The Nusantara Society, together with the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University and the Kunstkamera (Peter the Great Institute), held the Russian-Malaysian seminar "Malaysia Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow", dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence (1957) and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Malaysia (1967). The workshop, which was attended by 16 Russian, 8 Malaysian and 3 Bruneian speakers, was held in two stages: on June 26-28 in the ISAA, and on June 29 - 30 in the Kunstkamera.

Objectives and topics of the workshop:

- to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence of Malaysia, which has gone from an agrarian colony to a state with a developed high-tech economy, which has gained credibility in the international arena and serves as a model for successful development;

- demonstrate the achievements of Russian scientists in various fields of Malay/Malaysian studies (history, economics, philology, political science, etc.);

- provide an opportunity for Malaysian and Russian participants to give a critical assessment of the country's past and present development path and share their forecasts for the future;

- promote the establishment and strengthening of scientific contacts between Russian and Malaysian research and educational institutions.

At the opening of the seminar, ISAA Director M. S. Meyer noted the increased interest in learning the Malaysian language and studying Malaysia in Russia. Advisor to the Malaysian Embassy in Russia Alias Yahya, who read out the welcoming speech of Malaysian Ambassador Mohamad Khalis, stressed that the date of the seminar is very remarkable, as it follows directly on the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Russia, which took place on June 17-21.

According to the ambassador, the visit showed that Russian-Malaysian relations have a bright future, which should be created not only by the efforts of politicians, but also by the public of both countries, as evidenced by the seminar. "Being a small country, we are proud not only to have close relations with such a great power as Russia, but also that our language is studied in Russia and its popularity is growing more and more among Russian students. The perseverance, determination, and tireless efforts shown by Russian teachers, students, and scientists in studying and researching the Malaysian language and raising its profile in the international arena deserve great gratitude," the Ambassador's greeting said.

In her report "Malay studies and Malay/Malaysian language Teaching in Russia over the past 50 years", T. V. Dorofeeva (ISAA) noted that before Malaya (then Malaysia) achieved independence, this country was almost unknown in Russia, except for a small circle of scientists who studied colonial history and natural and geographical features. Conditions in Asia. Diplomatic relations between our countries did not exist at that time, so there was no motivation and social order for specialists-researchers or practitioners with knowledge of the Malay language. However, after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1967, interest in Malaysia among scientists and academics began to steadily increase. In 1968, the Nusantara Society was established to explore various aspects of Malaysian life, among other things. In 1972, the Department of Mala Studies was opened in the ISAA at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, which made it possible to receive specialist (master's) degrees and defend candidate's theses in this specialty. In 1996, the ISAA Nusantara Center was established on the initiative of the prominent Malay philologist B. B. Parnikel and with the intensive support of Professor Noria Mohamed of the National University of Malaysia.

The speaker further recalled the results achieved over the past decades. Quite fruitful in the study of Malay philology were the 1970s and 1980s, when a number of dissertations and books appeared (for example, V. I. Braginsky, B. B. Parnikel, L. V. Goryaeva, A. K. Ogloblin, E. V. Revunenkova, I. V. Demyanova, N. P. Kashtanova, T. V. Dorofeeva), as well as translations from Malay, mainly prose (Usman Awang, Shahnon Ahmad, Keris Mas, etc.). In the field of social and political sciences, we note major publications on-

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Example: V. A. Tyurina, I. Latysheva, A. Ya. Voronkova, V. V. Gordeeva, V. A. Pogadaeva. In subsequent years, collections of poems (translated by V. A. Pogadaev) of major poets of modern Malaysia appeared; new historical and political works, including young scientists. Considerable interest of researchers has recently been paid to the economy of Malaysia (L. F. Pakhomova).

Malay / Malaysian language teaching is also expanding in our country. If in the beginning there was only one state university where it was possible to get knowledge of this language, now there is already a private Institute of practical Oriental studies. Plans are being made to introduce the teaching of the Malaysian language at St. Petersburg and Far Eastern State Universities as well.

A great success was the victory of a Russian student at the International Competition of Speakers in Malay for the Cup of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in March 2007.

As a response to the increased demand for educational literature, in 2007 the "Malay (Malaysian) Language Textbook" was published, work began on compiling a "Large Malaysian-Russian Dictionary" and writing "History of Malaysia in Modern and modern Times". A solid work on the Ancient Malay language (A. K. Ogloblin) is ready for publication.

Aziz Deraman, a long-time head of the Institute of Language and Literature of Malaysia, and now one of the leaders of the Malaysian National Writers ' Union and largely contributed to the seminar, in his report "Malay language and Malay literature in the international arena: problems of the issue", highlighted the history of the Malay language from the era of greatness in the classical period of the Middle Ages The state language has to face numerous difficulties caused, among other things, by the processes of globalization and the widely used English language. He noted the great efforts of the language policy and language building authorities of Malaysia to strengthen the position of the state language within the country and in the international arena, but at the same time expressed concern that the national language policy is not fully consistent. According to the speaker, the success of promoting the Malaysian language in the international arena in the 21st century depends on consolidated efforts, deep awareness and commitment on the part of Malaysian speakers themselves to the declared idea of the greatness of the national language.

