A.P. Kolontayev. The Countries of the Orient at the Beginning of the XXI Century: in the Search of the New Theoretical Generalizations

The author considers it topical to revise former conceptions of the social and economic development of the "third world". A revision is necessitated by the fact that these conceptions were formulated for developing countries viewed as an independent object of research. Today all attempts to theoretically understand processes in the more and more differentiating "third world" are impossible without including the problems of its development into the general context of the contemporary stage of the evolution of world economy (first of all - context of globalization). Topicality of such a revision in this country is necessitated also by the fact that the present-day level of development of the former colonial countries and backward societies was achieved despite the Marxist conceptions. The Marxist schemes of development could not either forecast or explain progress of the developing countries in many fields. Profound changes going on during decades in the world economy appear also for the developing countries, the author points out, either as a new stage of their development, or as a possibility of such development. In order to reach a required level of analysis it is necessary first and foremost to revise and in some cases reject old-fashioned methodological and theoretical approaches

Key words: periphery and the centres of the world economy, conducting the countries of the East, westernisation, globalisation, a modern economic science and development.

A.O. Zakharov. The Inscriptions of Bhadravarman I, King of Champa: A Translation into Russian with a Commentary

The paper contains the first translation of the Sanskrit inscriptions of Bhadravarman I into Russian. Bhadravarman I was a king of one of Champa polities of Central Vietnam in the fifth century C.E. The centre of his polity was situated near the famous temple complex My San in the Quangnam Province of Vietnam. The author translates the inscriptions C 72, 41, 105 and 147 while only two of them undoubtedly belong to Bhadravarman I. The new Russian translation in some aspects improves the classical translations by A. Bergaigne, L. Finot, and R.C. Majumdar. Probably, the concept of Campa did not exist during the epoch of Bhadravarman I.

Key words: inscriptions, Champa, Funan, Vietnam, Bhadravarman.

D.A. Saprykin. The Forming of the System Self-government in Meiji Japan (1868 - 1911)

The article describes measures undertaken by central government in Meiji Japan (1868 - 1911) to establish the system of local self-government. Its focal point is on the process of administrative reforms, while its contents show the difficulties of the "transition period" as well as relations between central and local governments at all stages of reform. Depiction of provisions of laws and other legal documents, which shaped the legal basis of local government in late XIX - early XX c., also takes a significant part.

Oriental studies in Russia generally overlook the history of establishing the system of local autonomy in Japan as many researchers pursue the matter only at the national level. However, local governments play a significant role in Japanese nation and society's life. They provide citizens with significant volume of services, including those normally provided by national/federal governments in many developed countries. Therefore the article might be of great practical value both for researchers and experts in national and municipal management.

Key words: Japan, Meiji, Edo, Tokugawa, local government, self-government, local autonomy, todofuken, daimyo, prefecture, municipality, administrative division, modernization, decentralization, Omori Shoichi, Yamagata Aritomo, Albert Mosse.

B.G. Seyranyan. Muhammad Abduh: Creator of Thinking Egypt

None of the contemporaries had such a great and profound influence on the social and the intellectual life of Egypt in the XX century as Muhammad Abduh, who was recognized fairly as a "creator of the thinking Egypt". The doctrine and the public work Abduh remains actual and excite unremitting interest in the whole Muslim world right up to nowadays.

Key words: Islamic reformation, Islamic modernism, panislamism, reformism, reinterpretation, true Islam.

S.V. Dmitriev. Prince N.I. Amatuni and His Secret Expeditions to the Persian Gulf (1904 - 1907)

This article written according to the archival material describes the activities of one of the Russian practitioner orientalists Prince N.I. Amatuni. Assinged by the General Directorate of Merchant Shipping and Ports of Russia in the beginning of the 1900-ies, he made several expeditions to the Middle East. The purpose of those expeditions was to study the local market to promote the products of the Russian manufacturers. His reports and notes contain a large amount of information on the ethnography of the countries bordering the Persian Gulf. In addition, in southern Iran he had collected a good ethnographic collection that was passed to the ethnographic department of the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III (nowadays - Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg).

Key words: Prince N.I Amatuni, the expeditions to the Middle East, Gulf countries, the ethnographic collection, the Russian Museum of Ethnography.

E.O. Kasaev. Iraq: Prospects of Development and Risks for Russian Oil Business

The second half of 2010 in the Republic of Iraq was marked by the withdrawal of combat US troops from Iraqi territory and the political crisis. Now hardly anyone would undertake to offer long-term prognosis with respect to Iraqi internal political development. Prospects of Russian oil companies depend not only on the decisions of Iraqi authorities, who do not have complete control over a situation that remains volatile and explosive, but also on sociopolitical factors, political conjuncture and keeping Iraq as a state in its current borders on the political map of the world.

Key words: Iraq, Kurdistan, oil, draft hydrocarbon law, N. Al-Maliki.

Zoan May Lin. Foreign Policy of Vietnam towards USA in the End of the XX and Beginning of the XXI Century

In the end of the first decade of current century the relations between Vietnam and USA reached new level of active partnership. One can see that summits of the leaders of two countries have regular and constructive character. Very effective is mechanism of consultations between ministers of foreign affairs of two countries. Hanoi and Washington established good trade and economic relations with the perspective to sign an agreement about total liberalization of mutual trade and investment. At the same time in the relations between two countries one can see some difficulties in the sphere of human rights and religious freedom. Hanoi is satisfied by the understanding of Obama administration towards Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, their preoccupation in political situation in the South China Sea. American interference in this question helped ASEAN countries to have a strong position in dialogue with China.

Key words: China-ASEAN plus 8, South China Sea, international relations. South East Asia, Obama, Klinton, Bush.

