Nusantara Society

Logo of Nusantara Society

Malay-Indonesian Studies, Issue XVIII

The Nusantara Society was founded on January 10, 1990, and the Nusantara Research Center was established in June 1998 at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University^[1]. The Society comprises research fellows, professors, lecturers, students and postgraduates of Moscow and St. Petersburg academic institutions, universities and higher schools, studying the vast region of Nusantara, populated by peoples speaking Austronesian languages. Nusantara includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Madagascar, Oceania, as well as countries where Austronesian minorities are present, such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan (Republic of China).

The main aims of the Nusantara Society are as follows^[2]:

• To establish contacts with scientific institutions and universities in Nusantara, Europe, the United States, Australia and elsewhere.
• To promote studies and teaching courses on Nusantara as well as teaching the Malay/Indonesian language, and other Austronesian languages.
• To carry on the exchange of books, periodicals and other materials between Nusantarian countries and Russia, to organize all kinds of exhibitions, performances, video and film showings.
• To work out joint research projects and to arrange conferences and seminars.
• To encourage the research work of postgraduates and students and to facilitate the probation of Russian specialists, postgraduates and students abroad.

The Nusantara Society cooperates closely with the Gorky Institute of World Literature under the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Rudomino Library for foreign Literature and the Russian State Library, the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Saint Petersburg State University; Leiden University and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) in the Netherlands, the University of Malaya, the Malaysian Institute of Language and Literature (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) and other institutions abroad. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Malaysian Institute of Language and Literature in 1995.

The Nusantara Society is also engaged in publishing^[3]. Its publications include the Malay-Indonesian Studies Series (partly based on seminar papers) and miscellaneous studies on Nusantara culture (in cooperation with Saint Petersburg University). Uptill 2008 there were 18 issues of Malay-Indonesian Studies.

Board (2011)

President Professor Dr. Sikorsky, Vilen Vladimirovich (Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia)),

Secretary-Coordinator Assist. Professor Dr. Dorofeeva, Tatiana Valerianovna (Institute of Asian and African Countries)

Members:

Senior Research Fellow Dr. Alieva, Natalia Fedorovna (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences),

Assist. Professor Dr. Kukushkina, Eugenia Sergeevna (Institute of Asian and African Countries),

Assoc. Professor Dr. Pogadaev, Victor Alexandrovich (University of Malaya),

Research Fellow Dr. Zakharov, Anton Olegovich (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences),

Kulikova Maria (PhD Student, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

Notes

1. ^ Ulianov M. Yu. "Kultura Nusantari" (Nusantara Culture) - in: "Vostok" (Oriens). M.: Russian Academy of Science, N 5, 1993
2. ^ Pogadaev V. A., Sikorsky V. V. "Obshestvu Nusantara - 5 Let" (Nusantara Society Selebrates the 5th Anniversary) - in: "Vostok" (Oriens). M.: Russian Academy of Science, N3, 1997, p. 159 – 160.
3. ^ "Sastrawan Nusantara dan Akademi Russia terbitkan Ensiklopadi Asia". - "Pelita", Jakarta, 26. 12. 1994

External links

• http://www.iaas.msu.ru/cen_r/nstr_r.html