On August 15-16, 2001, Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, hosted the international symposium "Dialogue of Civilizations: Interaction of Nomadic and Other Cultures of Central Asia", organized by the UNESCO International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations (MIICC, headquartered in Ulaanbaatar) with the assistance of the National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Mongolia. sciences of Mongolia.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned institute, headed by the Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia B. Enkhtuvshin, was established in 1998, but in a short period of time managed to organize a number of major scientific events, including the international symposium " Nomads and the use of pastures at the present time "(Ulaanbaatar, December 13-15, 1999) ¹, the National Seminar " Nomads and Energy Supply "(jointly with the Renewable Energy Corporation and the Corporation of Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Technology and Production of Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar, January 25, 2001) ² , Symposium "Changes and Stability of Pasture Management Systems in East and Central Asia" (jointly with some regional international organizations, Ulaanbaatar, Russia).Bator, June 28-July 1, 2001), etc.

More than 70 scientists from 17 countries, including Russia, China, Japan, Germany, USA, France, Canada, Finland, Iran, Hungary, Poland, etc. participated in the symposium "Dialogue of Civilizations: Interaction of nomadic and other cultures of Central Asia". The most representative delegations were from Russia (about 30 people), China (about 20) and Mongolia. More than 60 reports and presentations were heard and discussed at the plenary and breakout sessions (two sections worked in parallel).

A brief analysis of the forum materials, including discussions, information exchange, mutual consultations, meetings and conversations with Mongolian nomadic livestock breeders, etc., showed that the scientific interests of most participants of the symposium were focused on the following areas::

- theoretical and methodological problems of the civilizational approach, development of a single conceptual framework, principles of classification of different civilizations, etc.;

- the role and fate of various civilizations, including nomadic ones, in the context of modern scientific and technological progress and the process of globalization of international life; the possibility of their use for the transformation of nomadic economy and way of life of nomads;

- features of modern nomadism and nomadic civilization in Mongolia, as well as in other countries (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, etc.);

- cultural heritage of nomadic civilization in the context of historical, trade, economic, cultural, religious and other interrelations of nomadic and settled peoples and its contribution to world civilization.

Reports by B. Enkhtuvshin, B. Chadraa, S. Bira, B. Sumyaa (all from Mongolia), J. Legrand (France), R. B. Rybakov, D. D. Vasiliev, B. V. Bazarov, G. S. Yaskina, V. V. Graivoronsky, V. B. Tsybikzhapov, B. B. Dashibalov (all from Russia), Hugjilt, Chen Yangqing, Ulaanbagan (all of China) and other participants testified that the concept of "civilization" is interpreted by them in the broadest sense, including various aspects of human existence and its development in an ascending line (from the lowest to the highest), including the economic basis, social relations, legislation, law, education, science and art.

At the same time, scientists consider the fate of individual regional civilizations and world civilization as a whole in close connection with the process of globalization. In particular, the report of Academician B. Enkhtuvshin "Some problems in the study of civilizations" emphasized that globalization is not only an economic problem; it does not mean the desire to provide advantages for any one developed country, for example, the United States or Japan, or to establish Western economic and cultural imperialism. The idea of globalization implies the interaction and interdependence of all existing numerous cultures and civilizations.

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This point of view, in our opinion, is of fundamental importance, since it theoretically justifies the possibility of participation in the process of globalization of all countries and peoples representing different types and varieties of regional civilizations.

B. Sumyaa in his report "Globalization and the spiritual heritage of Mongolian nomads" noted that globalization as the main trend of human development in the XXI century covers all spheres of society in Mongolia and is an important factor in accelerating the country's socio-economic, scientific and technological progress. At the same time, this process has a contradictory character, which is manifested, in particular, in the gradual oblivion of the rich spiritual heritage, national culture, language, traditions and customs developed and preserved over thousands of years in the conditions of nomadic civilization. According to B. Sumyaa, among the spiritual needs of modern Mongolian youth, national spiritual values are gradually losing their place and are increasingly being replaced by modern Western mass culture, which, according to the speaker, calls into question the very existence of the Mongolian nation.

A new, original and very important theoretical and practical approach to the history of the idea of globalization was put forward in the report "Tengrism and globalism" by the Mongolian academician, Secretary General of the International Association of Mongolian Studies Sh.Bira. In his opinion, during the period of their rule in the XI1I-XIV centuries, the Mongols created a universal theory of tengrizm (worship of the Sky as a single God, creator of all visible and invisible beings, happiness and suffering in the world), designed to justify and justify the creation of the world's largest Mongol Empire. Tengrizm was elevated to the rank of an official ideology in the politics of the great Mongol khans. According to this ideology, the Khan was the absolute embodiment of the supreme power on earth, through which the all-powerful Tengri controlled what was happening in this world. The universal theory of tengrism was a clear expression of the world order that emerged as a result of the creation of the Mongol Empire. At the same time, the unity of the empire was ensured not only by the establishment of a single ideology and political power, but also by the organization of the most advanced long - distance communication system for its time-the horse-mail service.

The speaker came to the conclusion that one of the first attempts at globalization had already taken place during the existence of the Mongol Empire. At the same time, Sh.Bira stressed that there is a big difference between the two types of globalization, in particular, between the theory of tengrism and the theory of modern globalism. If the so-called "Mongolian globalization" was primarily a political phenomenon, and, as historical experience has shown, was doomed to failure, then the modern theory of globalism focuses on the economic, cultural and technological aspects of modern world development, which will inevitably cover all countries of the planet. According to S. Bira, simultaneously with the expansion and deepening of the globalization process, opposition to it will also increase in countries belonging to different civilizations and at different levels of development, in particular in Mongolia. The crux of the problem here is to find ways to harmonize the contradictory effects of globalization in specific country settings.

G. S. Yaskina shares a similar point of view. She believes that globalization radically changes the conditions of world development, involving all countries in its orbit, regardless of their level of development and belonging to a particular type of civilization. In the report "Civilizational processes in the context of globalizing world development", she considered the following questions: does globalization lead to the disappearance of civilizational differences, to unification, or, on the contrary, increases their resistance; what are the reasons for the stability of nomadic civilization before the onslaught of globalization processes; what is the interaction of different types of civilizations existing within one country, and etc. In particular, G. S. Yaskina explains the stability of the Mongolian nomadic civilization primarily by the specific nature of Mongolian animal husbandry and the spiritual values of the Arats-nomads.

As you know, one of the most important issues of discussion among modern historians, ethnologists, cultural scientists and nomadologists is the question of the place and role of nomadism in world history, including nomadic civilization. Most of the leading theorists of the civilizational approach of the past and present, when classifying civilizations, as a rule, did not distinguish and do not distinguish a special nomadic civilization. At the same time, many modern

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nomadic and country scientists, in particular the majority of Mongolian social scientists, in their research proceed from the position that nomadic civilization and its individual varieties existed and still exist. The creation of a special UNESCO International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations in Ulaanbaatar confirms the progress of world science in this direction.

In this regard, of course, one of the central places in many reports at the symposium was occupied by questions about the essence and features of nomadic civilization, mainly on the example of the Mongolian and Turkic peoples of Central Asia, the place and role of this civilization in world and regional history, the current state and prospects for the development of nomadism in Mongolia, China and in the XXI century, on the ways of development and modernization of pasture-nomadic animal husbandry and the nomadic way of life of modern pastoralists.

An original interpretation of the problem of the general features and peculiarities of nomadic and sedentary civilizations and their interaction was proposed by a well-known French orientalist and Mongol scholar, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the MIIKC, Zh. Legrand (France). In particular, he noted that for a long time the world science denied the intrinsic value of nomadic civilization as such, mainly negative ideas about nomadism and nomads were formed. According to the speaker, now is the time to reconsider these outdated views. Nomadic and sedentary societies are two different systems that have a common strategic goal-to meet human needs, but each of them has its own laws, features and logic of development, its own values. The speaker put forward and developed the fundamental idea that the fundamental difference between these two types of society is primarily that if all sedentary societies were created and developed on the basis of the principle of accumulation, then nomadic societies - on the basis of the principle of mobility, mobility. Therefore, the theories and concepts usually applied to the analysis of sedentary societies cannot be mechanically applied to nomadic societies.

Most participants of the symposium proceeded from the thesis of recognizing nomadic civilization as a separate type and the Mongolian nomadic civilization as one of its varieties. B. B. Dashibalov analyzed the place and role of nomads in the Eurasian civilization, L. Khurelbaatar (Mongolia) - some issues of anthropology of Central Asian nomads, A. S. Zheleznyakov (Russia) - spatial and temporal boundaries of the Mongolian civilization, T. Nagasawa (Japan) - features of family pedigrees of Mongolian nomads, etc. Chinese scientists presented their ideas about the place and role of nomadic civilization in the history and at the present stage of development of China, Mongolia and Central Asia, including Chen Yangqing - on the philosophical foundations of nomadic civilization, Tumentsetseg - on the current state of nomadic civilization in China, Ulaanbagan-on the significance of the modern mentality of nomadic civilization, etc.

At the same time, N. N. Kradin (Russia) in his report "Nomads and general theories of historical development" suggested that the concept of "nomadic civilization" should be considered a metaphor rather than a scientific definition. As one of the arguments, he, in particular, suggested that if a "nomadic civilization" is singled out, then all types of human culture should be called civilizations, including Australian hunter-gatherers, Arctic hunters of marine animals, etc.

Thus, the discussion showed that the question of nomadic civilization is still open and needs further theoretical and methodological development.

A large number of reports were devoted to topical issues of the current state and prospects for the development of Mongolian pastoral and nomadic animal husbandry and solving demographic, social, economic and cultural problems of Mongolian nomadic pastoralists in the transition to the market: B. Chadraa (President of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia)-"Support for rural farming entrepreneurship", I. Janzen (Germany) - "Rural development of rural areas".- urban migration of nomadic pastoralists in Mongolia: causes, course and consequences for the country's development", A. Campy (USA) - "Problems of integration of Mongolian nomads into the national state in the XXI century", M. Tumurzhav (Mongolia) - "Some aspects of management of nomadic animal husbandry", G. Chadraabal (Mongolia) - "Nomadic pastoralism". animal husbandry", X. Sampildendev (Mongolia) - "Knowledge about nomadic animal husbandry", S. Zhambaldorj (Mongolia) "Nomads and the camel", U. Nachkhongor (China) - "The influence of climate and nomadism on the structure of animal husbandry".-

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Turu of herbaceous vegetation in Mongolia", D. Vowden (USA) - "Foot-and-mouth disease in Mongolia and Great Britain" , etc.

The reports showed that Mongolian scientists and specialists, in cooperation with foreign colleagues from developed countries, conduct significant research and experimental work to identify the most effective ways and means of involving traditional nomadic animal husbandry and nomadic Arats in market relations, improving the quality of livestock products and their processing, creating new types of production and new jobs. improving the working and living conditions of nomadic livestock breeders.

In this regard, B. Chadraa's report on the preliminary results of a series of experiments on involving nomadic Arat farms located in the high-mountain regions of the Archangay aimag and remote from the market infrastructure in market relations, introducing new production technologies, providing these farms with electricity sources and information on market conditions was of particular interest. The speaker said that thanks to the use of solar power plants, all the villages (lower-level administrative units) of the mountainous regions of this aimag began to receive market information on television and radio broadcasting. The successful introduction of new milk processing equipment in five Arat farms allowed each of them to receive an additional income of up to 1 million tugriks per year. According to the speaker, the experiment on the use of modern Danish technology for the production of cheeses from milk of Mongolian cows showed that nomads can successfully compete not only in the domestic but also in the foreign market.

These data indicate that in modern Mongolia, the process of combining traditional nomadic animal husbandry with the achievements of world scientific and technological progress is gradually gaining momentum in the context of transition to developed market relations.

At the same time, some reports of foreign and Mongolian experts openly expressed reasonable concern about the current state and prospects for the development of nomadic animal husbandry in Mongolia. In particular, the famous German scientist and. Janzen's report" Rural - urban migration in Mongolia: causes, course and consequences for the country's development", based on the results of a special study conducted among new migrants who have moved from rural areas to Ulaanbaatar and other major cities in recent years, convincingly showed that if the country's leadership in the near future If the Government does not take special measures to restrict and regulate mass migration of the rural population to aimach centers and large cities, nomadism in Mongolia will be under threat of extinction in the near future.

American specialist on modern Mongolia, head of the US-Mongolia advisory group A. Campy in his report "Problems of integration of Mongolian nomads into the national state in the XXI century", based on the results of the study of nomadic nomadism in Mongolia by the Mongolian scientist B. Bold, on static data on the growth of the number of nomads over the past 10 years and his own observations, I made a bold, interesting, and at the same time not indisputable attempt to predict some of the main trends in the development of Mongolian society in the XXI century if the same policy (or rather, the lack of a clear, purposeful policy) towards Mongolian nomads, which was carried out by the country's leadership in recent years, continues.

One of the central places in the work of the symposium was occupied by the problems of interaction of various civilizations, primarily between Western and eastern, sedentary and nomadic civilizations. The report of R. B. Rybakov, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, "Indian Culture in the context of Eurasia", which revealed the content and significance of the universal principle of intercivilizational communication "Unity in Diversity"on the example of India, aroused great interest.

Various aspects of interaction and symbiosis of Western and eastern, sedentary and nomadic civilizations, mainly on the example of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples of Central Asia, were considered in many reports, including D. D. Vasiliev's "Fundamentals of Management among the Turkic nomads of Eurasia", B. V. Bazarov's "Socio-cultural features of the development of a foreign territory: inter-civilizational dialogue" West-East", J. Enhee (China) " Changes in nomadic animal husbandry in Northern China: analysis of land-to-land interactions-

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agricultural and nomadic cultures", M. Soheyli (Iran) "Adaptation of nomadic pastoralists to urban life: the problem of law and customs among nomads who have settled down", I. Y. Morozova (Russia) "Mongolia and Central Asia in the XXI century", etc.

Of particular interest is the point of view of the well-known Russian culturologist B. S. Erasov regarding the prospects for interaction between civilizations and cultures in the Northern Eurasian region, which he outlined in the theses of the report "Network model of civilizational relations in the modern era and the place of nomadic cultures". In his opinion, "the vast region of Northern Eurasia, which also includes Russia, Mongolia and China, is one of the networks of long-term relations that can be adapted and enriched in the conditions of structured postmodernity. Nomadic cultures can contribute to new models of relationships by their lifestyle, symbolic openness to space, sense of dynamism, and other elements. " ³ As we can see, B. S. Erasov did not use the term "nomadic civilization", but preferred the concept of "nomadic cultures", and in the plural, but most importantly, he positively assessed the prospects for the contribution of these cultures to the emerging new network of civilizational ties.

Various aspects of the interaction of Russian and Mongolian civilizations in the XX century are reflected mainly in the reports of Russian scientists: V. V. Graivoronsky - "Some specific features of the interaction of Russian and Mongolian civilizations in the XX century", G. S. Yaskinon (see above), S. K. Roshchin - "National Democrats of the 20s on the Mongolian traditional society and its development". its evolution", E. V. Baykova- "Russia and Mongolia in the Eurasian space", E. I. Lishtovannogo- "The place of Siberia among civilizations" , etc.