V.V. Tatsiy. Investment and Inflation in China: Regulation Problems

The issue studied in the article becomes quite topical with the growing inflation in PRC in 2010 after addressing the economy with an enormous stimulus package in 2008 - 2009. In the paper well supported with statistical data on other Asian countries the author tries to analyze basic trends in macro-economic proportions in PRC during the first decade of 21-st century. In particular, the correlation between inflation and fixed investment is viewed. The findings show that China appeared to have a relatively low inflation combined with a very high investment/GDP ratio during the period. Besides, interest rates were rather low by Asian standards. Sound macro-economic proportions in PRC, as the author argues, could have been a result of a high proportion of SOEs in banking and investment in fixed assets and good coordination of investment policies. Another important factor is the history of fighting the inflation both with monetary and non-monetary (administrative) instruments during the period of reforms. However, a period of "soft" inflation is likely in China, as some economists predict.

Key words: reforms in China, modernization of the PRC, investments and inflation, controlling inflation.

S.A. Abdulkarymov. Sport culture of Muslims in Transformed World

In proposed paper the author examines the dynamics of the sporting culture of Muslims in the context of globalization. Separating the general and specific in the sport culture of various Muslim communities, he emphasizes a great influence of modern sports in their daily lives, including economics, politics, culture and identity. The article reflects such issues of Muslims sport as relationships of the traditional and modern, the sacred and profane, the tolerance and faith and etc.

Key words: the organised sports, sports culture, Islam people, the Muslim communities, traditional sports, corporal experts, games, competitions, evolutionary development.

E.E. Baldanmaksarova. Mongolian Literature of Middle Ages: Experience of Russian (Historiography of the 20 Century)

The article is devoted to the contribution of Russian and Soviet orientalists (B.Ya. Vladimirtsov, N.N. Poppr, Ts. Jamtsarano, S.A. Khozin and all.) to research of medieval Mongolian literature. In the author opinion during the whole 20 century in this sphere of science "traditional philological" trend was dominated. The main research problem includes: publishing of Mongolian medieval literature sources, translation into Russian, creation of commentaries and annotations. The author relates about history of study of Mongolian medieval literature such as annals, heroic epos, famous "Secret tales of Mongols" and Mongolian poetry, including shaman texts. The author marks perspectives of medieval Mongolian literature research.

Key words: The Mongolian studies, the medieval Mongolian literature, historical poetics, the fiction analysis.

V.P. Sanchirov. The Dzungarian Congress of 1640 of Mongol and Oirat Princes

The article deals with political history of Mongolia in the 17^th century. It investigates the role of the congress which was organized by Mongol and Oirat nobility in 1640. The congress passed the "Great Code" of the Mongols and Oirats which would become a means to consolidate Mongolia. Princes decided to resists foreign aggression and formed an alliance against the Qing China. But rivalries between Mongolian nobility and intrigues by the Qing China destroyed the alliance.

Key words: Mongols, ойраты, Kalmyk khanate, laws "Great Code".

I.G. Deryagina. The Features of Social-Cultural Contacts of Missionaries and Peoples of Southern Africa

The reference to the analysis of missionaries activity in Southern Africa colonies represents doubtless interest that is caused by the specificity of missionaries activity and their influence on the peoples of Southern Africa. The main figures which managed colonial captures, alongside with militaries and dealers, were missionaries. But despite of similarity with the purposes and actions of these categories of people who were interested in colonial captures, there were certain distinctions in the methods they used. Missionaries actions cannot be regarded as aggressive, however they paved the way for the further colonial expansion of the south of the African continent. Missionaries as the conductors of colonial aspirations of the English imperialistic circles, received a complex of the settled negative representations about the colonized countries and peoples. It is necessary to emphasize, that in Southern Africa missionaries faced social and economical backwardness of the South Africans in comparison with a level of the achieved development of the European society, special outlook, cultural traditions, mythological representations, illiteracy and other features which were characteristic for the societies of Southern Africa and which they should change.

Key words: colonialism, colonial expansion, imperialistic ideology, Eurocentrism, missionaries, Southern African society, social-cultural contacts, South African culture, traditionalism, the national and foreign historiography.

A.A. Suvorova. Female Solo In Man's Chorus: Sect Zikri in Pakistan

The article is a case study of the Zikris, a small Islamic sect in Pakistani province of Baluchistan and partly Sindh. Despite a long history of persecution, until the 1980s the Zikris were relatively unknown outside Pakistan. The violence against them reached a climax in 1993 when the Sunni Muslims who are in majority made an attempt to prevent the Zikri community from gathering for their annual ritual ziyarat at Koh-i-Murad near the town of Turbat. There are a number of archetypal elements evident in Zikri rituals (ziyarat, chogan, and kishti) such as the ascent to the mountain, the kissing of the stone, and the circle. The key Zikri rituals place a woman or women in the centre of a circle formed by males. This sacred geometry of woman-as-centre and male-as-circumference is typical of teachings of such great Sufi thinkers as Ibn 'Arabi and Jalaladdin Rumi. The case of the Zikris emphasizes the notion of the Divine Feminine centre which the Muslim orthodoxy in Pakistan sees as heresy.

Key words: Pakistan, Baluchistan, Sufi sect, ritual symbolism, female leadership in spiritual life, persecution for heresy in Muslim society.

S.S.k. Sharifova. Oriental Mythology and azerbaijan Novel: Points of Intersection

The mixing of Azerbaijan novels with mythologies analyzes in the article. Author considered some forms of genre mixing. She describes the influence of mythology on signs of the genre of novels. Author reveals the motives of writers when referring to the myth. The list of possibilities for mixing with a myth is given by author. She investigates the modern Azerbaijanian novels myths and novels anti-myths.

Key words: oriental mythology, novel-myth, novel anti-myth, azerbaijanian novels.

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