Articles

Using the example of Alaouite Morocco and the Egyptian province of the Ottoman Empire, the authors discuss the historical retrospective of the political and ideological interrelationship between the ruling circles of the Arab lands and the influential clans of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (sharifs), who lived in North Africa since the early Middle Ages. The reasons for the political alliances between the Alaouite dynasty and the provincial sharifian families are explained, as well as the factors behind the sharifs’ participation in the political life of Ottoman Egypt. The ecological, political, and socio-cultural grounds for the long-term preservation of peripheral land-use patterns in these countries are considered. The authors turn to the study of the functioning of pious endowments (waqfs), land grants (azibs), and tax-farming holdings (iltizams) provided in favor of the sharifs. The historical and cultural prerequisites for the transformation of waqfs, azib lands, and iltizams into private property are clarified. Special attention is paid to the legal status of users of azibs and iltizams and to the political status of residents of lands granted as azibs.

The article examines the peculiarities of the description of the participation of representatives of noble families in the political struggle during the reign of Han Gaozu, Liu Bang (202-195 B.C.), in the second part of the first chapter of Han shu (漢書 “History of Han”). The analysis of the content of “historical-literary” texts from this chapter, adjacent to historical texts, makes it possible to study the peculiarities of the struggle for power between the emperor and representatives of various elite groups of hereditary nobility. An open and direct designation of the circumstances of this struggle was apparently not always possible due to the long-lasting influence of the political forces involved. Therefore, historiographers limited themselves to mentioning various personalities, which indirectly indicates the involvement of particular political groups of the hereditary aristocracy of early imperial China in the struggle for power.

In 1954, in the village of Kizhur at the border of Pondicherry and Madras (since 1956 - Tamil Nadu) a referendum took place; it was attended by representatives of the local Pondicherry elite who took a decision on the merger of the French colonial possessions in the South of Hindustan with India. The decision to transfer the territories brought about a number of legal issues that were to be resolved by the governments of the two countries; the issue of citizenship of Pondicherry residents was one of them. In 1956, India and France signed a final agreement that determined the new status of former French enclaves and the legal status of their residents. The article examines the key provisions of the 1956 agreement on the transfer of territories to India, regulatory inconsistencies in the articles on citizenship, as well as formal difficulties that the residents of Pondicherry could have encountered. It also analyzes the current status of Pondicherry residents - those of French or other foreign citizenship.

Theophanes the Confessor’s statement that following Constantine the Great’s victory over Licinius (324) Roman troops defeated Persians who had seized Amida is usually considered as actually describing events which took place in mid-330-es. This, however, does not seem supported by the extant evidence. On the contrary, a study of the sources suggests that in 324 Sasanid troops, capitalizing on the struggle between Constantine and Licinius, invaded Mesopotamia and took Amida, but in the spring of the following year Roman forces under the nominal command of Caesar Constantius defeated them. Doubts as to the reliability of Theophanes’ account arise from the fact that the author of the original text erroneously described Narseh, who commanded the Sasanid troops, as a son of the Sasanid king. That Narseh is probably not identifiable with either Narseus of Rufus Festus, or Narseh, brother of Sasanid king Shāhpūhr II (307/8–379/80), mentioned by mediaeval Armenian writers. Reasons which are usually put forward against the reliability of Theophanes’ account do not appear decisive, for Constantius might have obtained the title of Persicus because of his repulse of a Sasanid offensive in 338 and his fortification of Amida was caused by the Persians’ repeated raids and is not necessarily connected to Narseh’s campaign.

Economic development of Israel is a key issue not only in the regional researches but in case of the national economics around the globe. Small territory, lack of natural resources and estrangement from the states in the region: all these factors had a huge negative impact on the national economy of Israel in 1948. There was a need to develop the agriculture in order to build a recursive and self-ensuring economy. Traditional agricultural communities and settlements played a key role in its’ development. They still represent one of the main producers of agricultural goods. Moreover, the branch remains an important part of the inner production and export even in the innovative era. Two main types of agricultural goods for export consist of citruses and vegetables. The current wave of Israeli-Palestinian conflict influences the agriculture along with all types of industries. However, Israel has gone through the similar phases throughout its’ history. The agricultural market remains stable and ready for such fluctuations.

In Persian poetry sky is a powerful being whose incessant rotation around the earth determines the course of time and governs people’s destinies. Poets glorify the height and grandeur of the firmament, invoke its mercy upon themselves or upon the one to whom the poem is dedicated, and often they address the sky with reproaches. However, usually it does not answer them. The article discusses two cases in which the sky responds to the appeal, and a philological translation of the relevant passages is proposed. One example can be found in the masnavi poem by the Sufi poet Farid ad-Din ʿAṭṭār the Musibat-nameh (The Book of Torments) (12–13th cc.) where the Traveller of Thought (sālik-i fikrat), i.e. the personified thought of a meditating soul, converses with the sky seeking solace in his metaphysical grief. Another one is a fragment from Ferdowsi’s poem Shah-nameh where the Sky is being addressed by the author himself. Although these appeals to the Sky are quite different, the responses are similar: in both cases, the Sky ― and through it the poet ― appeals to human beeing’s higher purpose and unique place in the universe.

