CRITICISM AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. REVIEWS

COLLECTION OF REPORTS OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF B. G. GAFUROV. 28-29 July 1999, New Delhi

Moscow, 2000. 250 p.

(c) 2002 D. V. MIKULSKY

Orientalists, especially those who study the traditional culture of the peoples of the East, are well aware that a person who became famous in this or that area remains in the memory of posterity not only with his writings, if any, but also with the oral traditions that were originally formed about him. Once recorded in writing, such traditions sometimes become an important element of a particular culture, sometimes they pass from one culture to another, through which the same dialogue between cultures is carried out. All this can be fully attributed to the personality of the prominent Soviet Tajik scientist B. G. Gafurov.

The Institute of Oriental Studies is a well-established scientific institution. Here it is prestigious to belong to the category of employees who have been working at the Institute for a long time, literally for decades. Having spent only nine years at the institute, I can also attest to the existence of a stable oral tradition about Gafurov, which includes anecdotes in which the academician appears to be a smart, decent and quirky person in a good way. What, if not this, is the most enduring monument to the most enduring husband?

In connection with the 90th anniversary of the scientist, the Maulan Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies organized an International scientific conference in New Delhi under the motto of studying the dialogue between cultures and civilizations, dedicated to the consideration of Central Asian problems and the role of B. G. Gafurov in the development of science about the cultures of the peoples of Central Asian countries and Kazakhstan. Based on the reports of the conference participants, the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Russian Federation and the Embassy of the Republic of India in the Russian Federation with the participation of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences prepared the collection under consideration.

A number of articles in the collection are devoted to the life path, as well as the creative achievements of B. G. Gafurov. The acad is particularly detailed about this. Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan A. M. Mukhtarov ("The Word about Bobojan Gafurov"). The author especially emphasizes the fact that the President of Tajikistan E. S. Rakhmonov issued a decree posthumously conferring the title of Hero of Tajikistan on B. G. Gafurov (p. 183). From this fact, as well as from some others, it follows that in Tajikistan the hero of the day has become a culturally significant figure on a national scale. This is evidenced, in particular, by a passage from the article of the President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan U. M. Mirsaidov ("B. Gafurov's contribution to the development of science about Tajikistan"), where B. Gafurov is put on a par with such major figures of Persian-Tajik culture as Rudaki, Ibn Sina, Beruni, Razi and Aini (p. 123). I would like to note that this kind of reasoning is typical not only for people associated with the government circles of Tajikistan, but also for supporters of organizations that were formerly part of the United Tajik Opposition. Thus, the importance of B. G. Gafurov as one of the pillars of Tajik culture is recognized by all political forces of Tajikistan.

Since the Soviet heritage continues to play an important role in the political culture of the countries of the Central Asian region, A. M. Mukhtarov quite naturally notes that in his famous 1947 work "The History of the Tajik People in brief" B. G. Gafurov appeared "as an innovator and internationalist scientist" (p.179). However, Abul Kalam Azada S. Chatterjee, a researcher at the Mawalan Institute of Asian Studies ("Restoring Tajikistan's Place in World History: the teachings of Barthold and Gafurov in the New Tajik Historiography"), believes that B. G. Gafurov was not a supporter of the Soviet system (p.131).

At the same time, the authors who devoted their articles to the personality of B. G. Gafurov also note the traditional origins of his education. In particular, Prof. B. Gafurov Khujand State University U. Gaffarov ("Sources and factors of Bobojan Gafurov's fame") He notes that the future prominent scientist and statesman was brought up by his mother, the outstanding Tajik poetess Rozia Odod (p.184). The author emphasizes

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the fact that B. G. Gafurov did not leave his scientific work while holding party and state posts (p. 184). Perhaps this indicates that the scientist followed the Eastern tradition, according to which an educated person in the public service should not leave his scientific studies. The author evaluates the hero of the day as an "encyclopedist of his time" (p. 185). This is also stated by A. M. Mukhtarov, speaking about Gafurov's friendship with many Russian scientists, first of all with M. S. Andreev and A. A. Semyonov (pp. 178-179) - after all, an enlightened ruler is obliged to patronize the rulers of thoughts. I will note that this feature of B. G. Gafurov's behavior was also noted in conversations with me by those who knew him personally back in Dushanbe; they explained this side of his behavior in this way.

An article by N. B. Gafurova, an employee of the Center for Indian Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences ("My teachers are my father and Kabir Das") shows that in the family circle, B. G. Gafurov thought of himself as a wise mentor: he gave his daughter advice that was useful in her scientific studies, sent her letters in which he touched on scientific topics (p. 168, 174). Perhaps these facts reveal another aspect of the scientist's ties to traditional Tajik behavioral culture.

B. G. Gafurov was not only a bearer of this culture, its researcher, but also studied the cultures of other peoples of Central Asia. Therefore, in the collection dedicated to his memory, a lot of space is devoted to various aspects of the cultures of the Central Asian peoples. The authors of the collection primarily address the formation and role of the ancient culture of the ancestors of the Tajiks and other peoples of Central Asia. This, in particular, is the subject of the article by Prof. Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (Bishkek) V. D. Goryacheva ("Buddhist and Hindu monuments of Kyrgyzstan and prospects for their study"), in which she convincingly shows that the Kyrgyz epic "Manas" was significantly influenced by the epic tales of the Aryans of India, as well as the direct ancestors of the Tajiks - the Aryans of Eurasia (pp. 241-243). Perhaps the word "manas" itself is of Indo-Aryan origin and was borrowed from the Buddhist-Manichaean environment of Eastern Turkestan (p. 245). Another important element of culture borrowed by the ancient Kyrgyz from the Aryans is the funeral and memorial rite, which functioned for a very long time (pp. 243-245).

Interesting arguments about the peculiarities of the historical process among the Tajiks are contained in the articles of S. Chatterji and a researcher from the Chinese Institute of Contemporary Problems (Beijing) Xu Tao ("On the Islamic Movement in Central Asia"). In connection with the traditions of studying the history of the Tajiks and other Central Asian peoples, which were continued by B. G. Gafurov in Soviet times, S. Chatterjee notes that his main predecessor was the outstanding Russian orientalist V. V. Barthold, who embodied in his scientific work the best features of the Russian Oriental science of his time (p.127).

The authors of the collection, who touched upon the problems of the history of the Tajik people, rightly consider the Soviet era to be an important stage in the development of the Tajiks. Among other things, special attention is drawn to the reasoning of Prof. Muslim University in Aligarh (India) M. Haidar ("Today Bobojan Gafurov's views are even more important and relevant") that in the pre-Soviet period, Central Asia was a single country, which was artificially divided into national states based on the linguistic principle, in order to "prevent the emergence of a single state"... associations into a common system" (p. 161). S. Chatterjee's passages are also in the same vein: "The creation of Tajik Soviet culture was conceived as part of the general process of' eliminating the genes 'of generations in the orbit of the Soviet state";" The Tajik epic was designated as a unity of language, culture and heritage... The Persian heritage of the Tajiks should have been covered as part of the Soviet cultural policy" (p. 128).

I would like to note that such one-sided judgments, as far as can be judged from some other publications, as well as from my personal observations, which are very common among foreign experts on Central Asia, have an unconditional right to be published in the framework of a collection based on the materials of an international conference. What is surprising is the lack of polemics on the part of Tajik specialists who took part in this scientific forum (maybe it is not recorded in the peer-reviewed book?).

