2023/2024

Iranian-Russian Relations: Individuals, Institutions and Discourses (1863-1941)

Type: Mago-Lego

Delivered by: Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies

When: 4 module

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Denis V. Volkov

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 22

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The multifaceted presence of late Imperial Russia/the early USSR in Iran retains many fascinating life-stories of its actors, who quite often exerted crucial influence on the course of the very history of the Iranian-Russian relations of the time. Russian ‘peaceful penetration’ into Persia designed by ministers Witte and Kuropatkin was secured by the activities within mainly four domains of Russian state influence in Persia: the military, diplomatic service, academic scholarship and Russian Orthodox Church missionary activities. As supported by research, not so much changed after 1917. The relevant domains dealing with Iran had its own institutionally developed Persian Studies, the representatives of which, consciously or unwittingly, exploited the power/knowledge nexus to the limit, hence were at the spearhead of Russian/Soviet influence in Iran. The course studies the professional life-stories of the most outstanding Iranists and their impact on the modern history of Russo-Iranian relations.