On December 2-5, 2008, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London (SOAS) hosted an international conference on the study and teaching of Arab history, language and culture in Western universities under the auspices of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALEC SO).

The main goal of this scientific and practical forum, which was reflected in the speeches of its participants representing leading universities of the Old and New World (Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, USA, Canada, Russia), is to promote a dialogue between the cultures of the peoples of the Arab world and the West. Given the recent events and developments in the Middle East and its borders, this noble goal is becoming particularly relevant and is undoubtedly intended to clear the way for cooperation and mutual understanding, which, alas, has been thoroughly undermined by the outbursts of Arabophobia and Islamophobia, on the one hand, and the growth of anti-Western rhetoric in some religious and political circles of the Muslim world - on the other side.

It is noteworthy that almost all the speeches made in London were more or less related to the legacy of Edward Said (1935-2003), a well-known Palestinian-American literary and cultural critic, professor at Columbia University, who stirred up scientific and public opinion with his book Orientalism, which was first published in New York thirty years ago. not only in the narrow professional environment of Orientalists, but also in the broadest intellectual circles of the West and East.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Acting Director of SOAS G. Furnis and Head of the Department of Culture of ALECSO R. Baranov addressed the participants. Auad. Representatives of American universities were honored to make presentations at the plenary session: R. Owen from Harvard ("Studying the Arab World in Western Universities") and Beshara Dumami from the University of California, Berkeley ("Learning Arabic, not Arabs").

The first working session of the conference was opened by S. Kirk (University College London). In his report on new approaches to the study of Egyptian history, he noted the increased scientific and social relevance of Said's "Orientalism" on the threshold of the coming XXI century. Modern times require a broader, "multidisciplinary" approach to the study of Arab history and culture. The modern development of Egyptology and Arabic studies involves close interaction between Western and Arab researchers, the use of new technical tools, visual aids, etc.in scientific and teaching activities. The first positive, and not so much, fruits of such development are already noticeable in Egypt, where many students have clearly experienced the influence of Westernization, primarily Americanization. During the years of independence, the influence of such a factor as "neo-colonialism" was fully manifested, not only in the socio-political, but also in the scientific sphere.

The problems of "transition from colonialism to semi-colonialism" in the cultural and scientific life of Egypt were raised in his report by Professor D. Reed of the Universities of Georgia and Washington. On the example of two prominent Egyptian scientists - Selim Hassan (1886-1961) and Sami Sabra (1892-1979) - D. Reed traced the development in the twentieth century of traditional national, on the one hand, and clearly Europeanized, on the other, approaches to the study of various aspects of the historical and cultural heritage of Egypt: ancient, Islamic, and Coptic.

Hasam Aboul-El (University of Houston, USA) in the report "Arabic literature in the light of globalization. Comparativism and its criticism" also noted the influence of E. Said's ideas on orientalists in Great Britain and the United States, the growing interest in the problems of the Middle East among scientists and students, emphasizing that the role of the "Arab-emigrant minority" in modern Oriental studies, in particular in Arabic studies, should not be exaggerated.

L. Parsons (McGill University of Canada, Montreal) also dedicated her speech to written monuments of the early 20th century. on the history of the Arab East, paying tribute to the works of E. Said. The Palestinian theme has gained great popularity in modern Arabic studies, including thanks to the latter. Both scientists and students are particularly interested in text collections, readers, anthologies, as well as "socio-political issues".

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portraits " - biographies and memoirs. Not only classical, but also new Arabic literature serves today as the most valuable historical source.

R. Wisnowski (McGill University) noted current trends in the study of Arab-Muslim philosophy, their role in the dialogue of civilizations. The scientist traced the origins of rationalism and mysticism in the ideology and philosophy of the ancient world, and of course, in the works of medieval Arab and Persian authors.

The problems of the quality of teaching Arabic in Spain, which are quite relevant for other university centers in the West, were raised in his report by Antonio Jimenez Reyo (University of Murcia). The traditions and methods of teaching the Arabic language that were born in the colonial era are far from giving exclusively positive results today. In the West, they sometimes study and teach a language that "would hardly have been understood by Muhammad himself," he said. The experience of the Spanish "scholastic" classical school of Arabic studies, known by the name of one of its founders, Beni Coder, still remains relevant, not always contributing to the development of dialogue with the Arab world.

