The Crisis of Country Studies in Russia amid the Growing Demand for Knowledge about Foreign Countries and Regions
https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-6-1
Abstract
The article concentrates on foreign country studies. Although rooted in geography, this approach is to be treated as an interdisciplinary social science research that allows a comprehensive study of modern societies. In Russia, the contribution of economists, political scientists and historians, especially orientalists, to the study of foreign countries is very significant. At the same time, over the past 100 years, regional studies in the Soviet Union / Russia have been greatly transformed. Solely due to subjective reasons and the general crisis of fundamental research in the country, multi-volume publications that provided a lot of material for comparative studies have become a thing of the past. The theoretical baggage of foreign country studies accumulated in the second half of the XX century is almost not used, while linguistic training has been curtailed in a number of areas. In modern Russia, the “output” of scientific regional products does not meet the existing "demand". There are several explanations: the narrow scale of geographic research, the fascination with global issues by political scientists and economists, as well as the general shortage of specialists in the countries of the post-Soviet space and some other macro-regions. However, the state and big business, which should form a solvent and long term demand, also fail to cope with their social role. As a result, the discipline of country studies has found itself in a deep crisis. A way of this problem should be sought as soon as possible, while the traditions of domestic country studies and oriental studies are still alive. Otherwise Russia will have only recreational regional studies (the publication of guidebooks) and linguistic and regional research of the main nation states (as part of the new-fangled discipline of philologists and political scientists). At the same time, the lack of practical orientation of country studies has a detrimental effect on Russia's positioning in world economy and international relations.
About the Author
A. V. KuznetsovRussian Federation
References
1. Anikin A.V. (1982). United States of America (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
2. Baranskiy N.N. (1946). Country Studies and Geography (Physical and Economic). News of the All-Union Geographical Society, no 1, pp. 9–24 (in Russian).
3. Belov V.B. (ed.) (2009). Germany. Challenges of the 21 st Century (Old World – New Times), Moscow: Ves’ Mir (in Russian).
4. Berg L.S., Grigoriev A.A., Hettner A., Gladtsin I. (1925). Questions of country studies: collection of articles. Moscow, Leningrad: Moscow Joins-Stock Publishing Company (in Russian).
5. Countries and Peoples (1978–1985). Popular Scientific Geographical and Ethnographic Publication in 20 vols. Editor-in-chief: Yu.V. Bromley, Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
6. Diligenskiy G.G., Kuznetsov V.I. (eds.) (1982). France (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
7. Fetisov A.S. (2016). Country Studies. Greater Russian Encyclopedia in 35 vols. Vol. 31, Moscow: Greater Russian Encyclopedia, p. 286 (in Russian).
8. Gladkiy Yu.N., Chistobayev A.I. (2016). Regional Studies. Textbook for Academic Baccalaureate, Moscow: Yurait (in Russian).
9. Gokhman V.M., Mashbits Ya.G. (1976). Problematic Approach in Economic and Geographical Country Studies of the Foreign World. Izvestiya of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Geographical Series, no 4, pp. 43–52 (in Russian).
10. Gromyko Al.A. (ed.) (2007). Great Britain: The Era of Reforms (Old World – New Times), Moscow: Ves’ Mir (in Russian).
11. Gutnik V.P. (ed.) (2002). Western European Countries: Specifics of Socio-Economic Models, Moscow: Nauka (in Russian).
12. Hettner A. (1925). Country Studies of Europe, Moscow, Leningrad: Moscow Joins-Stock Publishing Company (in Russian).
13. Klinova M.V., Kudryavtsev A.K., Rubinskiy Yu.I., Timofeev P.P. (eds.) (2018). France under President Emanuel Macron: At the Beginning of the Road, Moscow: IMEMO (in Russian).
14. Lebedev I.A. (ed.) (1984). Australia and Canada (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
15. Madzoyevskiy S.P., Khesin Ye.S. (eds.) (1981). Great Britain (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
16. Mashbits Ya.G. (1998). Comprehensive Country Studies, Moscow, Smolensk: SGU (in Russian).
17. Mikul’skiy K.I. (ed.) (2003–2005). Socio-economic Models in the Modern World and the Way of Russia. In 2 books, Moscow: Ekonomika (in Russian).
18. Miliband S.D. (2008). Orientalists of Russia (XX – the beginning of the XXI century): Biobibliographical Dictionary. In 2 books, Moscow: “Oriental Literature” of the Russian Academy of Sciences (in Russian).
19. OECD (2007). Revised Field of Science and Technology (FOS) Classifi cation in the Frascati Manual. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/science/inno/38235147.pdf, accessed 30.11.2021.
20. Pevzner Ya.A., Petrov D.V., Ramzes V.B. (eds.) (1981). Japan (ModernMonopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
21. Rubinskiy Yu.I. (ed.) (1973). France (Economy and Politics of Countries of Modern Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
22. Rubinskiy Yu.I. (ed.) (2007). France. In Search of New Ways (Old World – New Times), Moscow: Ves’ Mir (in Russian).
23. Semenov-Tian-Shanskiy V.P. (2017). Region and Country. 2 nd ed., Moscow: Pelikan (in Russian).
24. Sevastyanov D.V., Grigoriev A.A. (2015). Country studies as the scientific geographical basis of international tourism at St. Petersburg State University: pages of history and present day. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo Universiteta, Seriya Geologiya i Geografiya, issue 1, pp. 86-97 (in Russian).
25. Shenaev V.N. (ed.) (1973). Federal Republic of Germany (Economy and Politics of Countries of Modern Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
26. Shenaev V.N., Schmidt M., Mel’nikov D.Ye. (eds.) (1983). Federal Republic of Germany (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’, Berlin: Ditz Verlag (in Russian).
27. Shveitser V.Ya. (ed.) (2009). The States of the Alpine Region and the Benelux Countries in a Changing Europe (Old World – New Times), Moscow: Ves’ Mir (in Russian).
28. Smirnyagin L.V. (1989). Regions of the United States: A Portrait of Modern America, Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
29. UNESCO (1988). Proposed International Standard Nomenclature for Fields of Science and Technology. Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000082946, accessed 30.11.2021.
30. Vasil’kov N.P., Kholodkovskiy K.G. (eds.) (1983). Italy (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
31. Vernikov V.L. (ed.) (2007). Spain: Full-face and Profile (Old World – New Times), Moscow: Ves’ Mir (in Russian).
32. Vol’skiy V.V. (1968). About the Types of Countries in the Capitalist World. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Series 5. Geography, no 6, pp. 44–54 (in Russian).
33. Vol’skiy V.V. (ed.) (1979–1982). Latin America. Encyclopedic Reference Book in two volumes, Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian).
34. Vol’skiy V.V. (2009). Selected Writings, Moscow, Smolensk: Oecumene (in Russian).
35. Yudanov Y.I. (ed.) (1972). Small Countries of Western Europe (Economy and Politics of Countries of Modern Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
36. Yudanov Yu.I. (ed.) (1984). Small Countries of Western Europe (Modern Monopolistic Capitalism), Moscow: Mysl’ (in Russian).
Review
For citations:
Kuznetsov A.V. The Crisis of Country Studies in Russia amid the Growing Demand for Knowledge about Foreign Countries and Regions. Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law. 2021;14(6):6-25. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-6-1