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Moscow to Host International Conference ‘The Arctic: Developments from the Perspective of the Humanities’

The international conference ‘The Arctic: Developments from the Perspective of the Humanities’ will take place in Moscow on 15–16 February as part of the plan of the main events of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

The main goal of the conference is to provide an international and interdisciplinary platform to present the results of research into social sciences and humanities in the Arctic, exchange experience concerning interdisciplinary research in the Arctic region, and identify prospects for the further involvement of humanities scientists in implementing the key socioeconomic priorities in the region.

During the event, experts will discuss such issues as history, linguistics, art, ethnography, and humanitarian aspects of natural sciences in an effort to find solutions to the urgent problems that the people of the Arctic face and preserve their cultural heritage. Over the course of two days, some 120 reports will be presented in 20 sections, including in such areas as ‘Linguistics and Sociolinguistics’, ‘History of the Development of the Arctic and Intercultural Communication in the Region’, ‘Art and Folklore of the Peoples of the North’, and ‘Humanitarian Aspects of the Biology, Psychology, and Culture of Human Populations in Circumpolar Regions’. The events will also include four plenary sessions and a film screening of the ‘Arctic Collection’ by documentary filmmaker Boris Dvorkin.

“The scale of scientific developments today, including studies as part of the humanitarian discourse, not only enables historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists to study the Arctic, but also representatives of the humanities, such as cultural scientists, linguists, and philologists. This is especially valuable and interesting for Moscow State Linguistic University, as one of the oldest linguistic scientific schools. The Arctic’s status as a strategically important region for the social and humanitarian sphere of Russia and the entire world, along with the solid experience in interdisciplinary research that we and our partners have gained, helped to attract more than 180 speakers of the highest level to the conference platform,” Moscow State Linguistic University Rector and Professor Irina Krayeva said.

The event will be attended by leading scientists, holders of scientific degrees, and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, Russian Foreign Ministry, and diplomatic missions from Arctic countries, including Denmark, the United States, and Finland.

Participants include:

· Valery Tishkov, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Academician and Scientific Director of the RAS Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

· Alexander Chubaryan, RAS Academician and Scientific Director of the RAS Institute of World History

· Irina Krayeva, Rector of Moscow State Linguistic University

· Joel Erickson, Director of the Fulbright Programme in Russia

The following Arctic researchers will speak at the conference’s plenary sessions: Danish archaeologist Orla Madsen, British scientist and traveller Stephen Pax Leonard, Finnish linguist Annika Pasanen, and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nikolay Vakhtin and Yevgeny Golovko.

The organizers of the conference are the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Moscow State Linguistic University. The co-organizers are the RAS Institute of Linguistics, the RAS Institute of World History, and the Institute of Translation.

An online broadcast of the conference will be available on the official website of the Russian chairmanship:

https://arctic-council-russia.ru/en/events/international-conference-the-arctic-developments-from-the-perspective-of-the-humanities/

Contact information for the media:

Maria Istomina, +7 967 130-11-14

media@arctic-council-russia.ru

Accreditation is open until 18:00 on 14 February.

Venue:

Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel, 26/1 Tverskaya Street (the conference will be held in a mixed in-person and remote format).

Start of the event: 9:00 on 15 February.

For more information go to:

Official Arctic Council Chairmanship accounts on social media:

VKontakte: vk.com/arctic_on