Conferences “Orthodoxy in the Far East” (1991–2003): Formation of a Unique Scholarly Trend

The article discusses the importance of the scientific conferences “Orthodoxy in the Far East” in the formation and development of the study of the history of Russian Ecclesiastical Missions in East Asia (in China, Japan, Korea and other countries), as well as their role in promoting religious and cultural studies. The tradition of conducting scientific conferences “Orthodoxy in the Far East” was established in the early 1990s. In total, five such conferences were organized (in 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2003). The initiators of these events were the Faculty of Asian and African Studies of St. Petersburg State University and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Various papers presented by a wide range of scholars and theologians brought this topic to a new level of interest turning it into a highly interdisciplinary subject matter in the contemporary humanities. Since that time, the study of the activities of Russian Ecclesiastical Missions in the Far East and the spread of Orthodoxy in the Asia-Pacific countries has become an important part of the scholarly work of many scientific centers in Russia. Scholars of various fields joined the study of this topic: orientalists, ethnologists, theologians, philosophers, linguists, as well as representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. The conferences clearly demonstrated the role of the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Missions in the spiritual life of the peoples and countries of the Far East. A generally expressed opinion is that these studies should become the central topic of serious analytical work, including a generalizing study.