One of the important components of both the history of the Tajik people and its modernity is cronyism and regionalism. The authors of the collection pay considerable tribute to this problem. Thus, Azada A. Sen, an employee of the Maulana Abul Kalam Institute for Asian Studies-

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Gupta ("A study of the problems of state formation in Uzbekistan") points out the significant social role of clans and quarterly mahalla communities among the peoples of Central Asia (p. 202-203). S. Chatterji notes that the current contradictions existing in Tajikistan between the central government and the regions date back to the era of the Bukhara Emirate (p. 124). According to A. Patnaik, a consultant at the J. Nehru University ("Problems of Choosing State-building in Tajikistan"), the Soviet administrative system contributed to the strengthening of regionalism not only in Tajikistan, but also in other Central Asian republics. However, in Soviet Tajikistan, regionalism was not legalized to the same extent as in other republics of the Soviet Union (in my opinion, this is hardly true), although after the collapse of Soviet power, "regional clans" became the main form of solidarity of the local population. The Tajiks have regional groups at various levels, which indicates that national consolidation has not taken place (p. 149, 150, 152, 153 - 154).

An interesting example of interpreting regional differences in Tajikistan is the section of the article by N. B. Gafurova, where she tells about a visit with her father to Yagnob (the trip apparently took place in the 1960s), and notes that the local population, descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Central Asia, who partially preserve their native language, allegedly professed Zoroastrianism. The Yagnob people, despite many archaic features of their way of life and culture, could not be followers of that ancient religion, but they are Muslims. However, their beliefs and cultures, like those of other Iranian-speaking groups in Tajikistan living in the mountains, have preserved many survivals of pre-Islamic origin. A young resident of Dushanbe thought, misinterpreting these survivals, that the Yagnobites were followers of Zoroastrianism. This attitude to this group expresses both the general mythologized perception of each other by Tajiks belonging to different local groups, and the incomplete assimilation of the Yagnob people by the Tajik ethnic group.

Touching upon the topic of culture of other Central Asian peoples, which appears in the reviewed collection, I would like to mention an essay on Oriental studies in Kazakhstan, contained in the article by N. A. Aldabek, an employee of the Kazakh State National University ("Problems and Prospects of Oriental Studies in Kazakhstan"). He writes that Oriental studies is both an ancient and a new discipline for his country: on the one hand, such thinkers of the East as Farabi, Dulabi, Kashgari and Ch. On the other hand, modern centers of Oriental studies (the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the Kazakh State University im. Farabi).

A large number of issues raised in the reviewed collection are related to the analysis of the geopolitical situation in and around the Central Asian region. So, prof. Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations (PRC) Ma Jiali ("Geostrategic Situation and Policy of Major Powers towards Central Asia") notes that the great geostrategic significance of this region was manifested in ancient times, when it became a center for the exchange of human and material resources between different regions and countries. This circumstance predetermined the constant struggle for the subjugation of Central Asia (pp. 212-213). Yang Shu, Director of the Institute of Central Asian Problems at Langzhou University ("Multipolar World and Central Asia"), shares a similar point of view. According to Ma Jiali, the geostrategic importance of Central Asia has especially increased after the collapse of the USSR (p. 213). Currently, he emphasizes, the greatest influence in the region is enjoyed by Western powers, Russia, Islamic countries and China. In these circumstances, the key problem is to find a balance between these centers of power (p. 206).

A number of other interesting considerations regarding the geostrategic significance of the Central Asian region are expressed in the articles of Prof. Kurukshetra University (India) R. S. Yadav ("India and the Central Asian Republics: Problems and Prospects"), Ma Jiali, and German political scientist from the Schiller Institute (Wiesbaden) M. Liebig ("NATO, the emerging Euro - Asian Triangle and the Caucasus-Central Asian region"). I note, however, that these judgments relate to the time preceding the action of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, and therefore they should now be taken with some adjustment.

As for the Central Asian countries themselves, according to Ma Jiali, they are poor and weak and therefore will not be able to effectively resist foreign influence (p. 220). However,

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According to Yang Shu, the current situation contributes to the development of relations between these states with India and China; however, this requires a more solid economic basis (p.206).

