News

6 December 2019

Prolongation of the activities of the Chair for the following four-year period

Having regarded and evaluated four-year activity report of UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, D.S.Likhachev Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritege Institute (Moscow-St.Petersburg, Russian Federation), accompanied by official letter of support signed by Director of the aforementioned Institute, V.V.Aristarkhov, UNESCO has taken decision to positively evaluate the activities of the Chair and to prolong it for the following four-year period, i.e. until November 2023. As it was emphasized in an official letter signed by Ms. S.Giannini, ‘…UNESCO Chair will continue to contribute to UNESCO’s priorities and strategy in intercultural dialogue, through its research, teaching, conferences and interuniversity exchange and partnerships. The Chair is invited to enhance its role in institutional capacity building, and to expand its collaboration with other institutions notably in the South’.
29 November 2019

The second annual national meeting of the Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs in Russia

The second annual national meeting of the Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs in Russia took place on November 29, 2019 at town Viatskoye, near the city of Yaroslavl, which forms an example of creative revitalization of a historical site. The program of the meeting was dedicated mainly to the discussion of applications for opening new UNESCO chairs, submitted by about a dozen of leading universities of the Russian Federation (Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technologies, High School of Economics, National University of Friendship of Nations, State University of Ryazan, State University of Yaroslavl, to name but a few). The intervention of Ms. I.Nichanian, a representative of UNESCO central office, who briefed the participants on basic results of the recent 40^thSession of UNESCO General Conference, formed a focal point of the meeting. Our UNESCO chair was represented by D.Spivak, Chair, who served as official reviewer of one of the applications, and took active part in general discussion.
25 November 2019

UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education Week

On November 25, 2019, a representative of UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue took part in the opening ceremony of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education Week, which took place at the premises of State University of Aerospace Equipment in St.Petersburg, Russia.
In his introductory talk, D.Spivak, Chair, briefed the participants on the guidelines of the 40^thSession of the General Conference of UNESCO, which took place at that time in Paris, France, paying special attention to the issues of Inclusion and Mobility in Education, which are high on the agenda of the leading nations of the present-day world.
He also presented some key issues of another global Forum, dedicated to Internet Governance, which opened simultaneously in Berlin, Germany. In this respect, basic principles of internet governance, promoted by UNESCO (ROAM – rights, openness, accessibility, medium-size stakeholders) were regarded. The Week took place from November 25 till November 29, gathering students, academics, as well representatives of the global business community. The Chair has served as a partner of this important international event.
10 November 2019

Comparative study of basic psychological attitudes of Shiite Muslims and Suni Muslims in the Russian Federation

At the end of the month ofOctober, 2019, the Chair has started to publish basic results of its new project, consisting in systematic comparative study of basic psychological attitudes of Shiite Muslims and Suni Muslims, as well as Orthodox Christians, in the Russian Federation. The first paper (Spivak D., Seidova G., Venkova A. Psychological Peculiarities of Shiite Muslims in Russia: Basic Trends // International Journal of Cultural Research. 2019. № 3. P. 203–219. DOI: 10.24411/2079-1100-2019-00044) was focused upon psychological characteristics of Shiite Muslims, mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis, urban dwellers of the city of Derbent and its environs, at the South of the Republic of Daghestan, Russian Federation. The main blocks of the survey were dedicated to the degree of psychological tension / activation, and to psychological defense mechanisms and reserves, applied primarily in order to cope with stress. A hundred of practicing Shiite Muslims were questioned, both aged and young, female and male, in a protected environment, right after the Friday prayer at the historical Juma Mosque. In each case, the survey consisted of a written interview, comprising six standard questionnaires, as well as a form of informed consent. The basic result consisted in the fact that general psychological state of the respondents, as reflected by integral indices of short-term (reactive) inner tension / activation, long-term (personal) neuroticization, alertness of psychological defense mechanisms, as well as reserve mechanisms of the psyche, corresponded quite well to the norms, defined in the course of the earlier field studies of the urban population of the Russian Federation in general. This meant that the overall psychological state of our respondents was quite normal and fine. In a wider context, cultural differences, existing between the ethnoreligious group of the Shiite Muslims in Russia, and the urban population of this country in general, were definitely not crucial, at least in the realm of psychological states and processes regarded by us, which contributed in its turn to the psychological compatibility of both, as well as to interfaith dialogue and intercultural rapprochement. Psychological peculiarities, discovered by us, consisted primarily in rather high levels of intrinsic religiosity, and of social conformity. The former one should be regarded as quite natural for members of an influential congregation of practicing Muslims. The latter one, being characteristic only of women, both aged and young, could be tentatively regarded as testifying in favor of the fact that social norms and conventions, rigorously imposed upon members of the local female subculture, tended to induce a certain degree of psychological tension.
6 November 2019

Annual National Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Traditional Religions for Stronger Russia’

Annual National Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Traditional Religions for Stronger Russia’ took place on November 6, 2019, basing at the premises of B.N.Yeltsin Presidential Library in St.Petersburg, Russia. The conference was organized by Spiritual Administration of Muslims of St.Petersburg and North-Western Russia, acting in partnership with St.Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, St.Petersburg Buddhist Temple, Big Choral Synagogue, as well as Administrations of St.Petersburg and of Leningrad Oblast, along with a number of leading state universities and scientific research institutes. UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue was represented by D.Spivak, Chair, who gave an invited plenary talk entitled Actual Problems of Interfaith Dialogue in Cultural Strategy of UNESCO.
16 September 2019

Fifth International Symposium: West/East In the Chronotope of Cultural Memory

Co-organised by the UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, the Fifth International Symposium: West/East In the Chronotope of Cultural Memory explored intercultural dialogue, with a primary focus on the Buddhist world.

