This study addresses the critical scientific problem of how urbanization processes influence the dynamics of dialect continua in the unique multi-substrate region of Western Anatolia, where the tension between preserving dialectal features and language standardization is particularly acute. The objective of this work is to conduct a comprehensive linguogeographic and demographic analysis of the transformation of the Turkish dialect continuum under urbanization. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were accomplished: 1) identifying key characteristics of the continuum (phonetic, lexical, morphological); 2) analyzing the impact of demographic factors (migration, age structure) on language change; 3) determining the mechanisms of urbanization effects (hyperurbanization, accommodation); and 4) constructing a predictive linguogeographic model. The object of study is the Turkish dialect continuum in Western Anatolia, while the subject focuses on its dynamics under urbanization and demographic influences. The hypothesis regarding the reduction of dialectal boundaries and the emergence of hybrid forms has been empirically confirmed. A multidisciplinary methodological framework was employed, including field methods (audio recordings of 120 speakers stratified by age/migration status), linguogeographic mapping in QGIS (80 parameters), demographic analysis (TÜİK data), and statistical modeling (R, SPSS). Key findings include:1) A three-zone transformation was identified: a 43% reduction (1990-2023) in the Aegean palatalization area, the emergence of hybrid regiolects (e.g., düyme for “button”), and the preservation of relic clusters (isolation index > 0.9); 2) Demographic factors account for 85% of linguistic variability (β = 0.92 for correlation “proportion of 60+ speakers → agglutination preservation”); 3) A “mosaic resilience” model and LVI index were developed to predict language shifts. Practical significance: The results are applicable for safeguarding linguistic heritage (priority documentation of LVI > 0.8 zones) and language policy planning.
Keywords:
dialect continuum, urbanization, linguistic geography, demolinguistics, Western Anatolia, language change, hybrid regiolects, linguistic variability
The party line of the right-wing South African party Vryheidsfront Plus/VF Plus/Freedom Front+/FF+ is in large part focused on the necessity of the development of the rich local language diversity (including the South African sign language) as well as on the language rights’ upholding of the South African ethnic groups. The particular attention is paid to the issues of the Afrikaans language retention (the crackdown on which is painfully tolerated by the FF+) and the extension of the possibilities for its using, considering that the primary objective is to widen the spheres of the educational activities concerning Afrikaans. The party takes into consideration the uneasy situation primarily related to the formation and evolvement of Afrikaans as a separate language and then to its existence as a medium of instruction, which since the apartheid regime demolishing has been fraught with a whole variety of difficulties. Hence, the FF+ regards the history of the Afrikaans triumphs and setbacks as a decent example of the dignified struggle for the right to the full existence also for other South African local languages the native speakers of which are interested in the preservation of the cultural heritage. The party refuses to acknowledge the ostensibly subordinate position of the official state’s languages towards uniquely English assuming the actual eradication from the public sphere all of the vernacular languages besides the English one to be an unacceptable manifestation of the anglophiles’ imperialism, which is characterised by the linguistic expansion into the South African area. From the FF+ perspective, the threat of the erosion of the native languages’ role against the omnipotent dominance of English appears to be a justification for the existence of the Afrikaner nationalism, which once played a prominent role in strengthening the Afrikaans positions at all levels of the socio-political life. The FF+ insists on the necessity of the provision of educational services in the mother tongue for both pupils and students what, based on the party members’ position, will aid in the better comprehensibility of the material as well as creation of the comfortable and familiar environment for the learners. The implementation of such an intention is to attain the following goals, i.e., the promotion and the maintaining of the South African language diversity (as an integral part of the cultural mosaic) and the defending the right to the language choice of tuition. To add to it, in the party’s eyes, the right to use their own languages for the South Africans ought to be spread, inter alia, into the interaction with public agencies.
Keywords:
the current language politics of the Freedom Front+/FF+ (Vryheidsfront Plus/VF Plus); the encouragement of the teaching in the South African official languages and their use by the state bodies; the promotion of the Afrikaans language; the resistance to the English-language dominance at the expense of the local South African languages
Drawing on documents from the archives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, the article examines the fate of one of the most prominent figures of the Japanese Communist Party, Nosaka Sanzo: his rise to power, his contacts and cooperation with leaders of the communist movement in the Soviet Union, China, and Korea, his relations with the United States occupation forces in Japan, and his tragic final years.
Keywords:
USSR; NKVD (the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs); Japan; