UNESCO CHAIR IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS, THEIR SPECIFIC CULTURES AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

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  • 11 February 2022
    Round Table on Scientific and Social Projects focused upon Protection of Cultural Heritage

    On February 9, 2022, Round Table on Scientific and Social Projects focused upon Protection of Cultural Heritage was conducted, under the auspices of Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russian Federation, and Committee of the City of St.Petersburg for State Control and Protection of Historical and Cultural Objects. About 100 experts from the leading Russian universities, as well as scientific research centers, from all over the country, took part in the meeting. Our UNESCO chair served as a co-organizer of the event, and provided two plenary talks. The first one, given by our Chair, D.Spivak, was dedicated to Actual Directions in Preservation and Revitalization of Cultural Heritage, especially in context of intercultural dialogue. Another one, given by our Scientific Secretary, M.Stepanov, considered Preservation and Re-vitalization of Cultural Heritage in Digital Age. Both reporters took into account the main standard-setting UNESCO documents, ranging from six Conventions on culture, to the materials of the recent 41st Session of UNESCO General Conference. Best practices, both monitored and conducted by our Chair, were also regarded.

    Appendix: Program (in Russian)

  • 20 January 2022
    New Book on Peacebuilding

    Newly appointed professor of our Chair, Dr.Laura Yerekesheva, has just published a comprehensive research review, entitled ‘Youth of Central Asia: Challenges for Peacebuilding‘. The book is focused upon basic trends, institutional aspects, and challenges, which are currently actual for young people in four Central Asian countries. i.e. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The review was prepared under the auspices of UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty, namely, its Sector for Social and Human Sciences, as part of implementation of International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013–2022). It has been published by UNESCO, and may be attained at its official site.

  • 19 January 2022
    New Film on Interfaith Dialogue

    Head of affiliation of our UNESCO chair in the Northern Caucasus, Dr. G.Seidova, has served as the Scientific Consultant of a 45-minute documentary, entitled ‘Derbent: Gateway to Faith’, which has just been released. The film, which was created under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, is dedicated to traditions of interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence, which have existed for centuries in the city of Derbent, Southern Daghestan. Both Shiism and Sunism, as well as Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and, retrospectively, Zoroastrianism are represented.

  • 29 November 2021
    Proceedings of a Conference in Local History

    Annual Readings in Local History took place in Toksovo, a town in the Karelian peninsula in the vicinity of St.Petersburg, in April, 2021. They are an event which is organized and conducted independently, by a group of local historians, writers and educators, basing at the facilities of the local secondary education centre, under the auspices of our UNESCO Chair. The main reason of our collaboration is conditioned by the fact that local population consists of two large ethnic groups, namely, Russians and Finns, which makes both UNESCO strategy of intercultural dialogue, and practices of rapprochement, elaborated in its framework, most useful here. Proceedings of the 2021 Readings were published a couple of days ago under the auspices of our Chair. They were dedicated to the 70th anniversary of a local poet, Anatoly Ivanen, who died several years ago. Ivanen had both Finnish and German roots, and grew into a prominent Russian poet.

  • 29 November 2021
    Intangible Heritage in Cultural Strategy of UNESCO

    A new paper on the Intangible Heritage in Cultural Strategy of UNESCO has just been published by our Chair, D.Spivak, in the International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2021, No. 3 (44). For basic ideas of the article, see its

    Summary

    Safeguarding intangible heritage forms a focal part of the cultural strategy of UNESCO, which is now being most actively elaborated and promoted. Basing on one of the two essential definitions, contained in the main text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, approved by UNESCO in 2003, one may regard it as comprising five main subject fields, i.e. ‘(a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; (b) performing arts; (c) social practices, rituals and festive events; (d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; (e) traditional craftsmanship’ (I.2.2). This kind of heritage is directly and deeply linked with two adjacent concepts, belonging to the same level of description, that is, with tangible heritage, on the one hand, and with cultural diversity, on the other hand. As a result, one feels authorized to regard the text of the corresponding three ‘great UNESCO conventions’, i.e. Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), and Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), as parts of a single ‘mega-text’, regarding them in turn as three different facets of the same mega-concept of heritage. Forming an integral part of the cultural strategy of UNESCO, implementation of this concept is indispensable for the attainment of such overarching objectives as social coherence and sustainable development. As to the inner elaboration of the concept of intangible heritage, this seminal concept is presently linked with the implementation of Strategic objectives 7 and 8 of the Medium-Term Strategy, consisting respectedly in giving impetus to advanced identification and documentation, protection and safeguarding, promotion and enhancement, as well as revitalization and transmission of all basic types of heritage; and in promoting its creative facet, especially by all kinds of ‘marginalized and vulnerable communities and individuals, in particular indigenous communities’. UNESCO Medium-Term Strategy for a new eight-year term (2022-2029), which now being most actively elaborated and discussed in the framework of expert community, forms the nearest perspective for the development of the topic of the intangible heritage.

