First in Russia Dissertation Council for Asian and African Studies Established at HSE University
Chaired by Dmitri Bondarenko, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy Director of the RAS Institute of Africa, and Director of the International Centre of Anthropology at the HSE Faculty of Humanities, the Dissertation Council comprises prominent Russian Orientalists and Africanists from HSE University and other leading institutions.
Today, Asian and African studies are not listed among the fields of study for which the Higher Attestation Commission awards academic degrees. Scholars who successfully defend their dissertations in these areas receive degrees in history, philology, and other related fields, despite the existence of educational programmes in Asian and African studies.
Addressing the 19th Muslim Forum held in Russia in 2023, HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov emphasised the strategic necessity of recognising Asian and African studies as distinct academic fields, noting that it would contribute to the attainment of Russia's foreign policy goals. HSE University has therefore taken the initiative to establish a dissertation council dedicated to these fields.
'We have created Russia's first Dissertation Council for Asian and African studies, reaffirming our ongoing commitment to the strategic importance of this field of scientific knowledge for our country. Our objective is to establish this Council as a significant element contributing to the advancement of Asian and African studies as independent academic disciplines. HSE University regards this decision as a major step towards strengthening connections with Asian and African countries. I am confident that numerous professionals in the field of Asian studies will go through our Dissertation Council and successfully advance Russian science worldwide,' Nikita Anisimov said.
The status of HSE University as a national research university enables it to establish this Dissertation Council. Since 2018, HSE University has implemented its own regulations for awarding academic degrees, with a dissertation defence system prioritising a comprehensive evaluation of scientific qualifications. Asian studies have been ongoing here for decades, and related topics are systemically integrated into the educational activities.
In March, the Directive for the Establishment of the Dissertation Council was signed; the Council comprises 19 Doctors of Science representing various fields and specialising in Asia and Africa. The Chair of the Dissertation Council is Dmitri Bondarenko, renowned historian specialising in African Studies, social anthropologist, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy Director for Research at the RAS Institute of Africa, and Director of the International Centre of Anthropology at the HSE Faculty of Humanities. The Dissertation Council comprises prominent scholars, such as the Academic Supervisor of the RAS Institute of Oriental Studies, Academician Vitaly Naumkin, and other experts from leading centres of Asian Studies.
According to Dmitri Bondarenko, one of the driving factors behind the establishment of the Dissertation Council was the increasing demand for expertise in Asian Studies as Russia has stepped up cooperation with countries of Asia and Africa. Given HSE University's commitment to staying abreast of the latest trends, it could not remain uninvolved. At the same time, there is a pressing need to acknowledge Asian and African studies as a distinct and comprehensive academic discipline whose foundations were laid in the 18th century. Today's circumstances have further contributed to a better understanding of its fundamental importance.
The newly established Dissertation Council for Asian and African Studies does not restrict the possibility of defending dissertations on these topics before other scientific councils. According to Dmitri Bondarenko, a lot depends on the perspective chosen by the applicant. If, for instance, a dissertation focusing on the history of the United Arab Emirates examines aspects of the historical process in the context of the history of Asia, it would be logical to submit it to the Dissertation Council for Asian and African Studies.
HSE University will soon launch a doctoral school in Asian and African Studies, with its graduates eventually defending their dissertations before this Dissertation Council.
Dmitri Bondarenko
'The objective of our Dissertation Council is to offer additional opportunities to applicants studying Asia and Africa, while also fostering a deeper understanding of Asian and African cultures as unique phenomena,' according to Dmitri Bondarenko. 'We have no intention to compete with anyone, let alone to contrast, for instance, Asian history against universal history, or Asian sociology against general sociology. We are open to collaboration with any dissertation councils and ready to work together for the advancement of Russian science.'