scholarly journals The political system of the Qing empire

2021 ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Oleg E. Nepomnin

Nepomnin O. E. (1935-2020), sinologist and orientalist with wide research interests, belonged to the most prominent theorists of the development of Eastern societies. In April 2021, based on the Department of the History of the East of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the seminar named after Nepomnin O. E. — “Discussion problems of the history of the East” began its work. The seminar continues the tradition of scientific events dedicated to a broad discussion of controversial issues of Eastern history from ancient times to the present day. Continuing the topics raised by the author in previous issues: the cyclical nature of the historical process in China [Nepomnin, 2019] and its differences from the development of statehood in Japan [Nepomnin, 2020], this article is devoted to the analysis of the political structure in the Qing Empire. The author examines the despotism of imperial China, decomposing it into the components “power-property” and “class-state” and comparing it with political processes in the medieval West. The powerful state machine of the Qing Empire, suppressing any manifestations of the autonomy of the population, did not give a chance for the emergence of a class of active “private traders”, a religion that could be opposed to the state, or free cities. Nepomnin O. E. concludes that in the conditions of a ubiquitous state and an inert society, the Chinese despotism preserved itself — and the Western linear path of development was inaccessible to China for a long time. China walked in a circle, avoiding crises that allowed it to enter a new round of formational development.

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-86
Author(s):  
Mark Hogan

This article investigates the political processes and attitudes that have prevented San Francisco from adequately dealing with many of its challenges. It posits that the city is at risk of becoming a caricature of its former self if attitudes towards accepting and preparing for the future do not change as a chronic shortage of housing threatens to push many long-time residents out. The history of anti-development attitudes since the 1980s is reviewed, tracing the rebound from post-industrial decline to becoming a highly desirable residential location and the home to some of the world’s most innovative companies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-210
Author(s):  
Ilya V. Zaytsev

Recently published in the academic publishing house “Oriental Literature” under the heading of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, T.A. Anikeeva’s monograph is dedicated to the only monument of the book epic of the Oghuz Turks – “The book of my grandfather Korkut”. The main plot-forming core around which the twelve legends of this epic are grouped is the struggle of the Turks against non-Muslims in the lands of Asia Minor, as well as numerous feuds among the Oghuz themselves. Both the addition of legends and their cyclization took quite a long time, approximately from the IX – X centuries (when the Oghuz tribes had just begun their migration to the West from Central Asia) until their written fixation, which occurred much later. Thus, the “Kitab-i dedem Korkut” can be considered one of the most important sources on the social and cultural life of the Oghuz Turks in the Middle Ages. According to T.A. Anikeeva, “in the «Book of my grandfather Korkut» reflected the events of the early Turkic semi-legendary history, and later, associated with the spread of their power in Asia Minor and contacts with Byzantium”.


Author(s):  
Vasyl Karpo ◽  
Nataliia Nechaieva-Yuriichuk

From ancient times till nowadays information plays a key role in the political processes. The beginning of XXI century demonstrated the transformation of global security from military to information, social etc. aspects. The widening of pandemic demonstrated the weaknesses of contemporary authoritarian states and the power of human-oriented states. During the World War I the theoretical and practical interest toward political manipulation and political propaganda grew definitely. After 1918 the situation developed very fast and political propaganda became the part of political influence. XX century entered into the political history as the millennium of propaganda. The collapse of the USSR and socialist system brought power to new political actors. The global architecture of the world has changed. Former Soviet republic got independence and tried to separate from Russia. And Ukraine was between them. The Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine was the start point for a number of processes in world politics. But the most important was the fact that the role and the place of information as the challenge to world security was reevaluated. The further annexation of Crimea, the attempt to legitimize it by the comparing with the referendums in Scotland and Catalonia demonstrated the willingness of Russian Federation to keep its domination in the world. The main difference between the referendums in Scotland and in Catalonia was the way of Russian interference. In 2014 (Scotland) tried to delegitimised the results of Scottish referendum because they were unacceptable for it. But in 2017 we witness the huge interference of Russian powers in Spain internal affairs, first of all in spreading the independence moods in Catalonia. The main conclusion is that the world has to learn some lessons from Scottish and Catalonia cases and to be ready to new challenges in world politics in a format of information threats.


