Russian indology: Periodization, science and education organization, problematics and specialization

Abstract

© author(s). Thematic justification is conditioned by the study of the origins and patterns of Indology development, learning of accumulated historiographical material, the development of theoretical foundations of Indology, which will fix the domestic level of understanding of Indology development problems in Russia in XVIII-XX centuries. It is important to update Indology by new concepts, to promote knowledge of the history and culture of India people. These scientific and socio-ideological preferences are identified in studies of domestic indologists. This article aims to achieve the following objectives - theoretical and conceptual, historical and scientific understanding of the succession and identity of Russian Indology through its periodization and specialization description. Key approach to the study of this theme is the analysis and evaluation of the history of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern Indology, which raises the problem of preservation and revival of this fundamental science, understanding of trends in the evolution of classical and practical Indology in Russia. The main results of the paper suggest the solution of the following research objectives: 1) to analyse the first period of Russian Indology of middle XVIII - early XIX centuries as practically-linguistic and trace its origin and early stages of development; 2) to evaluate the second period of Russian Indology of the second half of XIX - the first decade of XX century as cultural and philological and designate its university character with the formation of the national scientific school of Indology; 3) to analyse of the third period of Russian Indology of 20-80-ies of XX century as generalizing sociological and to show its academic character with the preservation of scientific and pedagogical succession of indologists; 4) to assess the fourth period of Russian Indology of 90s of XX - early XXI century as conceptual - factual and to determine the nearest prospects. Article materials may be useful in determining the actual directions of traditional and new issues of Russian Indology. Statement of the designated problems is the formation of a new understanding of the history of Russian-Indian relations corresponding to modern scientific and social realities and expanding the historiographical knowledge about the past and prospects of these relations.