№ S1 (2024)

The report provides a summary of the history of the Russian Academy of Sciences from its establishment by Peter the Great in 1724 through the end of the 20^th century. It underlines Leonhard Euler and Mikhail Lomonosov’s great contributions to the creation of the RAS. The paper provides numerous examples of outstanding academic achievements. It also highlights the Academy’s immense contribution to the enhancement of the national defense capacity. The author concludes that the Academy has been and will continue to be a pillar of Russia's core endeavors.

St. Petersburg, most of which were founded on the basis of globally renowned archives and museum collections. The author studies the themes of scientific research conducted in these institutions. According to the study, the majority of these institutions are in catastrophic condition as a result of inadequate funding. It is argued that due care should be taken to support the humanitarian institutions of St. Petersburg.

The article explores the Novgorod Archaeological Expedition’s 2000 discovery of the Novgorod Psalter, the oldest surviving book of Ancient Russia and the first reliably dated Slavonic book inscribed on three wax tablets. The book was written between late 10^th century and the first two decades of the 11^th century. The researchers make two important conclusions: the writer’s native language was Old Russian, and the text reflects the influence of apocryphal literature.

In 2018–2020, a group of researchers of the project “The Second Russian Turkestan Expedition of Academician Sergei Oldenburg in 1914–1915. Unpublished Materials from RAS Archives” have identified and prepared for publication the entire body of primary scientific documents from RAS archives. The documents fully cover the work of Russian researchers in studying Qianfodong and Turpan Oasis. Through their efforts, the works that undoubtedly represent the greatest achievements of Russian Oriental studies in their entire history are being introduced to academia. The biographies of all the participants of the works have been largely restored, and their previously unknown correspondence has been prepared for publication. The key result of the research was the preparation for publication of Academician Sergei Oldenburg’s “Description of the Qianfodong Caves near Dunhuang”. The importance of Oldenburg’s paper in the site study has only increased over the past century.

The most promising areas for further work include the restoration and preparation for printing of the photographic archive of the Second Russian Turkestan Expedition consisting of over 2,000 images stored in the State Hermitage Museum. The publication of this photographic archive will completely fill a major gap in the history of Russian Oriental studies.

The article presents the results of a study devoted to the analysis of the interaction of ethnic studies (ethnology, or, rather, ethnography as it was called at the time) and Soviet nationality policy. The study of the role of domestic ethnography in the history of the country, reviewing the development of science in the context of the state strategy for the development of society is based on the analysis of a variety of subjects related to the ‘national question’. The project, supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Historical Society as part of the competition ‘The Soviet Era: History and Legacy (to the 100^th anniversary of the USSR)’, addresses a number of research questions, providing a basis for identifying the role of academic developments and the creative elite in the national policy. The work is largely of historiographical nature. The authors focus on the analysis of conceptual approaches, on the quests and achievements of Russian ethnography in the 20^th century. The authors characterize the research tools and provide a comprehensive overview of scientific ethnographic trends that were developed in different parts of the country in the Soviet period from the perspective of national policy. The past allows one to speak of the importance of an individual, an expedition, an (arti)fact in the full range of issues under study. By reading the ‘bright and dark’ pages of the history of science, one can better understand the reality that underlies today’s ethnological research. Compared to the Soviet concept of nation-building, we may clearer see the potential of ethnology and the promise of its role in contemporary Russia for shaping Russian identity, developing mechanisms for migration policy, adapting children of migrants, etc.

Academician Valentin Koptyug analyzes the state of Russian science in the 1990s amidst a national systemwide crisis. He especially focuses on the measures taken in the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences to prevent the destruction of institutes and preserve academic teams, notably young scientists. The author concludes that academic and university science can be preserved and promoted with targeted government initiatives, while industrial science is in an extremely poor state.

The paper discusses Russia’s post-socialist transformation. After analyzing Russia’s social structure, social strata, and socio-cultural differentiation, the author concludes that the transformation process was still midway in 1996. The liberal reformers’ asocial policies actually caused the reforms to come to a standstill. The new social policy must aim such tasks as legal and moral purification of the ruling class, the promotion of social innovation among the general public, and the establishment of social partnerships across all social domains.

Zhores Alfyorov believes that Russia has a future and can become a great power — not through nuclear weapons and foreign investment, but through the labor of its people, the preservation and development of science and education.