2020 ◽  
pp. 46-55
Author(s):  
ZUKHRA ARIPOVA

This article is dedicated to the life and work of historians of the Mamluk period (1250-1517) in Egypt and the rich heritage left by them. In the XIII-XV centuries, Egypt had a special place among the countries of the Middle East due to the activities of the Mamluks. The prestige of the Mamluk sultans increased due to their victories in the fght against the Crusaders and the Mongols in the Middle East. The establishment of Mamluk rule in the history of Egypt, the growth of the superiority of military Mamluks in the country, the rise of the Bakhrit Mamluk sultans (1250-1382) and the political processes of the Burjit (Circassian) Mamluk period (1282-1517) are of particular interest for s this study. This article provides extensive information on the activities and works of medieval historians such as Abu alMahasin, Ibn Daud Al-Sayraf, Abd Ar-Rahman As-Sahawi, Jalal ad-Din As-Suyuti, Ibn Iyas Muhammad ibn Ahmad and Ibn Zanbal Ar-Rummal, Ali ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Asir, Abd Ar-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, al-Umari, Shahab ad-din alKalkashandi, Taki ad-din Al-Makrizi, Az-Zahiri, Khalil ibn Shahin. Relevance: After Uzbekistan gained independence, orientalists have new opportunities to search, study and disseminate information about Islam and the history of Islam among the general public. When studying the period of the history of the Mamluks in Egypt, many aspects of the history of Mavaraunnahr of that time are also revealed. Studying the primary sources containing information on this topic makes it possible to objectively evaluate the political, social and economic processes of this period. Methods. The article uses generally accepted historical methods based on the principles of historicity, structurality and objectivity. Conclusions: Also, it must be pointed out that objective coverage of the history of this period, in addition to the historical works of the above authors of the 13th-15th centuries, is facilitated by the study of various scientifc treatises, commentaries, shortened versions of works (almukhtasar), dictionaries, prose and poetic works.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-321
Author(s):  
Z. H. Popandopulo

In 1977 on the site of famous burial mound Chmyrеva Mohyla located on the northern outskirts of Velyka Bilozerka village of Zaporizhzhia region three bronze pole-tops with images of gryphons were found by local people on the plowed field. There is no evidence whether other artifacts have been found. Luckily nearby in Gunovka village the expedition of Institute of Archaeology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was working under the leadership of Yu. V. Boltryk who got the founded artifacts and then sent them to Zaporizhzhia regional museum of local lore, history and economy. The history of excavations of Chmyrеva Mohyla numbers more than a century. They were started by F. A. Braun in 1898, M. I. Veselovskiy (1909—1910) continued the excavations and Yu. V. Boltryk in 1994 completed them. The burial mound has not been excavated in full because of various reasons. The destiny of finds from this barrow was tragic. A lot of artifacts among them silver vessels from the hiding-place which was revealed by M. I. Veselovskiy were lost during the World War II when the collections of Kharkiv historic museum were evacuated. Scythian bronze pole-tops as one of the most interesting categories of artifacts for a long time attracted attention of scholar world. They were classified by types and date, their significance in funeral ceremony and everyday life was searched for. The questions still remain. In this article we tried to put into scholar circulation a scanty type of pole-tops with the image of pacing gryphon on the pear-shaped little bell which is characteristic only for Steppe Dnieper river region. For today only eight of them are known and most of them are originated from of the burial mounds of high Scythian aristocracy: Tovsta Mohyla, Haimanova Mohyla, Chmyrova Mohyla. Chronologically they are slightly differed from other pole-tops both with the image of deer on pear-shaped little bells from Tovsta Mohyla, and with the image of deer on flat cone bushes from Haimanova Mohyla. The question about the place of production of such pole-tops is still opened. Probably just these types of pole-tops could be produced in one workshop but not all known variety of objects as V. A. Ilinska thought. One of the problems to be solved by researchers is searching for such workshops. But if these objects have been moulded by wax models the task becomes more complicated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 250-253
Author(s):  
A.A.Erkuziev

Central Asia has played an important role in the political, economic and cultural relations of different nations and countries since ancient times as one of the centers of the world civilization. The Great Silk Road, which passed through this region, brought together the countries on the trade routes, the peoples living in them, and served to spread information about their traditions, lifestyles, location, historical events. These data, in turn, brought different peoples closer and served as the basis for the establishment of mutual economic and cultural relationships between them. One of the important scientific issues here is the study of the spread of information about the Central Asian region, where most of the Great Silk Road passed, to Western Europe through other countries.


Author(s):  
Dmitriy M. Timokhin

This study is devoted to the analysis of pre-Mongol Arab-Persian sources containing information on the history of the Qara Khitai state. This power, formed in 1125 within the borders of East Turkestan, not only quickly becomes a regional leader, finally undermining the power of the Karakhanid rulers, but also interferes in the political processes that took place within neighboring regions. In particular, the Qara Khitai attempt to assert their power in the lands of Transoxiana leads to their clash with the Seljuk ruler, Sultan Sanjar, whose defeat in the battle of the Katavan plain in 1141, of course, to the destruction of his power after 1153, the growth of the power of regional leaders, as well as the strengthening of the Qara  Khitai state itself. Up to the beginning of the XIII cent. this political entity will be the most important rival of Khorezm and the Ghurid Sultan in the struggle for dominance not only in Transoxiana, but also in the lands of Khorasan. Among the Arab-Persian sources, when describing this state and its rulers, researchers mainly rely on the monuments of the Mongol era, but in this article we would like to draw attention to the information potential of earlier works on this issue. We will present an overview of the Arab-Persian sources of the pre-Mongol period, containing information on the history of the Qara Khitai state, and highlight the features of their structure and content. We will try to highlight the possible historiographical continuity in relation to the description of the history of the Qara Khitai.


2020 ◽  

This collective monograph is a comprehensive study of the causes, evolution and outcomes of complex processes in the contemporary history of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, and aims in particular to identify common and special characteristics in their socio-economic and political development. The authors base their work on documentary evidence; both published and unpublished archival materials reveal the specifics of the development of the political landscapes in these countries. They highlight models combining both European and nationally oriented (and even nationalist) components of the political spheres of particular countries; identify markers which allow the stage of completion (or incompletion) of the establishment of a new political system to be estimated; and present analyses of the processes of internal political struggle, which has often taken on ruthless forms. The analysis of regional and country-specific documentary materials illustrates that the gap in the development of the region with “old Europe” in general has not yet been overcome: in the post-Socialist period, the situation of the region being “ownerless” and “abandoned”, characteristic of the period between the two world wars, is reoccurring. The authors conclude that during the period from the late twentieth to the early twenty-first centuries, the region was quite clearly divided into two parts: Central (the Visegrad Four) and South-Eastern (the Balkans) Europe. The authors explore the prevailing trends in the political development of Hungary and Poland related to the leadership of nationally and religiously oriented parties; in the Czech Republic and Slovakia the pendulum-like change in power of the left and right-wing parties; and in Bulgaria and Romania the domestic political processes permanently in crisis. The authors pay special attention to the contradictory nature of the political evolution of the states that emerged in the space of the former Yugoslavia. For the first time, Greece and Turkey are included in the context of a regional-wide study. The contributors present optimal or resembling transformational models, which can serve as a prototype for shaping the political landscape of other countries in the world. The monograph substantiates the urgency of the new approach needed to study the history and current state of the region and its countries, taking into account the challenges of the time, which require strengthening national and state identity. The research also offered prognostic characteristics of transformational changes in the region, the Visegrad Four, and the Balkans.


Author(s):  
Tatiana A. Karasova ◽  
◽  
Andrey V. Fedorchenko ◽  
Dmitry A. Maryasis ◽  
◽  
...  

The article presents a historical overview of Israeli studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS in the first two decades of the 21st century. The paper demonstrates the main research fields and publications of the Department for the Study of Israel and Jewish Communities, as well as the list of its heads and research fellows. The article shows how, having successfully overcome the difficulties of the 1990s that were rather hard on Russian Academy as a whole, the staff of the Israeli Studies Department in their numerous publications, speeches at Russian and international academic forums tried to respond to the new challenges in a scholarly way. In the 2000s the number of works published on the history of relations between the USSR / Russia and Israel increased, and this trend continued in subsequent years. Access to the archives for the first time made it possible to analyze the formation and development of Soviet-Israeli relations before the break (in 1953). The department expanded the directions of its academic activity. Its topics included such directions as the study of the collective memory of Jews in modern Russia, cultural identity, cultural memory, religious and secular identity of Russian Jews, attitude towards disability and people with disabilities, study of youth communities in Israel, Russia and Europe, the impact of the US-Israeli relations on the US Jewish community. Development of basic methodology for researching the state of Jewish charity in Moscow was one of the new tasks for the fellows of the Department to solve. The novelty of the tasks also included new methodology of researching the economic and socio-political development of Israel using social networks data. The Department continued to study all aspects of the life of the State of Israel — economic, socio-political and cultural processes developing in the Israeli state, including new features in regional policy and the concept of Israeli security. At present, members of the department’s, in addition to their current activities, are implementing a number of promising projects aimed at strengthening the department’s position as the leading center of Israeli studies in the post-Soviet space.


Author(s):  
Nancy Gakahu

The history of Kenya is loaded with continuous moments when music played a key role in expressing various issues in the country. Music is one of the most important modes through which ordinary Kenyans express their wishes, identity, frustrations and aspirations. For a long time, freedom of speech in Kenya, especially on issues touching political injustice had been curtailed. However, musicians in Kenya offered an alternative means of challenging the political status quo in the country by use of musical lyrics which address injustices directly or metaphorically. What is the place of music in Kenya's political landscape? Has political music in Kenya made a difference in governance and in educating the masses on their political and social rights? Have political songs helped change the political and social climate in Kenya? These issues are examined in this chapter.


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