All reports of the seminar can be grouped into the following research areas: philology and culture, Islam, history and politics, economics.

N. F. Alieva Philology: a language. (IV RAS) spoke about the conditions for the evolution of standard forms of the state or national language in Malaysia-Malay/Malaysian and in Indonesia-Malay/Indonesian. In her opinion, the relationship between the state languages in Malaysia and Indonesia has a special character. The reason is that both languages are based on a single Malay dialect, formed in the XVIII-XIX centuries. in Riau, the Sultanate of Johor and recognized as a model form of language in the principalities of the Malacca Peninsula and in the vast territory that now makes up Indonesia. In the 20th century, this model language was adopted as the standard language in the independent states of Malaysia and Indonesia.

It is important, however, that the ethnolinguistic conditions in both these regions differ significantly. In Malaysia, the official language is based on the actual Malay territorial dialects and is enriched by them. On the contrary, in Indonesia, the majority of the population is non-Chinese ethnic groups that speak their own languages. As a result, the processes of evolution and modernization of the originally unified literary Malay language in both countries lead to differences, the number of which increases with each passing decade.

V. V. Sikorsky's report on the identity or difference of the national languages of Malaysia and Indonesia was devoted to a similar topic. He noted that the answer to the question - whether it is one language or different - will not be the same for theoretical linguists and practitioners. If the former claim that it is a single language with two established literary norms, then practitioners who are faced with an abundance of differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, semantics and grammar (which complicate mutual understanding, but so far do not exclude it) are increasingly inclined to consider them as different. According to the speaker, the contradiction can be eliminated if we interpret the situation from the position of the Saussure dichotomy "language-speech". What should the pro be like?-

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The speaker concludes that it is difficult to say the percentage of differences that will turn from speech differences into language differences. But the differences are clearly growing.

Two reports were devoted to the internal grammatical structure of the Malay language. A. K. Ogloblin (St. Petersburg State University) offered his interpretation of the ancient Malay word lai, the meaning of which is still controversial. In his opinion, based on the context of use, this word can be interpreted either as a noun ("another person"), or as a service word ("besides, also"). The speaker suggested correcting some of the available translations of ancient Malay texts, based on his interpretation by S. T. Kramarov (Institute of Linguistics. research. RAS, St. Petersburg) presented a paper on bipredicative modus operandi constructs in the Malay / Indonesian language.

The evolution of the internal structure - namely, the affix system. - A joint report by Syed Zainal Ariff Jamalludin and Norizan Mhd was devoted to the Malay language. Nor from the Malaysian University of Sciences. Kalsum Ibrahim (National University of Malaysia) considered the Malay / Malaysian language in a pragmatic aspect, namely, as a reflection of the national culture, which now faces many challenges in the era of globalization. Hajah Fatimah Haji Awang Chuchu (University of Brunei Darussalam) made a similar presentation on the topic "Attitudes to language in the age of globalization".

Adzman Talib, Head of the Examination Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Education, presented two reports. At the meeting in Moscow, a report co - authored with Avang Sariyan - "Malay language in the education system of Malaysia" - was read, which examined the history of the formation of the Malay language education system in the country and its current foundations. At the session in the Kunstkamera, the speaker described in detail what principles underlie school exams in the Malaysian language (knowledge testing and assessment), and also shared plans to introduce a new parameter for exams - psychometric checks.

Philology: literature, culture. Several reports were devoted to traditional Malay literature. New methods of teaching traditional Malay literature using interactive computer programs were discussed in the report of Noria Mohamed (National University of Malaysia). In the report of her colleague from the same university Shaifula Bahri Md. Radzi "Russian Aura in Malay Studies: emphasis on traditional Malay literature" noted the contribution of Russian scientists to the methodology of research of traditional world literatures, in particular folklore tales, as well as innovative approaches to its study and interpretation (V. Ya. Propp). It was noted that the previous monopoly of the West (the British and Dutch) on literary studies in Malay studies gradually collapsed due to the research of V. I. Braginsky and B. B. Parnikel.

The topic of traditional Malay literature in Malaysia and Brunei was also discussed in the report of Haji Ramli Haji Tinkong (Unt Brunei Darussalam), who examined two classical monuments, one of which is located in the Malacca Peninsula (Sejarah Melayu) and the other in Brunei (Poem of Awang Semaun). In his opinion, both monuments reflect the birth of nationalism and are a means of educating modern generations of citizens of their countries.

Speakers also paid attention to Malay poetry. Haja Morsidi Haja Muhamad (University of Brunei Darussalam) spoke about the origin of modern Bruneian poetry in the 40 - 50s of the last century and its inseparable connection with the work of poets of the Malacca Peninsula. The report of Rakhima Haji Hamid (University of Sciences of Malaysia) was devoted to a comparative analysis of Russian and Malaysian poetry from the point of view of expressing the ideas of humanism in it on the example of such authors as Latif Mohidid, Siti Zainon Ismail, Marina Tsvetaeva, David Kugultinov, Elena Taneva and others.

The topic of reflection of classical literature in the cinematography of Malaysia was discussed in the report of E. S. Kukushkina (ISAA) "Changing epochs in the cinematography of Malaysia". She considered examples of the screen life of the famous hero of the classic monument of Malay literature Hang Tuah. The film of the 50s of the last century "Hang Tuah" was created by director Pi Ramli based on"The Tale of Hang Tuah". The film" Princess Gunung Ledang", created decades later by M. Nasir, although the main character Hang Tuah acts in it, is built only on one love storyline, full of fictional episodes and characters. It is obvious, the speaker concludes, that for half a century there has been a transformation of the cinematic techniques of acra-

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variations of the classics, where entertainment and impact on the viewer's imagination are now at the forefront, and not the requirement to strictly follow a literary work.

E. V. Revunenkova (Kunstkamera) considered the ritual and symbolic functions of betel in Malaysia and Indonesia, giving examples of pantuns (Malay quatrains), where these functions are clearly reflected. The report of M. V. Boldyreva (St. Petersburg) did not fully correspond to the topic of the seminar - it was devoted to the analysis of the poetic work of Sapardi Joko Damono, a major poet of modern Indonesia.

Islam, which is the state religion of Malaysia, attracted the attention of two young researchers: E. Kozhina (a 3rd-year student of MGIMO(U)In a report on the current political life of Malaysia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia tried to answer the question of why the Islamic party PAS, which is fighting for the creation of an Islamic state under Sharia law, does not win the election, losing its position to the ruling party OMNO. She explains this by the PACE's position on a number of key issues, namely: citizenship, human rights and freedoms in the Islamic state; the role of women in society; issues of national identity; the relationship between religion and democracy; the country's foreign policy orientation and the role of Malaysia in the Muslim world; the involvement of the PACE in terrorist acts; possible connection with the underground organization Mujahideen of Malaysia". However, the speaker notes that Malaysia is a multi - confessional state, which makes it difficult to create a single party and to some extent threatens the internal stability of the country.

V. Pozdnyakova (MGIMO graduate student) in her report " Malaysia-Islamic State: myth or reality?", having considered the existing concepts of the "Islamic state", comes to the conclusion: a) Malaysia is an Islamic state built on the principles of liberal Khadhari Islam; b) Malaysia is only on the way to acquiring the status of an Islamic state; c Malaysia is moving away from the dogmatic principles of the Islamic State. According to the speaker, Islam has less and less influence on the internal situation in Malaysia as the socio-economic situation stabilizes and the standard of living increases.

L. F. Pakhomova Ekonomika [Economics]. (IW RAS) highlighted the process of transformation of the economy and society in Malaysia, which has passed several stages of socio-economic development over the past five decades and is now making a breakthrough in the innovative economy. This qualitatively new stage requires qualitatively new labor resources, for which Malaysia is liberalizing the education system, expanding the network of branches of major Western universities, and training a fundamentally new type of personnel in order to realize the main task of the country - to make the country a center for training highly qualified personnel that meet international standards.

V. Stepnova (PhD student at ISAA), describing the current political situation in the country, focused on the current trends in the economic development of Malaysia and economic forecasts, based on the data of the Ninth Development Plan of the country (2006-2010).

History and politics. This topic is reflected in several reports and covered the period from ancient history to the present. A. O. Zakharov (IB RAS) shared preliminary conclusions about the political institutions of Srivijaya (VII-XIV centuries) and the Malacca Sultanate (XV century), based on epigraphic and narrative sources. V. F. Urlyapov (IB RAS) analyzed the activities of a prominent but little-known Malaysian politician in Russia in the 1960s. Tun Ismail Abdul Rahman, one of the founders of independent Malaysia, who served as Interior Minister and Foreign Minister at critical moments in Malaysia's history - the confrontation with Indonesia and the state of emergency. According to the speaker, thanks to the iron will of this politician, the country was able to recover from the terrible national unrest of 1969, and he himself earned the glory of"savior of the fatherland". He was the first high-ranking figure of the country to be buried in the Mausoleum of Heroes in the Malaysian capital.

V. A. Pogadaev's report (University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur) was devoted to the policy of the Government of Malaysia in relation to the Aborigines, or Orang Asli, of the Malacca Peninsula. After a brief historical retrospective, he spoke about the course of the Government of independent Malaysia: turning from full integration with the Malays in the early 1950s to assimilation through Islamization starting in the 1980s.

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