The problems of the Central Asian states, according to A. Sengupta, are rooted in the fact that, since the borders between them were drawn very arbitrarily, they do not represent national states in the full sense of the word (p.188). R. S. Yadav shares a similar point of view (pp. 145-146). This author, as well as Yang Shu, believes that the general problems faced by Central Asian states are reduced to the lack of development of modern political institutions (p. 142, 206).

The existence of such problems, in particular in Tajikistan, believes A. Patnaik is associated with the mass exodus of the Russian-speaking population, which he calls "European" (this term, by the way, was widely used in pre-revolutionary literature on Central Asia and Kazakhstan, as well as in the works of the 20s of the XX century). Despite this fact, the Russian language, according to the author, continues to play a significant role and retains serious prospects, and representatives of the non-indigenous population will continue to play a significant role in government structures (p.155, 156). My information on this issue fundamentally contradicts the opinion of A. Patnaik, as well as his statement that in Tajikistan, despite the outflow of non-indigenous people, the principles of civil society continue to prevail over ethnic nationalism, the reason for which the Indian Tajik scholar sees in the weakness of Tajik nationalism itself (p. 148). My personal experience of studying contemporary problems in Tajikistan allows me to speak about the non-applicability of such concepts as" nationalism "and" civil society " to the Tajik socio-political reality. It is difficult to analyze the situation in other Central Asian countries in these terms. However, each researcher is ultimately entitled to their own opinion, as long as it is based on extensive and well-verified facts.

One of the most striking manifestations of the traditional nature of Central Asian societies is Islamist movements, which are most powerful (although in different ways) in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Trying to identify some common features of political Islam in the region, Prof. China Institute of Contemporary Problems (Beijing) Xu Tao ("On the Islamic Movement in Central Asia") He notes that at one time for the Soviet government, the problem of Islam in Central Asia and Kazakhstan was one of the most acute. In his opinion, the trend towards the "revival of Islam" began to manifest itself after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. In reality, the situation is much more complicated and confusing. All the more strange is the Chinese author's claim that Islamist forces in Central Asia recovered mainly after 1997 (pp. 222, 223).

From my point of view, a greater understanding of the problem of political Islam in Central Asia is demonstrated by A. Putnaik. He quite rightly notes the fact that the opposition forces in Tajikistan were not democratic, but sought to create a system of government built on the basis of religious fundamentalism and partly nationalism (in fact, traditionalism). The weakness of nationalism predetermined the predominance of Islamist attitudes over the latter (p. 148, 151).

One cannot but agree with Xu Tao's statement that radical Islamist forces, however, are unlikely to become a serious political factor in Central Asia in the near future, although they can, with external assistance, somewhat complicate the situation in the region (p. 223).

R. S. Yadav is more concerned about Central Asian Islamism. He believes that the revival of the radical fundamentalist trend in Central Asia is one of the main threats to India's security (p.140). This phenomenon, from his point of view, is the main problem in the relations of his country with the Central Asian states. To successfully overcome such a significant obstacle, both sides should develop a unified approach to aggressive political Islam. At the same time, Pakistan is seeking to establish a network of Islamic terrorist bases on its border with Afghanistan, which also worries India (p. 145).

Raj Mulk, an employee of the Indian Institute of Defense Research and Analysis, is also concerned about terrorism ("Terrorism and violence"). It expresses the opinion that the organization's network contains-

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terrorist groups such as Bin Laden (this was written long before September 11, 2001) are most often targeted by people who are weak and prone to gratuitous pleasures (p. 166). As the reader can see, the authors of the collection address a very wide range of problems and express a number of interesting ideas. I consider it my duty, however, to emphasize that such a truly outstanding person as B. G. Gafurov certainly deserves a much more carefully executed monument than a peer-reviewed collection. This concerns, first of all, the quality of translation of articles by foreign authors from English into Russian: the Russian version of the book is full of stylistic and semantic absurdities. Not only are the translators not Orientalists, but the compilers of the collection, who are ultimately responsible for its quality, were, in my opinion, not up to par.

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