A trip to the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna

From November 17th to November 25th, 2014, a group of LSAR fellows (Dmitri A. Funk, LSAR Chief Researcher, Chair of the Department of Ethnology at Lomonosov Moscow State University; Irina V. Nam, Head of LSAR; Albina A. Raskazchikova, LSAR assistant) visited the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria). The purpose of visit was to present the project ‘Man in A Changing World. Identity and Social Adaptation: Past and Present’ (Russian Government grant № 14.В25.31.0009) as well as to discuss joint research and educational projects.

The presentation of the laboratory attracted many interested students, doctoral researchers, and Institute fellows, whose research interests are related to Russia. Here, Irina Nam told about the history of Tomsk, its research and educational centres and presented the areas of LSAR research which may have been of interest to international fellows. After the presentation Institute fellows gave a short tour of the Institute library and the central building of the university for the LSAR representatives.

Also, during the visit, the LSAR research fellows participated in several seminars and special courses held at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology. LSAR Chief Researcher Dmitri A. Funk delivered a lecture ‘Natural Resources as Damnation: Interaction of Indigenous Groups, Business and the State (a South Siberian Case)’ for master students in the seminar held by Dr. G. Ailmsteiner-Saxinger. All the three colleagues took part in the seminar of Professor Peter Schweitzer on the history of Siberian ethnographic studies where they spoke of their own research interests and of the laboratory’s current research.

An important part of the trip constituted meetings with the academic leadership of the Institute, in particular, with the director of the Institute, Professor Dr. Elke Mader. In these meetings discussed were the details of the organization of bachelor and master programmes for Institute students and possibilities of research and educational cooperation between the universities. The maim outcome of the meetings was the preparation of a draft memorandum of understanding. The visit to the world-famous Vienna Weltmuseum and the familiarization with its collections and museum space organization (store-rooms) was a truly memorable moment of the trip.

We are grateful for the excellent organization of the visit and the warm reception in Vienna to the colleagues of the Institute – Peter Schweitzer, Elke Mader, Gertruda Ailmsteiner-Saxinger, Sigrid Schiesser, and Joganess Kramer!