Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography or N.N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology is a Russia
n institute of research, specializing in ethnographic
studies of cultural and physical anthropology
. The institute is a constituent institute of the History branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
, with its main building on Leninsky Prospekt
, Moscow
.
The Institute is named after the renowned 19th century ethnologist and anthropologist Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay.
by the amalgamation of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAE) and the Institute for the Study of Ethnic Groups of the USSR (IPIN) in autumn 1933.
Its first director was Nikolai Matorin
. On 23 December 1933 he was dismissed by the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of USSR and replaced by Ivan Meshchaninov
on 1 January 1934.
On 25 January 1935, the IAE was transformed into the Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography. Meshchaninov remained director until this organisation was in turn dissolved in 1937.
On 11 February 1937, the Institute was restructured with sections being replaced by several departments or cabinets:
The Museum of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography was set up as separate part of the institute under the directorship of Dmitrii Alekseevich Olderogge. It consisted of various departments:
On August 5, 1937, the Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography was renamed the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography.
and physical anthropologists
from throughout the Soviet Union to research the physical-constitutional and socio-historic development of the population. Political leaders had set the anthropologists the task of showing that "race" from the Marxist-Leninist point of view was not a significant factor in the "historical process". This was a response to the Nazi development of a "race science" (Rassenkunde) which was presented as the scientific basis for political theory and practice.
was appointed Director of the Institute and retained that position until 1989, having a major impact on Soviet Anthropology.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n institute of research, specializing in ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
studies of cultural and physical anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. The institute is a constituent institute of the History branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
, with its main building on Leninsky Prospekt
Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow
Leninsky Avenue is a major avenue in Moscow, Russia, that goes from Oktyabrskaya in the central part of the city to Yugo-Zapadnaya in the outskirts....
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
The Institute is named after the renowned 19th century ethnologist and anthropologist Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay.
Institutional History
The Institute was established in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
by the amalgamation of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAE) and the Institute for the Study of Ethnic Groups of the USSR (IPIN) in autumn 1933.
Its first director was Nikolai Matorin
Nikolai Matorin
Nikolai Mikhailovich Matorin was a Russian ethnographer and folklorist. He lectured at the Geographic Institute from 1924, becoming an Associate Professor in the Ethnographic Department there in 1928 and professor in 1930. He specialised in religious studies and by 1930 he was appointed Deputy...
. On 23 December 1933 he was dismissed by the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of USSR and replaced by Ivan Meshchaninov
Ivan Meshchaninov
Ivan Meshchaninov was a Soviet linguist and ethnographer.-Biography:Born at Ufa, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of St Petersburg in 1907 and then briefly studied at Heidelberg University before taking up archaeology back at St Petersburg, graduating in 1910...
on 1 January 1934.
On 25 January 1935, the IAE was transformed into the Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography. Meshchaninov remained director until this organisation was in turn dissolved in 1937.
On 11 February 1937, the Institute was restructured with sections being replaced by several departments or cabinets:
- Europe and the Caucasus, headed by Dmitrii ZeleninDmitrii ZeleninDmitrii Konstantinovich Zelenin was a Russian linguist and ethnographer.He led the European Brigade of the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography, which was formed in 1938 to formulate the list of nationalities to be officially recognised by the Soviet Union.In November 2004 the...
- SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and Western Central Asia, headed by Y. P. Koshkin - EastEast AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and South AsiaSouth AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, headed by N. V. Khner - AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, AmericaAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Australia and Oceania, headed by I. N. Vinnikov - ArchaeologyArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, headed by P. P. Efimenko - FolkloreFolkloreFolklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, headed by M. K. Azadovskii - History of Religion, headed by Y .P. Frantsev
The Museum of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography was set up as separate part of the institute under the directorship of Dmitrii Alekseevich Olderogge. It consisted of various departments:
- Europe, Caucasus and Western Central Asia, headed by Nikolai KislyakovNikolai KislyakovNikolai Andreevich Kislyakov was a Soviet ethnologist and who specialised in cultures of the Near and Middle East and Western Central Asia, particularly Persian and Tajik)....
- Siberia, headed by V. N. Chernetsov
- India, Indonesia, and the Far East, headed by N. V. Khner
- The Early Stage of the Primeval Society, Australia and Oceania, headed by I. N. Vinnikov
- North, Central and South America, headed by S. A. Sternberg
- Africa, headed by Dmitrii Alekseevich Olderogge
- Archaeology, headed by S. N. Zamyatnin
- Physical Anthropology, headed by B. N. Vishnevskii
On August 5, 1937, the Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnography was renamed the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography.
Activities of the IAE
The IAE brought together ethnographersEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
and physical anthropologists
Physical anthropology
Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic anthropology...
from throughout the Soviet Union to research the physical-constitutional and socio-historic development of the population. Political leaders had set the anthropologists the task of showing that "race" from the Marxist-Leninist point of view was not a significant factor in the "historical process". This was a response to the Nazi development of a "race science" (Rassenkunde) which was presented as the scientific basis for political theory and practice.
Activities of the Institute of Ethnography
In 1966 Yulian BromleyYulian Bromley
Yulian Bromley was a Russian anthropologist who gained international recognition.Bromley was a specialist in South Slavs. He was appointed Director of the Institute of Ethnography at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1966, a post he held until 1989...
was appointed Director of the Institute and retained that position until 1989, having a major impact on Soviet Anthropology.
External links
- Ордена Дружбы народов Институт этнологии и антропологии им. Н.Н.Миклухо-Маклая Российской Академии наук (Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, official site)