In May 2011, the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the XII Conference of Africanists "Africa in the context of a paradigm shift in global Development".

Following a tradition that has developed over many years, this conference gathers experts in various fields of humanities every three years to discuss a wide range of current problems in Africa and try to make forecasts for the future of the continent. Historians, economists, political scientists, sociologists, ecologists, cultural scientists, linguists and anthropologists shared the latest results of their research at the sessions of 21 sections.

This year's forum brought together 250 scientists from academic institutes and universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Kirov, Syktyvkar and Yaroslavl, as well as African studies researchers from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. More than 30 people came to participate in the conference from 15 countries in Africa, Europe, North and South America and Asia.

The opening ceremony of the conference was attended by the heads of African diplomatic missions in Moscow, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Roszarubezhcenter, and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The forum was opened by the Director of the Institute of African Studies, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. M. Vasiliev.

Then Jibrin Abdul, Deputy Doyen of the African Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chad to the Russian Federation, addressed the scientists with a parting speech. Deputy Director of the Department of Africa Vladimir Fedotov spoke on behalf of the Russian Foreign Ministry

A. M. Vasiliev's report "Tsunami of Revolutions: New Geopolitical Realities", devoted to the global political changes of the last half-year in the Arab world, set a high bar for scientific discussion. A. M. Vasiliev made a detailed analysis of the causes of revolutions, their nature, driving forces, methods and results. Looking consistently at the situation in three countries - Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya - he came to the conclusion that, in addition to the obvious causes of the explosion of discontent in the Arab world, such as corruption, unemployment, the gap between rich and poor, and the lack of democratic rights and freedoms, there are new trends in public life. We are talking about the rapid growth of general discontent in the context of widespread access to information technologies, especially among young people, who make up 40-50% of the population in Arab countries.

Another conclusion is that political regimes tend to be late in implementing their policies.-

impending changes in social and economic structures. The fact that some African leaders have been in power for too long should also be seen as a destabilizing element. The outlook for North African countries is alarming: at best, the new political systems may be similar to the Turkish model - a democracy with a strong Islamic party and a military in the background. But first they will have to go through a period of post-revolutionary economic instability, fraught with new social explosions. The participants of the section "Africa in the context of global climate change" (headed by , Doctor of Geography, A. A. Alimov, Doctor of Geography) discussed both pan-African environmental problems and the situation in individual countries of the continent. It was concluded that the previously identified trends of exacerbation of the socio-ecological crisis in African countries not only persist, constantly changing, but also take on new forms. The most dangerous phenomena should be considered such as degradation of the natural environment, one of the manifestations of which is desertification, depletion of water resources in Africa, the rapid spread of the AIDS pandemic - one of the most tragic results of human-nature interaction.

The conference participants were very interested in the work of the section "Africa in the system of modern international relations. Russian-African Relations " (head-Candidate of Economic Sciences E. N. Korendyasov).

18 reports of both Russian and foreign scientists were heard. The session was attended by Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the Russian Federation P. K. Kurgat. They discussed issues related to the place and role of the African continent in the system of international relations, the participation of African countries in international and regional organizations, and the position of African leaders in relation to the UN. Another important topic of scientific discussion is crisis and conflict situations on the African continent and the possibilities of their resolution. The section paid considerable attention to analyzing the state and forecasting the development of Russian-African cooperation, opportunities for Russian business in Africa, and prospects for expanding investment and trade cooperation.

The section " African Diasporas: Evolution in Time and Space "(head-Doctor of Historical Sciences M. Gavristova) focused on both historical issues - the formation and evolution of African diasporas, their history and cultural heritage, and topical issues related to the problems of authenticity and identity, adaptation and assimilation of Africans in different countries. Europe, America, and Asia.

The problems of the reports delivered at the section " Studying the history of Africa in Russian African studies "(head-Doctor of Historical Sciences Davidson) chronologically cover the XVIII-XX centuries. The discussion focused on the problem of historical sources and historiography in Russian African studies. Its participants paid tribute to researchers and scientists from both the imperial and Soviet periods of our history. Discussing the problem of developing relations between Russia and African countries, the participants came to the conclusion that it is necessary to expand and deepen mutual knowledge, both historical and regional.

The conference participants were very interested in the work of the sec-

Research Institute " African Policy of the BRICS countries "(head-Candidate of Historical Sciences A. A. Arkhangelskaya). 11 speakers from 7 countries presented the positions of the BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), as well as views on the organization's activities from the European Union and the United States. The discussion was opened by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of South Africa to the Russian Federation Mandisi Mpahlwa. The participants of the discussion came to the conclusion that the role of such interstate associations as BRICS will only increase in the modern world. Without taking into account the impact of its member States on international politics and the economy, it is impossible today to make a forecast for the development of the world as a whole and its individual regions. The section analyzed the African policy of each of the BRICS member countries in the light of the redistribution of spheres of influence on this continent due to the entry of new players such as China, India and Brazil.