Liu Xie’s (465/466–520/522) treatise Wen xin diao long of 50 chapters presents the traditional literary theory, literary criticism and history of Ancient and Early Medieval literature of China in the most systematic and complete form. Its first complete Western translation into English by Vincent Yu-chung Shih (施友忠, Shi Yuzhong, 1902–2001) was published as late as in 1959. This presentation examines the 1959–1961 book reviews by the foreign literary experts on the Shih’s translation. They contain diverse assessments, suggestions and criticism of the first foreign-language edition of Wen xin diao long, which is an important resource for developing the parameters of a complete scientific edition of the forthcoming Russian translation of the treatise. The reviewers did not object to the choice of Liu Xie’s treatise as a source text. The courage of the translator who took up such a difficult task was lauded. The comments concerned the structure of the book (Introduction, translation text, Notes, Glossary, Index), the execution of the translation, the content of the Introduction and the scientific apparatus of the book. Vincent Shi’s translation became a significant event in the study of Wen xin diao long in the international sinology. The reviews pointed out objective difficulties, many of which remain relevant to this day and are associated with a lack of translations and knowledge of ancient and early medieval Chinese literature. The end of the 20th — beginning of the 21st witnessed appearance of the seven new translations of the treatise into European languages, which had to refer to Vincent Shih’s translation, to challenge him or agree with him both in the matters of translation proper and in the matters of the publication setup.

This article presents a review of the major scientific researches on the topic of ideograms in the Chinese and the Japanese languages, classified by their main themes and approaches in order to isolate similarities and differences of the approaches. In the paper we describe various approaches of Russian-speaking researchers to the study of ideograms from the second half of the XX to the early XXI century. Works in Sinology and Japanology during this period cover topics including writing, lexicology, and grammar, demonstrating a synchronized approach to studying the languages and cultures in both countries. Different perceptions of the issues under investigation can be noted in Japanology and Sinology. There is a lack of comparative studies simultaneously addressing both languages and their writing systems, as these topics are mostly presented separately in the works of Sinologists and Japanologists, indicating that despite the synchronization of studying linguistic aspects of both languages, joint comparative research within a single work is almost non-existent.

The history of modern Hebrew started in the 19th century, when Eliezer Ben-Yehuda set out to bring back the sleeping since the third century Hebrew language. This process was called the “revival of Hebrew”. Some innovations characteristic of the Slavic and Germanic language groups were added to the basis, that was preserved in traditional literature. However, we have not yet had to talk about the final design of the literary norm. Hebrew continued develop during the first waves of Jewish migrations from Europe to Eretz Israel, absorbing the regional characteristics of the settlers. Changes are still taking place in it. Modernization processes in Israeli society are leaving their mark on Hebrew. Language revises norms that are not relevant to modern discourse, acquires neologisms and slang, discards hopelessly outdated elements. Special institutions have been established to stabilize and codify continuous development. It would seem that they should become an aid in teaching modern Hebrew, because all educational and methodological literature is focused on their rulings. However, the role of such organizations is highly controversial. In practice, they often do not solve the controversial issues of comparing literary norms and conversational status, but leave them open. This puts the teacher of modern Hebrew in front of a moral choice: to adhere to the study of dry rules or sometimes to the detriment of them to give preference to a lively informal language. For Hebrew, this problem has the character of an existential question, laid down during the first waves of Jewish migrations at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries, and does not have an unambiguous answer. The choice depends on the preferences and views of the teacher.

Yulia Markovna Alikhanova (17.06.1936 — 05.01.2024), who had worked over half a century at the Department of Indian Philology of IAAS MSU, an outstanding Sanskritologist, scholar of literature studies and master of literary translation, teacher of many generations of philologists at IAAS, author of lecture courses on literature and poetics of Ancient India, as well as basic theory of literary studies, — has passed away.

The article examines Turkey’s strategic efforts to enhance its economic engagement with Africa, focusing on key initiatives such as the 2003 Strategy for the Development of Economic Relations with Africa and the Turkey-Africa Summits. These efforts have played a pivotal role in expanding trade relations, particularly evident in the post-2002 period, which witnessed a sharp rise in Turkish exports to African markets. Furthermore, Turkey’s development assistance programs have emerged as a central tool for bolstering its economic footprint on the continent. Overall, the article underscores Turkey’s evolving position as a prominent actor in Africa, characterized by growing trade, investment, and multifaceted political and humanitarian involvement.