The morning session on December 4 was opened by Eduardo Manzano Moreno (Center for Humanities and Social Research, Madrid), who dedicated a report to the image of Al-Andalus in modern Spain. Eight centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula have left a significant mark on the region's history. As a numerical minority of the diverse population of Al-Andalus, the Arabs made a huge contribution to the culture of Spain. The Spanish nation itself was largely formed in the battles against the Arabs and, of course, under their influence. Modern science and "post-orientalism" are designed to answer not only the old, classical, but also new questions of cross-cultural and inter-civilizational relations facing Orientalists.

G. Harrer (University of Vienna, Diplomatic Academy, Der Standart newspaper) She spoke about the study and perception of the Arab world in academic, political and public circles in Austria. Centuries of rivalry and interaction with the Ottoman Port, the honorary title of "King of Jerusalem" in the Habsburg titulature determined the role of the Middle East in the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and modern Austria. A noticeable rapprochement of the country with the Arab world was outlined during the reign of Bruno Kreisky. Meanwhile, anti-Arab and anti-Islamic protests have recently intensified in Austria. It is significant that they are carried out, in particular, by so-called anti-German groups, including the Austrian "left anti-Germans".

The last day of the conference was opened by Sh. Wilde (University of Bonn), who presented the general picture of the development of Arabic studies in Germany after the Second World War. A comparative analysis of the activities of research and university centers in two parts of post-war Germany shows that the GDR at one time formed a powerful center of Arabic studies, which provided the publication of unique dictionaries, research and educational literature. An important achievement of German Arabic studies in the period under review was the opening of the German Orient Institute in Beirut in 1961 on the initiative of the German Oriental Society (DMG) and with the support of the German Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology, currently operating under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Education.

R. Jacquemond (University of Provence) reviewed the French experience in research and teaching of Arabic language and literature. Both in the past and today, France remains the largest center of Oriental studies. The famous INALCO (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations, formerly the School of Living Oriental Languages) was founded in Paris in 1795 and currently provides training in more than 90 languages of Asia and Africa. In general, about 5 thousand students study Arabic in French universities today. students, as well as up to 40 thousand schoolchildren, mostly from Arabic-speaking and mixed families (statistics on national groups are officially prohibited in the country). The growing interest in the Arabic language and culture, largely associated with the rise of the liberation movement in Algeria and other countries of North Africa and the Middle East, allowed the opening of a number of new centers of Arabic studies in the early 60s of the XX century, including at the University of Aix-en-Provence. In recent years, the interest in Arabic studies in France, unlike, for example, in America or England, has slightly decreased. Chinese, Japanese and other East Asian languages are becoming increasingly popular among young people today.

The problems of modern Arabic literature, its study and translation in Spain were discussed by the City of Parilla (Autonomous University of Madrid). Traditionally a lot of attention in Spain

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It focused on the literature and culture of neighboring Morocco. Meanwhile, in recent years, the country has published many translations of classics of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Palestinian literature, including T. Hussein, N. Mahfouz, J. H. Jibran, and others. According to Spanish researchers, Arabic, particularly Moroccan, authors who write in Spanish, unlike, for example, the French-speaking T. Ben Jalloun, can hardly be considered representatives of their national literature. Not so long ago, a Moroccan Berber writer even received the Catalan Literary Award.

A number of interesting reports on topical issues of the Arab East were presented by young Arab researchers from English universities: Nadieh al-Ali (SOAS): "From women's studies to gender studies: the formation of the mainstream, or ghettoization?"; Maha Abderrahman (Cambridge University) " Development problems and the Arab world. Politics and Policy Approaches"; A. Fabos (University of East London) " Refugees in the Arab world. A View from the West", etc.

The conference also featured presentations by N. N. Dyakov and E. I. Zelenev, Professors of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg State University, who spoke about the main stages and features of the development of Arabic studies and Islamic studies in St. Petersburg in the XIX-XX centuries. an Egyptian scholar-sheikh, professor of St. Petersburg University Muhammad A. at-Tantawi (1810-1861), who in fact laid the foundations of teaching modern Arabic in the city on the Neva River in the middle of the XIX century and left the university library a unique collection of manuscripts.

The London conference "Studying the Arab World in Western Universities", in our opinion, fully achieved the goal set by its organizers from ALECSO and SOAS: a wide range of opinions expressed in the speeches of scientists and experts, once again confirmed the relevance of modern Middle Eastern studies for the development of a dialogue between cultures and civilizations of the West and the East.

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