatwas — decisions made by a competent theologian on any issue — corresponding to the new realities.

The article deals with the representations of the Russian educated society of the second half of the 1870s–1880s of socio-political development of Spain. The deconstruction of Russia`s perception of Spain in the 19th century is topical as the part of the research field of interaction and interference between Russia and Europe as one of the main themes for Russian thought. It is notable that Russia and Spain both located far from the geographic center of Europe and having to deal with fringe movements have a lot in common, that causes keen interest of Russian authors to the Spanish realities. The image of the Other, presented in their works, reflects significant features of the Russian society of those times, and the study of the issue can have a positive feedback of drawing on Spainish experience. The article fits within the framework of such a research direction as imagology, but appeals to the wider problems of intellectual history in general. The characteristics of Spanish realities given by Russian authors are represented within the context of the genesis of Russian thought that had always been in a dialogue with Europe. The representations of Spain are analyzed on the base of the materials of five travelogues published in the 1880s when both countries were going through the period of modernization. The article defines the peculiarities of the individual perception of the socio-political and economic spheres of Spain`s life by particular authors as well as general views on this country in Russia, for example an increased interest to the phenomenon of the Spanish Inquizition. The article reveals the changes in the perception of Spain by Russian authors in the 1880s as well as its main factors. Russian educated society`s representations of Spain from the point of view of the development of the state during this time period became less integral and were reinforced and supplemented with the problem of regionalism. Catalonia, the very symbol of regional independence movement, became another center in the country`s image along with the areas such as Castilla and Andalusia that were traditionally familiar to the Russian readers in terms of culture.

The purpose of this publication is to present the work by an outstanding French historian of science Alexander Koyré who was deeply interested in the Russian philosophy of history to the Russian-speaking public. The paper, written about a hundred years ago, traces the evolution of Pyotr Chaadayev’s philosophical-historical thought in the context of his polemics against Slavophiles. It was the first serious theoretical dispute about the place of Russia in world history, which largely set the pattern for subsequent disputes on this topic that continue to this day. Chaadayev wrote his Philosophical Letters in French, using the categorical apparatus of German philosophy, particularly the ideas of Schelling, with whom he was personally acquainted. Nevertheless, Koyré contests the usual characterization of Chaadayev as a refined Westernist, showing that he accepted some of Ivan Kireevsky’s and other Slavophiles’ basic statements and attitudes, including the religious ones, but interpreted them in a completely different way, after his own fashion. Chaadayev sees the reasons for the backwardness of Russian civilization in the overwhelming dominance of ascetic Christianity, on the one hand, and in the plasticity of the folk character of the Slavs, in the absence of autonomous life and ancient cultural heritage, on the other. Russian civilization belongs neither to the Eastern, closed in itself, nor to the Western expansionist type. It has its own special way of historical development. After the publication of the first Philosophical Letter in the journal Telescope in 1836, Nicholas I, by the highest decree, declared Chaadayev insane and ordered him to be placed under house arrest. The philosopher responded with Apologia of a Madman. Koyré’ disputes the widespread view that Chaadayev’s historiosophic views underwent a significant change in this work, not to mention the renunciation of his sharply critical assessment of the history of Russian civilization as a kind of gap in the intellectual world order. This disadvantage, however, could turn into a springboard for a historical breakthrough towards broad welfare. In a country where the people are accustomed to blind obedience, it requires only the will of the ruler, the coming of the new Peter the Great.

Studying the cultural specificity of the neighboring countries is an important research question for philosophical anthropology and philosophy of culture as it gives a perspective of new possibilities of interaction and partnership in various areas. People’s understanding of a different culture originates from a complex interrelation of consciously chosen strategies and unconsciously projected feelings. The resulting image of the Other culture often plays a significant role in policy-making and helps determine the quality and extent of interrelations, including cooperation, both at the governmental and non-governmental levels. There are multiple ways of constructing such an image. Intensified contacts, that include direct interaction, diplomatic and scientific contacts, lead to the increase of knowledge about neighboring countries’ lifestyle, household organization, and traditions. Art is one of the key means of getting to know another culture. The author pays special attention to visual images, namely political caricature, as interesting yet poorly explored ways of forming the image of China in Russian society’s perception. Herein political caricature, i.e. political visual satire, not only translates the atmosphere of those times but also greatly affects the audience and influences public opinion by creating strong and vivid impressions. Both external and internal images of the self-perception of the Chinese played their role in the development of the perception of China. Their comparative analysis proves that these images underwent a certain evolution in Russia: the image of the neighboring state dynamically altered over the years. Emotional and affective evaluations of China several times drastically changed from positive to negative, and back. The paper explores peculiar features of the political caricature of the 20th century and looks into the ways the imagery shows the Chinese in the light of major political events. It is noted that the images represent both Chinese and Russian historical and cultural context of the epoch. During the period under consideration, the Soviet way of thinking about China mainly came from the logical approach of seeing China as the Other. At the same time, this period is characterized by an increased interest in universal human values of freedom and political independence, the unity of the working population, and the positive outlook on the workpeople’s future. The Chinese middle kingdom in the vein of proletarian internationalism appears a leader fighting for the above-mentioned values. This friendly approach towards China and the possibility of a partnership between the countries remains unquestioned till the 1950s.