  • 13 November 2021
    5th National Congress of Cultural Studies

    On November 9, 2021, fellows of our Chair took part in the 5th National Congress of Cultural Studies ‘Cultural Heritage: from Past to Future’. D.Spivak served as co-moderator of session ‘International Studies and International Cooperation in Cultural Issues’. In its framework, a talk on ‘International Projects and UNESCO Platforms in Silk Way Studies’ was given by A. Alekseyev-Apraksin, who is a professor of our Chair. A.Venkova served as co-moderator of session ‘Museum Issues in Cultural Studies’. M.Stepanov served as co-moderator of a session dedicated to present-day digitalization, and gave there a talk ‘Perception Limits in Digital Culture’. The Congress provided plenty of possibilities for us to present basic issues in cultural strategy of UNESCO, and discuss its most actual perspectives, especially in the realm of cultural rapprochement.

  • 8 September 2021
    International Religious Forum

    On September 6th, 2021, our chair took part in International Religious Forum, which took place in St.Petersburg, Russia (for program, see Petersburg International Religious Forum – St. Petersburg International Religious Forum (spirf.ru). About 150 religious leaders and scholars from Russia, EU, USA, UK, countries of Central Asia, Arab countries and Indonesia took part, both offline and online, in the rally, which was dedicated to Spiritual Activities in Times of Pandemic. Our chair was represented by D.Spivak, who gave an invited talk on Interfaith Dialogue in Times of Pandemic in UNESCO strategy.

  • 9 June 2021
    Peter the Great Cup Rowing Competition

    On June 9, 2021, a new rowing competition was conducted in the historical centre of St.Petersburg, Russia. Its main purport consisted in reviving a tradition which forms an integral part of the intangible heritage of the city of St.Petersburg. It was a rowing competition initiated by tsar Peter I about three hundred years ago, basing mainly upon the Dutch traditions, as well as the English ones. Three teams of rowers competed in rowing six-oared skiffs around the Hare Island, where the city was founded in 1703. Now the island is occupied by the historical Peter and Paul Forteress. The winners obtained Peter the Great Cup. Our Chairperson, D.Spivak, served as the head of the Organizing committee of the Competition.

  • 9 June 2021
    International Conference ‘Sustainable Development. Global Challenges’

    On June 3, 2021, out Chair took part in International Conference ‘Sustainable Development. Global Challenges’, which was conducted at the premises of the Polytechnical University of St.Petersburg, in the framework of the St.Petersburg International Economic Forum. Our report, entitled ‘Problem of Objectivation of Digital Cultural Heritage’, was presented by our scientific secretary, M.Stepanov, at session meeting ‘Digital Transformation. Actual Tasks, Digitization of Objects of Cultural Heritage’. The report was dedicated to basic issues in safeguarding heritage, included the shared one, as part of the present-day global agenda.

  • 27 April 2021
    Our UNESCO Chair Took Part in Interregional Festival of Social Projects

    On April 15, 2021 scientific secretary of our Chair M.Stepanov took part as member of competition jury in the Interregional Festival of Social Initiatives, conducted this year under the motto ‘Mission of Safeguarding’. Its objective consists in tracing back and supporting initiatives of local young people in the realm of safeguarding objects of cultural heritage of St.Petersburg, including the Historical Centre of St.Petersburg, which forms integral part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Festival has been organized by the Committee of State Control, Usage and Protection of Landmarks of History and Culture of St.Petersburg. Our Chair takes part in the Festival as an official partner of the Committee.

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The Northern Caucasus Affiliation

On March 25, 2015, the Northern Caucasus affiliation of our Chair was inaugurated in the city of Derbent, basing upon the premises of the State University of Daghestan, and the Naryn-Kala historical, architectural and artistic museum.

Partners


UNESCO Chair in Comparative Religious Studies (592), established in 2002 at Saint-Joseph University, (Lebanon)

  • College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon. Oregon Humanities Center
  • Center Leo Apostel (CLEA), Brussels Free University (Brussels, Belgium)
  • Center for XX Century Studies, Milwaukee University, Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA)
  • The Elijah School for the Study of the Wisdom of the World Religions (Jerusalem, Izrael)

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