The problems of the reports of the section " Civilizational paradigm of the world order and Africa "(head-Doctor named after I. V. Sledzevsky) touched upon the civilizational aspects of the modern world order. Speakers noted that the relevance of this topic is determined, first of all, by the growing contradictions that are clearly manifested in the course of globalization. The place and role of Africa in the processes of global competition of basic values and cultural models of the world, the strengthening of the role of individual regions, the growing influence of transnational institutions and social networks, and the rise of new religious and social movements were assessed.

During the debate on civilizational alternatives in Africa, various points of view were expressed on the following issues: real and potential threats to the world order and the role of stabilizing mechanisms; global modernization of cultures and the conversion of archaic mythology in the form of mass culture into modern culture; the phenomenon of the "magical renaissance" and neo-paganism; a break with the ethical norms of civilization and attempts to.

The section "Conflicts in Africa after the end of the Cold War: origins, main forms and consequences "(headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences N. D. Kosukhin and Doctor of Historical Sciences R. N. Ismagilova) had two subsections: "Ethnicity and conflicts" and "Conflicts in Africa: Origins and Typology". The Section heard and discussed a total of 17 reports from Russian and foreign participants, which focused on the analysis of the current model of African conflicts. It was noted that the collapse of the bipolar system of international relations has led to the aggravation of many deep historical conflicts. All speakers emphasized that the nature of African conflicts is diverse and is determined by a complex set of socio-economic, historical, ethnic, confessional and civilizational factors.

At the same time, according to Africanists, there is a model of a typical African conflict, which is characterized by common features. First, it is a crisis of statehood against the background of corrupt government. Secondly, the presence of many participants at the same time, each of which is guided by its own motivation, which encourages it to participate in this conflict. Third, the ferocity of the opposing forces, which manifests itself in mass killings, genocide, and ethnic "purges". Fourth, the involvement of neighboring countries in the conflict, the impact of conflicts on the situation in the region as a whole.

At the section "Cultural and historical context of development in the context of changing orientations of social evolution" (headed by Ph. D. V. Gribanova and Ph. D.N. A. Zherlitsyna), speakers from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belgium and France discussed two main topics: the historical aspect of relations between African countries and Russia/USSR and issues of studying the cultural heritage of the peoples of the continent. Special attention was paid to the processes emerging on the continent and in Russian-African relations at crucial moments in world history. These were the First and Second World Wars, the period of struggle for independence and the acquisition of sovereignty by African countries in the early 1960s.

At the section " Gender and public policy in Africa of the XXI century: new trends and prospects "(headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences N. L. and Candidate of Historical Sciences N. A. Ksenofontova), new trends and prospects of public policy in African countries on the women's issue were outlined. Analyzing the gender situation and its impact on the development of African countries, the panelists considered the following issues: features and causes of gender inequality in different countries of the African continent; the costs of discrimination against women in fundamental rights, access to education, resources and economic opportunities, and participation in public life; gender aspects of national, social and cultural identity;gender-based approaches to gender equality in problems of identity acquisition in the movement of migration flows. It is traditional for the work of the gender section to address the problems of compatriots who "settled" in Africa throughout the XX century.

The section " Information, Education and Language Policy in Africa in the light of globalization and regionalization "(headed by V. S. YagyaK. A. Panzerev, Ph. D.) focused on the problem of developing the foundations of information, education and language policy in Africa. The speakers agreed that in the modern world, the formation of a new social order based on the latest information and telecommunications technologies is increasingly clearly observed. An information society is being formed, in which the organization and processing of information and knowledge plays a crucial role. Panellists noted that the vast majority of African countries expressed concern about the dangers of the unequal nature of the emerging information and communication space and sought to play a more prominent role in the modern world.

The section "Interaction of literatures and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora: Stages, trends, prospects" (headed N. A. Dobronravin and Candidate of Philology ) discussed the history and current trends in the literature and culture of Africa and African diasporas in the world. The panel discussed issues such as the role of religion in African culture, clarifying the boundaries between author's literature and folklore, and the choice of language and writing as part of the literary process. Special attention was drawn to reports on the theory of creolization, in particular creolization of literatures and cultures in Africa and South America.

More than 15 reports were presented at the section " Islamic Challenge to the Modern World order: from Civilizational Identity to a Global Caliphate? Experience of the Muslim world's regions" (headed by Savateev, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and K. Filos.N.E. F. Kisriev). Experts on modern Islam were unanimous in their assessment of the place of this world religion in the modern world. They noted that Islam has become one of the leading factors in international relations, offering humanity its own special civilizational project. Its impact on all spheres of social and political life is deepening, both in the Muslim world and in regions dominated by other civilizations. This process is growing in Africa, including sub-Saharan Africa. The Muslim religion is becoming dominant for a number of peoples. In Tropical Africa, for example, it is rapidly replacing traditional African beliefs and Christianity.

