Oriens

Oriens (Russian: «Восток», transliterated Vostok) is a major Russian academic journal devoted to Oriental and African studies. Its full title is «Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность» (Vostok. Afro-Asian Societies: History and Modernity). Published since 1955, it is described by its publisher as the only interdisciplinary Oriental-studies academic periodical in the post-Soviet space. The journal appears six times a year and is distributed mainly by subscription, with individual issues available through the GAUGN-Press internet portal. The journal was founded in 1955 by the Russian Academy of Sciences together with the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS and the Institute for African Studies RAS, and it is published under the guidance of the Division of Historical and Philological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It has changed its name several times: «Советское востоковедение» (Soviet Oriental Studies, 1955–1958), «Проблемы востоковедения» (Problems of Oriental Studies, 1959–1960), and «Народы Азии и Африки» (Peoples of Asia and Africa, 1961–1990). Since 1991 it has carried its current title. Oriens publishes articles on history, economics, politics, culture, sociology, literature and language of the countries of Asia and Africa, including the republics of the former Soviet Union and the "Oriental" regions of the Russian Federation, as well as on international relations and Russian foreign policy in Asia and Africa. Its coverage spans all epochs, from the civilizations of Ancient Sumer and Egypt to contemporary events. The journal is bilingual in practice: it is edited in Russian, but articles may be published in English, and each issue includes English abstracts of the main articles. The journal is included in the list of scientific periodicals of the Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and it is indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index (RINC). Its ISSN is 0869-1908 and its subscription index is 70600. The editor-in-chief has been Vitaly Naumkin (academician) since 1999; earlier editors were Vyacheslav Maslennikov (1955–1957), Iosif Braginsky (1957–1977), Anatoly Kutsenkov (1977–1987) and Leonid Alayev (1988–1998). The editorial board includes scholars from Russia and abroad, among them Leonid Alayev, Yuri Alexandrov, academicians Vladimir Alpatov, Khizri Amirkhanov, Boris Bazarov, Apollon Davidson, Alexander Kudelin, Mikhail Piotrovsky and Andrei Smirnov, as well as Touraj Atabaki (Netherlands), Bayram Balci (France), Hari Sankar Bassudevan (India), Michael Kemper (Netherlands), Pietro Massina (Italy), Madhavan Palat (India), Yuri Pines (Israel), Anthony Reid (Australia), Bill Streifer (United States) and Li Yun Tsuan (China). Oriens is a state-owned academic publication rather than a commercial consumer brand: it is owned and published by the Russian Academy of Sciences system, with the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS acting as publisher. Its mission is to disseminate the latest research on the history and current situation of Asian and African countries, to foster broad exchange of opinion and provide a platform for current discussions in Oriental studies, and to represent Russian scholarship internationally, including by attracting international authors.

The journal was founded in 1955 under the title «Советское востоковедение» (Soviet Oriental Studies). Its first editor-in-chief was Vyacheslav Maslennikov, who led it from 1955 to 1957. In 1957 Iosif Braginsky took over the editorship and remained in the post for two decades, until 1977. In 1959 the journal merged with «Советское китаеведение» (Soviet Chinese Studies) and was renamed «Проблемы востоковедения» (Problems of Oriental Studies), a title it carried in 1959–1960. From 1961 to 1990 it appeared as «Народы Азии и Африки» (Peoples of Asia and Africa), initially subtitled «История, экономика и культура народов Азии и Африки» (History, Economics and Culture of the Peoples of Asia and Africa). Anatoly Kutsenkov served as editor-in-chief from 1977 to 1987, followed by Leonid Alayev from 1988 to 1998. In 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the journal adopted its current name, «Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность» (Vostok. Afro-Asian Societies: History and Modernity), with the short form «Восток (Oriens)». Since 1999 the editor-in-chief has been the academician Vitaly Naumkin. Throughout its history the journal has been published within the Russian Academy of Sciences system. Its founders are the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS and the Institute for African Studies RAS, and it is published under the guidance of the Division of Historical and Philological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The publisher is the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, based in Moscow at Rozhdestvenka 12. The journal appears six times a year, is distributed by subscription, and individual issues can be purchased through the GAUGN-Press internet portal. It is included in the list of scientific periodicals of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and is indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index (RINC). Its ISSN is 0869-1908 and its subscription index is 70600. Over the decades the journal has published articles, translations and documents by Russian and foreign authors, including translations of historical documents, essays, memoirs of Orientalist scholars, information on congresses, conferences, symposia and seminars, reviews of the activities of scientific centres, thematic literature reviews, and bibliographic compilations. Its editorial board has included numerous prominent Russian and international scholars, such as academicians Vladimir Alpatov, Khizri Amirkhanov, Boris Bazarov, Apollon Davidson, Alexander Kudelin, Mikhail Piotrovsky and Andrei Smirnov, as well as Touraj Atabaki (Netherlands), Bayram Balci (France), Hari Sankar Bassudevan (India), Michael Kemper (Netherlands), Pietro Massina (Italy), Madhavan Palat (India), Yuri Pines (Israel), Anthony Reid (Australia), Bill Streifer (United States) and Li Yun Tsuan (China). A history of the journal, «От „Советского востоковедения“ к „Востоку“: очерк истории одного журнала», was published by Anton Zakharov in the Bulletin of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS in 2018.

• 2018

  Anton Zakharov publishes a history of the journal in the Bulletin of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS.

• 1999

  Vitaly Naumkin becomes editor-in-chief.

• 1991

  Adopts its current name «Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность» (Vostok / Oriens).

• 1988

  Leonid Alayev becomes editor-in-chief.

• 1977

  Anatoly Kutsenkov becomes editor-in-chief.

• 1961

  Renamed «Народы Азии и Африки» (Peoples of Asia and Africa).

• 1959

  Merges with «Советское китаеведение» and is renamed «Проблемы востоковедения».

• 1957

  Iosif Braginsky becomes editor-in-chief.

• 1955

  Journal founded as «Советское востоковедение» (Soviet Oriental Studies); Vyacheslav Maslennikov becomes editor-in-chief.

The only interdisciplinary Oriental-studies academic periodical in the post-Soviet space, published under the Russian Academy of Sciences and indexed in RINC.

• «Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность» (Vostok. Afro-Asian Societies: History and Modernity)

  The journal's flagship publication, issued six times a year.

1. 1Журнал «Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность»vostokoriens.ru
2. 2Миссия журналаvostokoriens.ru
3. 3Orienswikidata.org
4. 4Vostok / Oriensfr.wikipedia.org