Elstein, D. (ed.) (2021) Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

The book under review is entitled Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy It brings together the most prominent scholars from around the world to provide a sound overview of contemporary Confucianism. Dao is one of the most influential scientific journals specializing in Chinese and comparative philosophy, and Dao Companions is the series known for providing comprehensive introductions of various aspects Chinese philosophy. The entire series opens with the phrase «While philosophy is a Western term, philosophy is not something exclusively Western». Though it is Western culture which coined the term philosophy, other cultures cannot be seen as deprived from the ability to philosophize. One of the central philosophical skills is to change the optics from one point of view to another, from one language system to another to see the blinds spots. And looking at Confucianism through the lens of Western philosophical paradigms has always been key to self-identification of contemporary Confucians. The authors of the volume do not intend to return to the original Confucianism in order to rebalance the historical asymmetry between the treatment of Chinese and Western philosophy. As editor David Elstein puts it, the prevailing use of Western philosophical vocabulary while speaking about Confucianism is not something to be corrected, but to be in accord with the latest developments in philosophical sciences. If it is primary to put Confucians to use in philosophical dialogue, the problems of text exegesis are to be put aside. The ambition to be constantly engaged in philosophical dialogue is another crucial characteristic of contemporary Confucian philosophy and culture, which draws the attention of the authors. Confucianism needs to be talked about all around the world in order to remain a «lively tradition». If being talked about requires being interpreted in Western terms, or serving as a basis of Chinese economic miracle, or working out a scientific methodology, Confucianism is ready to pay that price. Interestingly more than a half of the articles in the Dao Companion are written by non-Chinese authors, and they happen to be the biggest opponents of imposing Western meaning on Confucian texts. This means that the work done by Chinese thinkers in the XX th century did not lead to the oblivion of original Confucianism, but rather to its revival in Western philosophical community. The publication of Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy is sure to contribute to building amiable intercultural communication and developing scientifically correct comparative philosophy. It is also a new word in a comprehensive examination of contemporary Confucianism, which is free of all stereotypes.

International scientific conference Russian-Mongolian Relations: from Origins to Modernity dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Mongolia took place on February 19, 2021. More than 200 scientists, researchers, and enthusiasts from 15 countries gathered in Moscow to discuss a wide range of questions concerning the historical and present state of diplomatic, business, and cultural Russian-Mongolian relations. Iskander Aziziv and Dulamsürengiin Davaa, Extraordinary and Plenipotential Ambassadors of the countries, opened the conference and shared their optimism on the future development of international relations between Russia and Mongolia. The participants presented their ideas and research results on the strategic and humanitarian cooperation between the countries and emphasized the traditional understanding of the partnership that had formed between these different civilizations. It was important to talk about the need for mutual understanding for the cause of world peace. The conference served as a platform for establishing academic and research relations. Russian specialists on international education presented their view on the educational partnership between the countries, including China, in the globalizing world with a clear western leaning. Participants suggested measures to reverse the decline of Russian language learning among younger students in Mongolia. Leading Mongolian scientists spoke on the particular aspects of Russian-Mongolian bilateral relations. J. Battogtokh underlined that the State of Mongolia signed its very first international treaty with Russia and since then the countries respected the legality of their agreements both long-standing and newly concluded. The resolution inspired optimism: Russia and Mongolia have a solid legal foundation for developing their relations and a growing number of established ties inspire optimism. The cultural and political section of the conference featured reports by researchers from various countries. In these reports, historical aspects of the times of the Golden Horde, traditional Mongolian values, and the specificity of Mongolian relations with Turkish nations and neighboring China were covered. As it was noted, Mongolia managed to conserve its identity and independent national politics in all the diverse relations it has been engaged in. The conference attracted numerous experts, students, and practitioners and provided a great opportunity for the specialists to share their knowledge with a wider audience and to promote Russian-Mongolian relations to benefit both nations and the global community.

This is an overview of the scientific conference dedicated to the 800^th anniversary of Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky (ca. 1221–1263). The conference gathered Russia’s most eminent historians specializing in Alexander Nevsky and his era, who assembled at MGIMO on April 19, 2021. The event was moderated by Yaroslav Skvortsov, Dean of the School of International Journalism (MGIMO University) and Head of the Church and International Relations Council. V. A. Kuchkin, Chief Research Fellow and Director of the Center for Early Russian History at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IRH RAS), delivered a paper entitled Alexander Nevsky: the Neva Battle, the Reconquest of Pskov, and the Ice Battle. A. A. Gorskii, Chief Research Fellow and Director of the Center for Source Studies in Russian History at IRH RAS, spoke on the long-term consequences of Prince Alexander’s deeds and policies, while R. A. Sokolov, Director of the Institute of History and Social Sciences at the A. I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, gave a paper on debated issues in contemporary historiography of Alexander Nevsky. E. L. Koniavskaia, Senior Researcher of IRH RAS and Editor-in-Chief of the Drevniaia Rus (Early Russia) journal, presented a historical-philological analysis of the earliest Vita of St Alexander Nevsky. The MGIMO department of National and World History was represented by prof. O. F. Kudriavtsev (Alexander Nevsky and the Catholic West), prof. V. I. Ukolova (Alexander Nevsky, his time and contemporaries), prof. T. V. Tchernikova (Relations between Alexander Nevsky and Velikii Novgorod in 1236–1263), and assoc. prof. S. P. Rybakov (Alexander Nevsky in Eurasian Literature). As a result of the conference, certain details of prince Alexander Nevsky’s life and deeds were clarified; the thesis that Alexander Nevsky made a civilizational choice to submit to the Mongol rule and to repel the armed and diplomatic encroachments of the West was refuted; unprofessional criticism of the attitude to Alexander Nevsky in the modern and contemporary history of Russia was proven to be unfounded; new arguments in favor of a truly all-Russian veneration of the holy prince Alexander in the 19th century Russia were presented; and the iconography of St Alexander Nevsky in South Russian lands in the 17–19 cc. was examined. And at the practical level, many papers and the comments following them made clear the relevance of the holy prince’s example and deeds for today.