V. V. Graivoronsky came to the conclusion that Russian - Mongolian relations in the XX century, in particular during the period of the joint socialist experiment (1921-1990), represented a new type of interrelationships not only between states and governments, but also between different civilizations. Despite the great difference in the nature and level of civilizational development of the two countries, the objective and subjective difficulties, mistakes, miscalculations and failures in the course of the socialist experiment, the peoples of both countries have accumulated invaluable experience of mutual understanding, friendship and comprehensive cooperation, thanks to which Mongolia has restored its state independence, preserved its original civilization, and enriched it with new forms. it has established strong ties with Russian and European civilizations. According to the speaker, by now the Mongolian civilization has lost its former monocadic pastoral character and has turned into a mixed sedentary-nomadic agrarian-industrial civilization.

G. S. Yaskina based on the analysis of the development of political democracy in Mongolia, which emerged mainly under the influence of Western civilization, showed its influence on the revival of traditional values of nomadic civilization-the socio-cultural memory of the people, religion, Old Mongolian writing, etc.

According to S. K. Roshchin, the radical political and socio-economic changes in Mongolia in the 1920s almost did not affect the foundations of nomadic civilization, including the special role of nomadic animal husbandry, the nomadic way of life of the population, Lamaism, etc.

The address of a number of participants to the problems of ecology of a regional and global nature takes this forum beyond a narrow regional event and demonstrates the great role of regional civilizations in preserving the ecological balance on the scale of world civilization.

A joint report by renowned Mongolian scientists akad. M. Tumurzhava and N. Erdene-Tsogta was devoted to the traditional ecological thinking of Mongolian nomads and its global significance. The report of O. Delger, a University lecturer from Inner Mongolia, "Nomadic lifestyle of Mongols and ecological balance", showed how seasonal migrations of Arat cattle breeders contribute to the preservation of pastures and the restoration of their food potential. Sampilnorb (China) noted not only the traditionally careful attitude of nomadic pastoralists to nature, but also the national system of ecological education of young people, which includes aesthetic standards, moral values and rational consumption. D. Bazargur (Mongolia) in his report "Geography of pasture animal husbandry" based on the results of 30 years of research outlined the concept of a new direction in geographical science, including the key concept of "ecologically optimal territory". The speaker considers the geography of pasture animal husbandry as a pro --

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the phenomenon of a tendency to reorient the Mongolian nomads to solve socio - economic problems not by preserving the nomadic economy, but by transferring them to a settled state.

Scientists from the University of Colorado D. Ojima (USA) and T. Chuluun (Mongolia) presented the report "Stability of pasture systems in Mongolia", in which, based on specific field studies, they analyzed the totality of natural, climatic and anthropogenic factors that negatively affect the state of pastures that are easily subject to degradation, and proposed a set of measures for their restoration and rational use. use it.

The speakers who touched upon environmental issues were unanimous in their assessment that nomadic civilization as a whole is characterized by a careful attitude to nature and the environment, but at the same time they drew attention to the aggravation of environmental problems due to the growth of the population and livestock, urbanization, and the irrational use of natural resources.

A wide range of presentations at the symposium was devoted to the cultural heritage of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Subjects related to the material culture of nomads are reflected in the reports of S. B. Danilov (Russia) "On the question of architectural and construction traditions of the Xiongnu", Davaazhava (Mongolia) "Contribution of Mongolian creative thought to the architecture of Central Asia", D. Haisambuu and B. Daazhava (Mongolia) "Yurt", T. E. Davida (Canada) "Mongolian identity and symbolic culture of the Mongolian yurt", etc.