The section " Language in the Context of changing sociocultural paradigms in Africa "(headed by Doctor of Philology and Doctor of Philology V. Ya. Porkhomovsky) attracted more than 30 scientists representing linguistic schools of Russian African studies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Syktyvkar, as well as colleagues from Great Britain and France. The discussion focused on sociolinguistic studies of cultural and linguistic situations, comparative historical studies of African languages, problems of genetic classification, African dialectology and area studies. Issues related to a number of specific languages and language families were considered. Many of the reports were based on original materials obtained during field surveys in Africa.

The section "The Middle East and North Africa: modernization in the context of globalization" (head - Candidate of Economic Sciences A. A. Tkachenko) was attended by UCHE students.-

The researchers are Arabists from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as researchers from Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. The speakers focused on the problem of regional conflicts and civil wars in the region; transformation of traditional societies in the context of globalization; features of modernization of national economies in the light of major global trends and regional and country-specific features.

At the section" Peace agreements and strengthening political order in Africa " (head - A. Jilonen), speakers from Germany, Spain, the United States, South Africa and Russia discussed the situation in African countries that have long-standing conflicts and are trying to resolve them by concluding peace agreements. This has been the case, for example, in Sierra Leone in 2001, Angola in 2002, Liberia in 2003, Sudan in 2005 and 2006, the Central African Republic in 2008, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2008. However, some of these peace agreements have not been implemented.

The subject of scientific discussion was the conditions necessary for overcoming conflicts, implementing peace agreements and strengthening political order in African countries.

At the section "Religions in modern Tropical Africa: the evolution of structures and content" (head - Candidate of Historical Sciences Kavykin), the following phenomena of spiritual and religious culture of Africans were discussed: the influence of global factors and local conditions on the development of religions; the spread of monotheistic religions; traditional beliefs in modern conditions; syncretic religions, neo-paganism in modern times. Tropical Africa; new religious trends; the emergence of secular consciousness and post-Christian values in modern conditions.

Speakers from Russia, Great Britain, Germany and South Africa discussed the political processes in Southern Africa, the results of recent elections in the region, the militarization of politics and the economic consequences of the loss of state legitimacy during the apartheid period at the section "South Africa: modernization, elections, regional Cooperation" (head - Candidate of Historical Sciences Tokarev). the role of civil society organizations in ending apartheid.

Reports related to regional cooperation - the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the Association of Portuguese-Speaking Countries of Africa (PALOP), as well as the Soviet Union's assistance to Southern African countries-sparked a lively discussion/Russia, the GDR and other countries at the stage of anti-colonial struggle. Special attention was also paid to the economic development of the region, including such issues as the modernization of national economies.

The section " State Economic Policy and Business: New Phenomena "(head- Candidate of Historical Sciences V. Morozenskaya) heard and discussed the changing nature and scale of foreign investment in Africa by China, the United States and EU countries during the global financial crisis, as well as the African policies of these states and international financial organizations. In addition, the gathered scientists and economists discussed changes in the economic policies of African states, the state of the investment climate, and budget regulation issues.

At the sessions of the section "Trends in socio-economic, political and cultural development of Tropical African countries in the context of the formation of a multipolar world" (headed by Doctor of Political Science L. V. Geveling and Candidate of Historical Sciences ), the problems of development of the region's countries, the socio - economic situation in Tropical Africa were discussed. Most attention was paid to the specifics of holding general elections, their country specifics, issues of maintaining political stability in the post-election period,the alignment of political forces, and the causes of conflict situations.

The section" Zimbabwe at the Crossroads " (headed Sciences ) focused on the complex political situation that emerged as a result of the ambiguous results of the spring-summer 2011 elections in this country. Country experts from Russia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom examined the causes of the political crisis, analyzed internal and external factors that affected the situation in the country, assessed the steps taken for national reconciliation and recovery, and gave forecasts of the situation.

The speeches of the participants of the so-called "Free Section "(headed by , Doctor of Historical Sciences) reflected the diversity of scientific research in modern African studies. The section was attended by historians, anthropologists, sociologists and economists. The comparison of various scientific approaches has made it possible to enrich the analysis of the stated problems.

At the plenary session, the results of the conference were summed up by the Chairman of the organizing committee, Director of the Institute of Africa A.M. Vasiliev and Executive Secretary of the organizing committee N. A. Zherlitsyna. It was stressed that the conference once again demonstrated the growing interest in Africa in Russia and the world. This scientific event, which has been held for several decades, has confirmed its status as one of the main forums of Russian and foreign Africanists for a comprehensive discussion of African problems.

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