From May 24th until May 31st, the first summer school titled “Islam in Russia: Muslim Education, Ideological Trends and Contemporary Texts”. Summer school events were organized jointly by Kazan Federal University and the TAIF Professorship in the History of the Muslim Peoples of Russia (European University at St. Petersburg). The school’s objective was to create an educational platform to prepare a young generation of researchers in history and the current state of Islam in Russia and its neighbors. The school was involved both theoretical researchers as well as future experts working with Muslims in our country.
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Around 50 applications from various cities in Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan were received, 20 applications were supported, with priority given to undergraduate and masters students.
The summer school program was quite intensive and included not only lectures and seminars by experts in their disciplines, but almost daily field trips. Participants visited an exhibition on Islamic art at the Kul Sharif mosque, a unique-within-Russia rehabilitation center for the blind at Yardem mosque, and the Russian Islamic University. Two round table discussions took place, focusing on the issue of the relationship between “expert” and “researcher,” as well as the Old Tatar settlement in Kazan. With support from the settlement’s prefecture, summer school participants could make a tour of historical sites in central Kazan.
It was decided that “Islam in Russia” would become a regular international event, creating a new platform for a young generation of researchers.
Alfrid Bustanov