A number of prominent speakers from China, Korea, Mongolia and Russia were in attendance. To view the symposium program, click here.
6 July 2019

New Book: ‘Space of Wanderings’

A new book, ‘Space of Wanderings‘, dedicated to the creative productions of prominent Russian artist Alexei Smolovik, has recently been published under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue held by Dr Dimitri Spivak. The book is reflective of the on-going nature of intercultural dialogue.

Smolovik draws his inspiration from a wide range of traditions: The Byzantine icon, the traditional Russian icon, the Russian 20^thcentury visionary Nicholas Roerich, and Russian post-revolutionary avant-garde artists. Old Chinese masters, French Impressionists, as well as modern Dutch genius Piet Mondrian, have also been important influences on Smolovik.
28 June 2019

The meeting of the Northern Caucasus affiliation of the Chair

On June 28, 2019, in Makhachkala, at the Dagestan State University, as part of the meeting of the Academic Council, a renewal ceremony was held for the affiliation of the UNESCO Chair for comparative studies of spiritual traditions, the specifics cultures and interreligious dialogue in the North Caucasus, based on the basis of Dagestan State University, Derbent Historical and Architectural and the Art Museum-Reserve and the Museum of the History of World Cultures and Religions in 2015.
The ceremonial scientific event was held by the Scientific Secretary of the UNESCO Chair Mikhail Stepanov and the Head of the Department of the UNESCO Chair in the North Caucasus Gulchohra Seidova.
The department’s activities are aimed at studying the cultural heritage of the North Caucasus region, selecting and testing the best practices of world culture in a multinational region.
27 June 2019

International Scientific Conference ‘Religious World of St.Petersburg’ (26 June, 2019, St.Petersburg, Russia)

International Scientific Conference ‘Religious World of St.Petersburg’ took place on June 26, 2019, at the historical hall of the Taurian Palace in St.Petersburg, Russia.

The conference was organized by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the City of St.Petersburg and the North-Western Federal District of Russia, and by the Administration of St.Petersburg. UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, which works basing on the facilities of D.S.Likhachev Russian Scientific Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage (Moscow, Russian Federation) served as co-organizer of the conference.

The leaders of practically all the major Muslim communities of Russia, including Tatarstan and, Chechen Republic were present, as well as a number of prominent experts in the interfaith dialogue, and representatives of the Christian, Lamaist, and Jewish communities of St.Petersburg.

Dimitri Spivak presented an invited plenary talk, dedicated to Interfaith Dialogue in the Cultural Strategy of UNESCO. Two basic documents, relevant for this purpose, were analysed, i.e. Medium-term Strategy 2014-2021 (37 C/4), and Action Plan of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures 2013-2022. Another focal point was formed by the general shift from the communicative aspect of dialogue to the cognitive one, which forms part of the research conducted in the framework of the UNESCO chair.In addition, D.Spivak briefly analyzed peculiarities of the strategy of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), which acts as a keynote partner of the Decade, and presented essential features of a new flagship project of UNESCO, entitled ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’.
24 May 2019

Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue and its place within UNESCO’s Cultural Strategy

In his capacity as UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Inter-religious Dialogue and Director of the Saint-Petersberg Branch of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research Dr Dimitri Spivak was invited to speak at the Papal University of John Paul II on 6 May 2019.

Dr Spivak’s talk, which had as its main focus intercultural and interfaith dialogue and its place within UNESCO’s Cultural Strategy, reflected on actual tendencies within the theory of intercultural dialogue, especially the general shift from its communicative aspect to the cognitive one.

Pragmatic issues were examined — based on the analysis of UNESCO’s Strategic Objectives 6 and 7 of the Medium-Term Strategy 2014-2021 37 C/4. In the former case, intercultural dialogue was regarded as an essential part of the sustainability science and in the latter case it was presented as an integral component of the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage, especially the shared / cross-border one.

Actual trends in development of interfaith dialogue formed another focal point of Dr Spivak’s talk. The trends outlined were based upon the UN General Assembly Resolutions: (59/23 (2004) “Promotion of interreligious dialogue”; (60/10 (2005) “Promotion of interreligious dialogue and cooperation for peace”; (60/11 (2005) “Promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation”; (60/150 (2005) “Combating defamation of religions”; (66/226 (2011) “Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace”; and the Action Plan of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures 2013-2022. In conclusion, Dr Spivak looked at the key issues and prospects of the International Network of Interfaith Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding.