SRC Newsletter 5

Annual Newsletter of the Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University		SRC Home
	No.5 , December 1997	back to INDEX>>

From the Director	Symposia	Foreign Visiting Fellows	Our Current Staff	Exchange Programs with Overseas Institutions
Guest Lectures from Abroad	Visitors from Abroad	Publications	The Library	A day under the colorfol autumn trees in Takino Park ,Sapporo.

Essays by Foreign Fellows

Mordechai Altshuler

Boris N. Mironov

Volodymr A. Potulnytskyj

Vilmos Agoston

Oleg T. Bogomolov

Alfred F. Majewicz

From the Director

At the end of next March, the SRC will complete a comprehensive research project "Changes in the Slavic-Eurasian World: Conditions for Existence and Coexistence," conducted with a generous "Priority Research Project" grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. Since April 1995, when the project started, more than a hundred scholars, including many foreign scholars, have participated in Symposia, seminars, and workshops and so far more than fifty volumes of Annual Reports, Occasional Papers, and Proceedings of Symposia have been published in Japanese, English and Russian.
Although it is too early to tell whether the project will achieve concrete results, I have confidence that it will be a success. As the director of the SRC, I would like to thank everyone especially foreign scholars who have contributed to the project.

Tadayuki Hayashi

Symposia

The annual Winter Symposium was held at the SRC on January 30 - February 1, 1997. Foreign guests were Konstantin Sarkissov (Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences), Nadezhda Mikheeva (Economic Research Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the RAS),

Katherine Burns (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Jan Kaja (Warsaw School of Economics, Poland), Antti V. Kujala (University of Helsinki, Finland) and the Foreign Visiting Fellows of the SRC. The proceedings of the symposium, Socio-Cultural Dimensions of the Changes in the Slavic-Eurasian World, published in June 1997, include 10 English language contributions.
The 1997 International Symposium, "Quest for Models of Coexistence: National and Ethnic Dimensions of Changes in the Slavic-Eurasian World," was held at the SRC on July 16-18, 1997. Overall, a hundred scholars participated, and in each session lively arguments were developed, searching for the "model of coexistence." Foreign guests included Boris P. Chichlo (CNRS, France), Henry Stewart (Showa Women's College, Japan), Anuar A. Galiev (Institute of Oriental Studies, Kazakhstan), Geoffrey J. Jukes (Australian National University), Vadim A. Turaev (Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the RAS), Bakhtior Islamov (Tohoku University, Japan) and the Foreign Visiting Fellows of the SRC.
On the 17th, three sessions were held: "Coexistence of Nationalities," "The Politics of Coexistence," and "Language and Nationality Questions." In each session, ethnic and/or linguistic groups were used as the unit of coexistence, and the problems of the relationship among the groups and ethnic and language policies were discussed.
On the 18th, the following sessions were held: "Coexistence in the Russian Empire," "Region and Identity," and "Environmental Degradation and Coexistence." In each session, a new "model of coexistence" was proposed, considering areas (for example, in Central Asia and Siberia) where various peoples lived together as one unit.
It showed convincingly that it is not possible to cope with environmental destruction such as hazardous radioactive contamination and the Aral Sea catastrophe without establishing a new cooperation system across nation, region, and ethnicity.
Also, on the 16th, a joint symposium "Structural Changes in China and Slavic-Eurasia" was organized, which combined with two priority research projects financed by the Ministry of Education: "Changes in the Slavic-Eurasian World (headed by Professor Shugo Minagawa, SRC)" and "Structural Changes in Contemporary China (headed by Professor Kazuko Mouri, Yokohama City University)." In this panel discussion, a dialogue between researchers in both areas was held, producing fruitful results.
The proceedings of the symposium on the 17-18th will be published this year.
The annual Winter Symposium will be held at the SRC on January 29-30, 1998. The 1998 International Symposium being organized for July 23 - 24, 1998, in Sapporo will focus on the concept of "Region."

Foreign Visiting Fellows

1997-1998:
Three scholars, Mordechai Altshuler (Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), Boris N. Mironov (Institute of Russian History, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg) and Volodymr A. Potulnytskyj (Institute of Ukrainian Archaeography, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) came to the SRC as foreign visiting fellows for 1997-1998. Professor Altshuler will stay in Sapporo until the end of February 1998, Dr. Mironov and Dr. Potulnytskyj - until the end of March 1998. Professor Mordechai Altshuler is an exceptionally renowned specialist on nationality policy in the USSR with special emphasis on the Jewish minority. He has published Between Nationalism and Communism: The Evsektsiia in the Soviet Union, 1918-1930 (Tel-Aviv,1980); Soviet Jewry since the Second World War: Population and Social Structure (Connecticut, 1987); The Jews of Eastern Caucasus: A History of the Mountain Jews from the Beginning of the 19th Century (Jerusalem, 1990). At the SRC, Professor Altshuler is conducting research on trends in national policy in the late Soviet and post Soviet period. Dr. Boris N. Mironov is a specialist on the social, economic, demographic and cultural history of Russia during the 17th-20th centuries. He has published Historian and Mathematics: Quantitative Methods in Historical Studies (Leningrad, 1975); The Internal Market in Russia from the Mid-Eighteenth through the Mid-Nineteenth Centuries (Leningrad, 1981); Historian and Sociology (Leningrad, 1984); Russian Cities 1740-1870: Demographic, Social and Economic Development (Leningrad, 1990). At the SRC, Dr. Mironov is conducting research on the primary social institutions of the peasantry, townspeople and nobility in Imperial Russia, and editing a book-length manuscript "A Social History of Imperial Russia, 1700-1917." Dr. Volodymr A. Potulnytskyj is a specialist on political and historical thought, ideology and the intellectual history of Russia, Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (especially Ukraine). He has published Essays in Ukrainian Political Thought (1891-1991) (Kiev, 1994); A History of Ukrainian Political Thought (Kiev, 1992). At the SRC, Dr. Potulnytskyj is carrying out research on Ukraine and Russia in the mutual mirror of political thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In addition, the SRC accepted three COE (Center of Excellence) visiting fellows, Vilmos Agoston (a free-lance journalist, Hungary), Alfred F. Majewicz (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland), and Oleg T. Bogomolov (Institute for International Economic and Political Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences). Dr. Vilmos Agoston is a famous journalist in Hungary interested in the problems of coexistence among minorities and new models for multinational societies. During his stay at the SRC (from June 1 to September 30, 1997), Dr. Agoston engaged in research on region and identity, based mainly on the Transylvanian model. Professor Alfred F. Majewicz, a specialist in Minority Studies, brought his extensive experience in field research work to the SRC. During his stay at the SRC (from June 15 to October 15, 1997), Professor Majewicz engaged in research on minority language preservation strategies and minority-related conflict-avoidance policy proposals for Eastern Europe and Siberia. Dr. Oleg T. Bogomolov is a well-known specialist in the economics of the socialist world. In addition, he was a People's Deputy of the USSR in 1989-1991, and Deputy of the State Duma in 1993. During his stay at the SRC (from October 6, 1997 to March 6, 1998), Dr. Bogomolov will study different methods of economic transformation, the role of the state as an instrument for transformation,and the link between market and democratic reforms. 1998-1999: Three scholars have been selected as foreign visiting fellows for 1998-1999: Igor M. Klyamkin (Independent Institute of Sociological Analysis, Russia); Alexei V. Postnikov (Institute of the History of Natural Sciences and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences); and Vladimir I. Shishkin (Institute of History, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences). Dr. Igor M. Klyamkin is a famous political sociologist and he built his reputation on the article "What Street Leads to the Temple," Novyi Mir, 1997, No. 11. He is a specialist in the political sociology in post-Soviet society. At the SRC, Dr. Klyamkin plans to study the post-Soviet man and his historic features. Dr. Alexei V. Postnikov is an exceptional specialist in historical geography. He has published more than 100 works, including seven books. For example, Razvitie kartografii i voprosy ispolÕzovania starukh kart (Moscow, 1985); Razvitie krupnomasshtabnoi kartografii v rossii (Moscow, 1989); Russia in maps: a history of the geographical study and cartography of the country (Moscow, 1996). Dr. Vladimir I. Shishkin is a historian on Soviet Russia; his recent research topic is Siberia during the 1920s and 1930s in the context of Russian history. He plans to study the twentieth-century development of the Slavic-Eurasian world in light of the Russian Civil War. He is now head of the Department of Russian History at the Novosibirsk State University. 1999-2000:
The SRC invites applications for The Foreign Visiting Fellowship Program from Slavic studies specialists in the fields of literature, history, international relations, economics, political science, sociology, geography, and ethnology, tenable for nine to ten months between June 1999 and March 2000. Three Fellowships are available. Knowledge of Japanese is not required; all academic staff speak English and Russian, and seminars with foreign participants are conducted in those languages. Previous awardees indicate that the program particularly suits scholars wishing to follow-up on research undertaken previously.
Hokkaido University has over 115,000 items on Russian and East European affairs in languages other than Japanese, and receives 560 relevant periodicals and journals. It also has 4,500 Ph D theses from American, Canadian and British universities, the personal collections of Leon Bernstein, George Vernadsky, Boris Souvarine, Fritz Epstein, Alexander Lensen, Henryk Gierszynski and other special collections. Conditions of Awards
The awardee must conduct research at the SRC, including limited professional travel in Japan. (Foreign travel must be approved by the Director and taken as paid leave). There are no teaching duties, but participants are expected to be available for consultation with staff and graduate students, give at least two presentations on topics of their choice, participate in seminars as their schedule permits, write an article during their stay for publication in the Acta Slavica Iaponica on a topic of their choice, and submit a report on the program at the end of their stay.

The SRC provides: (NB. US$ equivalents vary with fluctuations in the exchange rate).
(1) The awardeeÕs return Economy-Class air fare (Families welcome at participantÕs expense).
(2) A tax-free stipend, dependent on age and career stage, between ´457,000 - ´767,000 ($3,656 - $6,136) a month.
(3) Accommodation, currently at ´7,300 ($58)(single, shared facilities), ´21,000 ($168)(one-bedroom flat), or ´39,000 ($312)(two-bedroom flat) a month.
(4) An office, use of a personal computer, and access to all University (except secretarial) and library services.
(5) ´100,000 ($800) for professional travel in Japan.
(6) Fifteen days' paid leave. National Medical Insurance costs ´1,400 ($11)(single person) - ´2,200 ($18)(family) a month, and covers 70% of medical charges.

Application Procedure
The SRC will forward application forms on request. Applicants should also have at least two references sent directly to the SRC, one from the institution to which they are attached, certifying that they are free to take up a Fellowship if awarded, the other from a recognized specialist in their field. Applications and letters of reference must arrive at the SRC by March 31, 1998. Notification Results will be sent by mid-July 1998. Correspondence Correspondence should be addressed to:
Head, Foreign Visiting Fellowship Program, Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Kita-9, Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0809, Japan
Tel. (81) 11-706-3788 or (81) 11-706-2388 Fax. (81) 11-706-4952
* Information on the SRC is available via Internet: http://src-h. slav.hokudai.ac.jp/ index-e.html

Our Current Staff

Permanent Research Staff:
Teruyuki HARA: Professor of Russian and Soviet History
Tadayuki HAYASHI: Professor of International Relations, East European Politics, Political History of Czechoslovakia (Director of the Center)
Osamu IEDA: Professor of Economic History of Eastern Europe, Modern History of Hungary
Koichi INOUE: Professor of Ethnology, North-Eurasian Studies
Kimitaka MATSUZATO: Associate Professor of Russian and Soviet History, Russian Politics
Shugo MINAGAWA: Professor of Comparative Politics, Russian Regional Politics
Tetsuo MOCHIZUKI: Professor of Russian Literature
Takashi MURAKAMI: Professor of Economics (Russian Energy Policies, The Russian Far East, Japanese-Russian Economic Relations)
Shinichiro TABATA: Professor of Russian Economics and Statistics
Tomohiko UYAMA: Associate Professor of History and Politics of Central Asia
Rihito YAMAMURA: Professor of Comparative Economics, Russian Industry and Agriculture Library and Information Services:
Yuzuru TONAI: SRC head librarian
Jun MATSUDA: bibliographical services
Mika OSUGA: publications Currently, the SRC has three young scholars as "COE Researchers." COE researchers for 1997-98 are as follows:
Tomoko FUJITA: Russian Literature
Fumikazu OSUKA: Russian Philosophy
Akifumi TAKEDA: Russian Literature

Research Funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

Tadayuki Hayashi: "Changes in the international relations of Central and Eastern Europe"
Shugo Minagawa: "Database on political elites in Russia"
Jun Matsuda: "Reference database on Slavic studies in Japan"

Exchange Programs with Overseas Institutions

The SRC has agreements with six research institutions in five countries. Exchanges are conducted annually with the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East (Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok).
Vadim A. Turaev, from Vladivostok visited the SRC from July 13 - 27, 1997.
From the SRC, Koichi Inoue visited the Vladivostok Institute between September 1-17, 1997.

Guest Lectures from Abroad:

Oleg Sergeev (Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences): "Kazachestvo in the history of Russia: Past and present," October 30, 1996.
Viktor L. Larin (Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the RAS): "Regionalism of the Russian Far East in mid-1990s: Incentives and obstacles to Russian participation in the regional interaction of East-Asian countries," December 4, 1996.
Evgenii A. Plaksen (Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the RAS): "Russia-Japan: Selected problems in relations and public opinion among the inhabitants of Primor'e," December 4, 1996.
Sergei V. Kazantsev (Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch of the RAS): "Economic development of RussiaÕs regions," December 11, 1996.
Csaba Mako (Institute of Social Conflict, Hungarian Academy of Sciences): "The Transformation process in Central Eastern Europe: Continuity and changes in institution building," December 16, 1996.
Sergei V. Cheshko (Institute of Ethnology, RAS): "On the theory of ethnos (a preliminary version)," March 10, 1997.
L. Falt'an (Institute of Sociology, Slovakian Academy of Sciences): "Steps to EU integration and interregional differences in Slovakia," March 19, 1997.
Z. St'astny (Institute of Sociology, Slovakian Academy of Sciences): "EU enlargement from the view point of Slovakian agriculture," March 19, 1997.
Bakhtior A. Islamov (North-East Asian Research Center, Tohoku University, Japan): "Economic reform in Uzbekistan," March 26, 1997.
James P. Scanlan (Ohio State University, USA): "Russian philosophy and its role in Russian national renewal," April 10, 1997.
Piotr Paszkiewicz (Institute of Art, Poland Academy of Sciences): "In the shadow of the Black Eagle: Russia's architecture and sculpture in the Western Borderlands of the Empire and their political context," June 16, 1997.
Steven Rosefielde (University of North Carolina, USA): "Sources of Russian enterprise inefficiency and underproductivity in the neo-Classical perspective," July 8, 1997.
Tsedendambyn Batbayar (Institute of International and Oriental Studies, Mongolian Academy of Sciences): "Soviet-Japanese relations and the Mongolian People's Republic, 1932-1936," July, 25, 1997.
Vladimir M. Sangi (Novelist, Russia): "Environmental degradation and ecological crisis in Sakhalin," September 16, 1997.
Olga Alexandrova (Federal Institute for Russian, East European, and International Studies, Cologne, Germany): "Ukraine and Western Europe," October 7, 1997.
Lidiia E. Fetisova (Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the RAS): "Russian traditional culture and adaptation of settlers in Priamur'e and Primor'e," October 30, 1997.
Zhores A. Medvedev (Writer, Russia): "The Russian nuclear energy programme after Chernobyl," November 28, 1997.

Visitors from Abroad

Tsedendambyn Batbayar (Institute of International and Oriental Studies, Mongolian Academy of Sciences), from July 1 to August 14, 1997, conducted research on the history of Japan-Soviet relations in the 1930s.
Hua-Jeong Seok (Hanyang University, Rep. of Korea), from August 8, 1997 to August 8, 1998, for research on the theme: "Russian Scheme for korean Neutralization."
Susanne Koller (Graduate Student, University of Zurich, Switzerland), from October 1, 1997 to March 31, 1999, for research on the history of the Ainus in the Kuril Islands.
David B. Goldberg (Monbusho Scholarship Recipient, Canada), from October 1, 1997 to March 31, 1999, for research on Japanese-Russian security relations in the post-Cold War era.

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