The article is devoted to the narrative features of the short story Flock of Brown Birds (Hese Niaoqun, 1988) by the modern Chinese writer Ge Fei (born 1964), one of the key figures of the Chinese avant-garde literature of the late 20th century (xianfeng wenxue). The article provides an analysis of the narrative structure, composition and character system of the story. Main focus is on the elements of metafiction in the story, including addressing the topic of the fictional process, bringing the image of the narrator closer to the figure of the author, commenting on the process of creating a literary work (exposing the technique). For Ge Fei, reality is the text, and fictional process is an attempt to establish a connection with the elusive reality. In addition, the article also focuses on the fragmentation of the narrative, the use of an unreliable narrator, the non-linearity of the plot and the presence of gaps that invite the reader to participate in the creation of a literary work. Due to the identified features, Ge Fei’s fiction can be classified as the example of Chinese postmodern literature.

The underlying thesis of this article is related to the assertion that Confucianism, the oldest philosophical school in China, which emerged in 551–479 B.C., has influenced and still influences the social and spiritual life of the country, particularly its literature, for centuries. The authors examine in detail how the main Confucian paradigms of ‘Ren’, ‘Li’, and ‘Zhong yong’ are refracted in Chinese literature of the past and present centuries. A brief interpretation of these paradigms is given. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the postulates of this doctrine are flexible, which makes it possible to draw from it various inferences necessary for a certain historical stage and for literary writers to follow the prescriptions of these inferences.

The article studies two key novels by the Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate (1988) Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006), The Cairo Trilogy (1956–1957) and Children of Our Alley (1959), through the prism of the Muslim allusions embedded in them. They play major role in the allegorical work Children of Our Alley which is stylized as a sira (“folk novel”) and shows the life of many generations of Gabalawi’s descendants. In The Trilogy, the symbolism is hidden, but the comparison between it and the next novel of Mahfouz through the lens of Muslim allusions, primarily in names, made it possible to reveal the symbolic meaning of the novel and establish a common philosophy underlying the two works. The main source is the Qur‘an; the authors also turned to texts of classical Islamic studies and early Islamic history. Relevance: 1) drawing attention to the Cairo Trilogy, famous in Arab countries, but not translated into Russian; 2) popularizing the method of analyzing religious connotations, which is rarely used in literary studies, but is productive for understanding and translating the literature of Muslim countries in which religion plays a large social role. Conclusions: both novels present an allegory of the history of mankind which is going through radical changes in modern times. At the beginning, they show a traditional world where religion is associated with vital energy (in the first two issues of the Trilogy, the Islamic aspect of names is associated with success in society and large offspring; in Children of Our Alley, the names allowed to connect the main characters with the prophets of Islam). During the course of the plot, the order in the world of the novels is disrupted. At the end of them, the father leaves the world (in both novels, the patriarch is an allegory of God); Muslim references in names and the religious piety of the characters cease to be a defense against chaos. Religion is being replaced by scientific point of view (Kamal in the Trilogy and ‘Arafa in Children of Our Alley; their names do not have Islamic connotations). Science which is free from religious rules is not able to resist immorality and the depletion of the human race. The author’s view of the new era is pessimistic: the old model of the world is destroyed, and the new one is corrupted.

The article deals with the peculiarities of quoting proverbs and aphorisms by Turkish President R.T. Erdogan in his speeches. The questions of their transformation, methods of introduction and connection to current circumstances, expressive-emotional and stylistic coloring, as well as the evaluative aspect and its author’s development in the context are raised. The speaker introduces a proverb into his speech with the help of introductory phrases and words that act as markers, which can break it in the case of a two-part structure, frame it, and be used in double and triple repetition. Stylistically, most of the quoted proverbs are neutral in color; to achieve maximum expressiveness of the statement, the speaker uses emotional proverbs belonging to the conversational style of speech, often with a zoonymic component. The President rarely transforms the idiom; its recognition is important to him; moreover, he does not use the most common of them, this gives his speeches originality and emphasizes the originality of the author’s style. The most used method of transformation is the omission of elements that do not change the semantics of the expression, or the replacement of a word with a synonym, in rare cases, a compositional transformation consisting of rearrangement of parts. Sometimes the speaker, relying on the imagery of an idiom, paraphrases and interprets it in the current context, or, changing only its grammatical-syntactic structure, inserts it into his speech. R.T. Erdogan uses idioms with both positive and negative evaluative components. Often he expresses his thought by using the stylistic device of antithesis, starting from the negative assessment contained in the idiom, he comes to a positive conclusion, less often — vice versa. To enhance the expressiveness and persuasiveness of his speech, the speaker sometimes indicates a personal attitude towards what is being quoted, connecting it with the circumstances of his private life. In some cases, there is an obvious pragmatic connection between the idiom and the topic, geography, or specific occasion for delivering the speech.