Topical issues of in-depth study, preservation and use of the rich cultural heritage of nomadic civilization were considered by the Academy of Sciences. P. Khorloo (Mongolia)- "Nomadic Way of Life and Tovan's instruction", S. Syrtypova (Russia) - "On the problem of preserving the cultural heritage of nomadic civilization in Central Asia", Ts Vannikova and V. Luxokova (both Russia) - "Diaries of the Central Asian Nomadic Civilization". Zhamtsarano as a source for the history and culture of the peoples of Central Asia", N. Urtnasan (Mongolia)- "Orkhon Valley-a stationary point of nomadic cultures of Central Asia", etc.

One of the most important components of any civilization, including nomadic, has always been and remains the religious beliefs of peoples. Therefore, it is no coincidence that a number of presentations at the symposium were devoted to the analysis of the role of shamanism and Buddhism in the history and at the present stage of development of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia, primarily the Mongols: Academician S. Norovsambuu (Mongolia) "Some aspects of religious research in modern Mongolia", Rinchindorj (China) "Epic and Shamanism", S. Dulam (Mongolia) "Comparative study of shamanism in Central Asia", B. S. Dugarov (Russia) " The Cult of Heaven and shamanic traditions of the Buryats: their connection with the epic "Abai Geser", Tao Lifan (China) "Shamanistic rites of sacrifice at the imperial court of the Qing dynasty" , etc.

Issues related to the role of language, literature and folklore in the development of the culture of the nomads of Central Asia and, above all, of the Mongolian-speaking peoples occupied a significant place in the work of the symposium. Here we should mention the reports of L. Bold (Mongolia)- "Problems of linguistic relations of nomads of Central Asia", Rinchindorzh - "Epic and shamanism", A. D. Tsendina (Russia)- "Mongolian chronicles of the XVII-XIX centuries: written tradition in Mongolian literature", Yu. Yankhunen (Finland)- "Linguistic future of nomadic societies" L. Manalzhav (Mongolia) - "On the translation of individual words and expressions in the language of the Secret History of the Mongols", etc.

Summarizing the above, we can conclude that this international symposium has enriched the world science of the development patterns of various regional civilizations and their interrelations. The materials of the symposium are of particular value for those scientists and specialists who are interested in the history and current state of nomadic civilization, the heritage and fragments of which are preserved in more than 60 countries around the world. Features of the modern nomadic civilization, its pros and cons indicate, firstly, a relatively high degree of viability of this civilizational type of development, secondly, that it is an integral part of the modern world civilization, and, thirdly, that in the current conditions of the development of global globalization, the aggravation of demographic, economic, social,social and cultural factors, the development of the world's population, the development of environmental and other problems, as well as the irrational use of natural resources, are inevitably affected by a number of negative factors. In particular, many scientists believe that the development of modern nomadic animal husbandry in Mongolia is still very unstable.

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face recurring natural disasters and environmental degradation. It does not adapt effectively enough to market relations due to the lack of forces, equipment and facilities for high-quality primary processing of livestock raw materials, lack of transport and information communications, lack of electricity sources, etc.The new technological structure in agriculture is only in its infancy.

It also follows from the materials of the symposium that in the process of modernization of nomadic culture, it begins to lose its systemic features. Under these conditions, it is necessary to absorb the traditional advantages of nomadism and overcome its weaknesses, combining nomadic culture with modern information technologies and achievements in the field of ecology. There were also calls for more rational use of pastures, water sources, forests and other natural resources, to ensure an optimal ratio between livestock and pasture feed stocks.

Scientists from many countries have agreed that the rich cultural heritage of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia is an enduring value and an important component of world civilization. Therefore, its preservation and development in the new historical conditions of the XXI century is an urgent task not only for the nomads themselves, but also for the entire world community.

notes

¹ International Symposium on "Nomads and Use of Pastures Today". Ulaanbaatar, 2000.

² "Nomadic Studies" Bulletin. Ulaanbaatar, 2001. N 2.

³ International Symposium on "Dialoge among Civilizations: Interaction between Nomadic and Other Cultures of Central Asia". Abstracts. Ulaanbaatar. August 15-16. 2001. P. 55.

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