June 7-12, 2002 at the Sukhanov International Center of Architecture (Moscow Region) A scientific conference organized by the International Council of Social Sciences, UNESCO, and the Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation*was held. Experts in the field of social sciences and humanities from Russia, Ukraine, Austria, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, the United States, Armenia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, Iran, and China spoke or sent their materials to the conference.

The interdisciplinary topics of the presentations focused on various aspects of the city phenomenon in the history and culture of mankind. Such subjects as the urban development of the Eastern states in ancient and medieval times, modern urban life in the countries of the foreign East, and the processes of urbanization in some CIS countries dominated.

S. A. Arutyunov (Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences) spoke about civilizational differences between the West and the East in the context of urbanization. Modern civilizations of the East, as opposed to the West, he described as "residual civilizations", or "modern forms of barbarism", representing the main opposition to the modern world. Accordingly, the differences between cities within these two civilizational paths are manifested by the criteria of "polyethnicity - monoethnicity" and the internal division of urban social space (ghettos, slums, suburbia, etc.). According to the speaker, civilizational synthesis is possible only with syncretism in the spheres of consumption and creativity, but it is difficult to achieve it in production and social normativistics.

Yu. M. Kobishchanov (Institute of Africa, Russian Academy of Sciences) highlighted the role of some types of cities in the transition from proto-civilizations to civilizations. In his opinion, the formation of cities was preceded by the concentration of the rural population united by a common ritual center, as well as the development of such an early social complex as Polyudye. In some cases, urban culture was brought to the periphery of the civilized world by immigrants from already existing urban centers, for example, merchants. Often the emergence of cities was due to the construction of residences of local rulers or fortified settlements of conquerors.

A. Kh. Kurmanseitova (Karachay-Cherkess Institute for Humanitarian Studies) noted the role of mosques in the Nogai steppe. Nogais began to convert to Islam in the 13th century, and at the same time the Golden Horde Khans began building mosques and religious schools. These were stone structures that served as a factor in the consolidation of the rural population and urban development. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the construction of stone or brick mosques on the territory of the Nogai steppe continued, although some of them were built of wood or felt on the model of yurts.

Sh. F. Mukhamediarov (Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) justified his vision of the city in the system of the Golden Horde civilization. For a number of reasons, this aspect of history turned out to be outside the main areas of scientific research, but the Golden Horde, where there were more than 110 cities, needs attention from urbanists. The researcher believes that the urban culture of this region in many ways surpassed the Western urban civilization of that era. These include the functional role of cities on trade routes, a developed urban economy, the level of culture of the population, and a high-quality standard of living.

I. A. Abramova (Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences) considered the problems of urbanization in modern Egypt. In her opinion, ancient and medieval Egypt was significantly ahead of European countries in terms of the share of urban population, and the country's ruralization is a sign of the new era. However, after the Second World War, intensive processes of urbanization took place here, which led to the development of the city.

* The city is a counterpoint of civilizations: European, Asian and Russian dimensions (the Millennium experience). Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference. Editor's note. Moscow: Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Russian Academy of Arts, 2002.

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they led to the formation of a number of social imbalances. The rapid growth of the city's population has also become a catalyst for the spread of religious extremism.

Sumita Chaudhuri (Calcutta University, India) addressed the problem of marginal communities in urban centers of India. The basis for their formation is the high birth rate and intensive migration processes of the "village-city" type. The marginalization of migrants from the poorest strata, tribes and lower castes is particularly dangerous. Within the framework of marginal communities, a peculiar culture of poverty is formed and social discontent accumulates, which also has a certain ethnic aspect.

Huang Fengxiang (China Association of Urban Anthropology) addressed the problem of ethnic processes in Chinese cities. There are 56 ethnic groups in multiethnic China, with Han Chinese accounting for more than 90% of the total population. In relation to minorities, the current Government of the People's Republic of China pursues a policy of preferences, which is an integral part of the overall policy of socio-economic reforms. The presentation described in detail the state policy in relation to urban non-ethnic minorities. At the same time, the speaker noted that municipalities of various levels have their own experience in creating regulatory systems aimed at improving the network of servicing ethno-cultural requests of the non-national population.

M. Shahbazi and Z. Surraf (Jackson University in Mississippi, USA) devoted their report to the spread of anemia in the Qashqai nomadic tribe in southern Iran. He cited the results of specific medical and anthropological studies, which showed that anemia is widespread primarily among young women and is associated with the peculiarities of nomadic lifestyle and local ecology.

S. Shahshahani (Shahida Beheshti University, Iran) described the challenges of civilization in relation to the Mamassani people living in the South-West of Iran. The study is based on 20 years of experience working with this group. In the process of urbanisation, most of the Mamassani, having received an education, acquired qualified professions that allow them to work in Iran and abroad, and some of its representatives were associated with criminals and drug trafficking. At the same time, the education received by representatives of this people plays a significant role. The example of this ethnic group shows the difficulties of urbanization among nomads.

Shen Lin (China Association of Urban Anthropology) devoted her presentation to the complexities of urbanisation processes among nomads in Northern China. They are related to the specifics of local economic systems that do not allow people to move to cities. At the same time, there are various channels (largely economic) for involving nomads of Northern China in the urban lifestyle, which the author calls "nomadic urbanization". It is assumed that numerous variants of this process will eventually lead to the migration of nomads to cities.

R. M. Gibadullin (Kama State Polytechnic Institute, Russia) addressed the issues of ethno-cultural and ethno-political processes in industrial cities of Tatarstan. In his opinion, the main ethnic problem in these urban centers is twofold: on the one hand, preserving the cultural identity of various ethnic groups, and on the other-ensuring stable interethnic relations. Describing the current state of public consciousness in the cities of Tatarstan, the author offers a program of sociological research of the problem.

M. N. Guboglo (Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences) considered the history of the formation of Comrat as a center of consolidation of the Gagauz people in contrast to another large settlement of the Budjak steppe - Ceadir-Lunga. Special attention was paid to the current political mobilization and the process of forming a pro-Russian orientation among the Moldovan Gagauz people. The author came to the conclusion that Comrat's leadership in Gagauzia was ensured as a result of the rapid growth of education of local residents, their deeper political mobilization, so it was Comrat who was able to lead the Gagauz resistance at all historical stages.

Z. A. Imamutdinova (State Institute of Art Studies, Russia) used the example of Ufa to highlight the problem of the "sound" of the Eurasian city, i.e. its musical realities, or "tonosphere". In her opinion, the peculiarity of the" sound continuum " is inherent precisely in urban settlements, and the city itself is not the same.

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the sound world of the city acts as a counterpoint to the verbal (speech), musical, and noise worlds. The provincial centers of the Eurasian part of modern Russia, primarily the cities of the Volga region, have absorbed the sound traditions of pre-Petrine Russia, the urban musical culture of the West and the Muslim East. However, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the sound world of the city was updated due to the introduction of the first samples of musical equipment in provincial cities.

R. Kh. Kereytov (Karachay-Cherkess Institute of Humanities Research, Russia) considered the problem of urbanisation of the Nogai people, which was formed in the Middle Ages as part of the early state formation - the Nogai Horde. The urbanization processes of Kuban Nogais began to unfold in the 1950s, but even now their share in the population of Cherkessk does not exceed 1.2%. The vast majority of local Nogais were born outside the city, which left an imprint on their assimilation of urban culture (rural forms of national customs are common among citizens). At the same time, the city became the center of ethno-political mobilization of the Nogai people and consolidation of national consciousness.

Kh. A. Khabekirova (Karachay-Cherkess Institute of Humanitarian Studies) focused on the problem of the city phenomenon in the self-consciousness of the Adyghe people. Historically, the Circassians did not have their own cities, and even the corresponding name was borrowed by them from the Turkic language. At the same time, in the modern Adyghe self-consciousness, the city acts as a higher stage of civilization, as well as as a place where it is easier for a person to live, where he has more leisure and entertainment. Now the traditional values of the Circassians are being transformed under the influence of urban culture.

L. A. Kitaev-Smyk (Russian Institute of Cultural Studies) devoted his speech to the topic "the townsman and the war" on the example of Grozny. The military operations that began in 1994 caused huge casualties and almost completely destroyed the urban environment. But the war stress also had other consequences - a crisis of the foundations of traditional culture, primarily among the Chechen citizens. This was most clearly manifested in the tender crisis, i.e. in changing the norms of behavior of genders and age groups. A new generation of urban culture is being formed, in which the transformation of traditional norms is superimposed on the destruction of the institutions of urban civilization (school education, health care, etc.).

E. A. Kudusov (Ukraine) tried to assess various aspects of relations between the Crimean Tatars and Moscow. The annexation of the Crimean Khanate, which was a vassal to the Ottoman Empire, led to the eviction of a part of the Crimean Tatar population and to discriminatory pressure against the remaining ones. In the Soviet Union, the Crimean Tatars were again subjected to genocide. Crimean Tatars now support Ukrainian statehood as opposed to Russian statehood. However, there is still a small diaspora of this people in Moscow, about 1000 people. The registered community of Crimean Tatars includes primarily the intelligentsia. Crimean Tatars still retain a certain connection with Russia, but they are reorienting towards Turkey.

F. I. Pepinov (Institute of Informatics Problems of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan) considered the cultural aspects of the urbanization process of the Meskhetian Turks in the 19th and 20th centuries. This people lived at the intersection of different cultures in the region, the center of which is the city of Akhaltsikhe (Akhyska). It was here that the skills and values of the urban culture introduced by the Russian colonial authorities were first spread. The intelligentsia emerging from the traditional elite could look for patterns in both Christian and Islamic cultures. At the same time, the press became particularly important, contributing to the self-organization of intellectual and social life (the publication of the satirical magazine "Molla Nasreddin", which became famous among the Turkic population of the Caucasus). This magazine reflected such an important aspect of modernization as the intra-community stratification depending on education and, accordingly, the attitude to new values. The events of the twentieth century, and especially the deportation of Meskhetian Turks in 1944, interrupted attempts at urban adaptation.

N. S. Stepanyan (Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Armenian Academy of Arts) spoke about the idea of continuity in urban planning, geographical names, religious monuments and sacred places, historical symbols, places of concentration of business and administrative life in Armenia. A similar continuity, perceived by descendants, is realized-

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In recent times, it has been used in urban planning solutions, architectural monuments, and political symbols.

R. A. Zargaryan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nagorno-Karabakh) considered the cities of this republic in the context of the settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict. In his opinion, the transfer of the capital from Shushi to Stepanakert dealt a severe blow to the national identity of the Karabakh Armenians. The author criticized the personnel policy of the Azerbaijani leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh, and also noted the negative results of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict for the urban life of the region. R. Zargaryan is a supporter of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, in his opinion, has no alternative, as well as good-neighborly relations with other states.

This conference was the latest in a series of meetings of specialists (1997 - 2002) included in the action plan of the Commission on Urban Anthropology of the World Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. It once again convincingly showed that urban studies is a multi-disciplinary branch of knowledge, without the development of which it is difficult to study both a specific country-specific plan and the development of human civilization as a whole.

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