Adyghe State University Representatives Contribute to the International Forum on Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for Interethnic Harmony in the North Caucasus

The forum is held annually by the Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage named after D.S. Likhachev, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Federal Agency for Nationalities. The 11th forum took place from September 11 to 14 in Gelendzhik.

More than three hundred participants from the Russian Federation, as well as the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Peru, and the Republic of South Ossetia, presented their reports at the event.

The forum program included a youth scientific conference titled "State Policy, Cultural Heritage, and Artistic Life: Promising Research by Young Scientists"; an all-Russian scientific conference on "Traditional Artistic Culture of the Peoples of Russia in the Context of Civilizational Identity"; and several round tables: "State Cultural Policy: Strategic Objectives and Regional Peculiarities of Their Implementation," "Artistic Life and Interlingual Interactions in a Multiethnic Region," and "Religious Heritage in the Modern World and Problems of Interfaith Harmony." 

Additionally, there were special sessions: "The Cultural Code of the Winner in the War against Fascism in Visual Arts (Cinema, Theater, Painting, Sculpture)" and "The Scientific and Technical Heritage of Southern Russia as a Resource for Tourism Development."

Adyghe State University was represented by Doctor of Art History and Professor Alla Sokolova; Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor Elena Malysheva; Nadezhda Sukhovaya, Advisor to the Rector on Media Policy; and Leyla Kurashinova, Editor of the Publishing House of Adyghe University

At the opening ceremony of the forum, Alla Nikolaevna Sokolova was awarded an honorary certificate from the D.S. Likhachev Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage, presented by Irina Gorlova, Director of the Southern Branch of the Institute. Professor Sokolova moderated the Youth Scientific Conference titled "State Policy, Cultural Heritage, and Artistic Life: Promising Research by Young Scientists," and delivered a report at the conference entitled "Concert Organizations as an Instrument of Cultural Policy."

During the round table discussion "Artistic Life and Interlingual Interactions in a Multiethnic Region," Nadezhda Sukhovaya and Leyla Kurashinova delivered presentations. In her report, "Children's Literature from Adygea: Children's Books Transmitting the Cultural Code of a Multicultural Region," Kurashinova shared her experience organizing the International Kirimize Janet Children's Literary Competition and discussed the launch, promotion, and future prospects of a unique children's book series published by the Adyghe University Publishing House. Nadezhda Sukhovaya, citing projects from the Schwartz House ANO, shared insights into the process of updating and representing historical heritage, as well as organizing events aimed at developing the cultural potential of Maikop.

Particular attention at the forum was paid to the issues of preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. At the special session: "The Cultural Code of the Winner in the War with Fascism in Visual Arts (Cinema, Theater, Painting, Sculpture)", Doctor of Historical Sciences Elena Malysheva spoke with a report "The Power of the Artistic Word of the Great Patriotic War in the Context of the Civilizational Identity of the Peoples of Russia", who emphasized the mobilizing role of culture in general, and specifically the power of the artistic word, addressed to the consciousness and feelings of soldiers and home front workers, which became one of the conditions for the Victory over Nazi Germany and its satellites.

The International Scientific Forum "Cultural Heritage of the North Caucasus as a Resource for Interethnic Harmony" has been held annually since 2015. Annual meetings of representatives of the scientific community make a significant contribution to the formation of a single cultural space, the study of problems of dialogue of cultures, the study of prospects for using cultural heritage as a resource for sustainable development of the region, the improvement of scientific and methodological support for state policy in the field of culture, heritage preservation and interethnic interaction.