4th Indological Conference “The Dubyanskiy Readings”

The conference is dedicated to the memory of an outstanding Russian Indologist, Dr. Alexander Dubyanskiy (1941—2020), who was one of the leading specialists in classical Tamil literature. For many decades, Alexander Dubyanskiy taught at the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Moscow State University, at the Institute of Oriental Cultures of the Russian State University for the Humanities, and, later on, at the Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies of the Higher School of Economics. He was a mentor and scientific advisor to a few generations of Indologists; many of his disciples have now themselves become reputed scholars of Indian languages and literature.

Dr. Alexander Dubyanskiy published dozens of important articles on various aspects of classical Tamil literature and the Tamil language, including Caṅkam poetry and Bhakti literature, but his sphere of scholarly and personal interests was much broader. He also authored a number of scholarly and popular articles on the Indus valley civilization, ancient and medieval Indian literature, various aspects of Hinduism, music and dance traditions, architecture and daily life in India. Through his public lectures and university courses, as well as via personal interactions, he generously, even selflessly shared his knowledge and experience with his fellow colleagues, students, and everyone who has a passion for Indian thought and culture. Being a cosmopolitan person, he, through his personal and professional contacts with Indian and international scholars, friends of India, artists, musicians et al., fostered interdisciplinary and international cooperation in the field of South Asian studies in Russia and beyond.

The organizers of the conference hope that this event will be able to reflect, strengthen and further develop those scientific and human values that are associated with the name of Dr. Alexander Dubyanskiy, thus serving as a unifying platform for both established and younger scholars of Indology. Furthermore, in the current geopolitical context, one can not overemphasize the importance of the ideals of tolerance, acceptance and spiritual freedom, deeply correlated with Indic traditions. However disjointed and disturbed the world of today might be, it is the responsibility of the academic community to keep reaching out across the barriers, in order to promote unity, mutual respect, and peace.

The Organizing Committee includes:
Dr. Ilya Smirnov (Academic Supervisor, IOCS, HSE University), Dr. Natalia Aleksandrova (IOCS, HSE University), Dr. Dmitriy Komissarov (IOCS, HSE University), Dr. Tatiana Dubyanskaya  (IOCS, HSE University), Nikolai Gordiychuk (University of Hamburg), Anastasia Krylova (Institute of Oriental Studies RAS), Dr. Evgeniya Renkovskaya (Institute of Linguistics RAS), Dr. Darya Vorobyeva (State Institute of Art /  IOCS, HSE University), Alexander Babin (School of History, HSE University).

The conference will be held in person, at Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies, Faculty of Humanities, HSE University (Staraya Basmannaya str. 21/4, building. 3-L), but a few panels, especially those held in the English language, will provide slots for online presentations.

If you would like to join the sessions of the conference online or would like to visit the conference in person, do not hesitate to contact us at: tdubyanskaya@hse.ru

Conference Programme (PDF, 3,62 Мб)