The Department of Asian and African Studies, established in 1969, inherited the scientific and pedagogical traditions of its predecessors — Lazarev Institute of Oriental languages (1815-1919) and the Moscow Institute of Oriental studies (1921–1954). Now it is the leading division of the School of International Relations, providing training of bachelors and masters specializing in the area studies of Afro-Asian countries with the knowledge of Oriental languages.
The Department of Asian and African Studies is one of the leading training centers of Orientalists in Russia. The academic profile of Department was laid by a famous Soviet historian and sinologist, Professor Arlen Meliksetov, who headed it in 1969-1986. In different periods the Department of Oriental studies was headed by G.Goroshko, N.Stepanova, L.Efimova, A.Voskresensky. Since January 2008, the Department is headed by Dmitry V. Streltsov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor, leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental studies of Russian Academy of Sciences, an expert in modern Japan and the international relations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Rector of MGIMO, academician of RAS Anatoly V. Torkunov is a member of the Department of Oriental studies.
The research sphere of the Department covers an extensive range of theoretical and practical problems of contemporary international relations of the Afro-Asian world, the issues of history, culture, civilization, social and political life of Afro-Asian communities.
The Department of Oriental studies has implemented a wide range of research and educational innovations in the fields of its specialization. Among the major publications prepared by the Department in recent period one should mention the two-volume textbook for the undergraduate students «History of Asia and Africa in the Post-War Period», textbooks «Russia and the Countries of Asia and Africa in the Post-bipolar Period’, and ‘Foreign Policy Decision-making Process in the Countries of Asia and Africa», the collective monographs ‘Ecological Problems of Asia and Africa’, ‘The Territorial Issue in the Afro-Asian World’, ‘Social Protest in Today’s East’ and ‘Armies in the Contemporary East’.
Staff
Ksenia Efremova
Ph.D. in Political Science, Associate Professor
Department of Asian and African Studies - Associate Professor
Anna Kireeva
Ph.D. (Cand.Polit.Sc.) in International Relations
Department of Asian and African Studies - Associate Professor
Ekaterina Koldunova
Ph.D. (Cand. Polit. Sc.) in Political Science, Associate Professor
Department of Asian and African Studies - Associate Professor
Dmitry Streltsov
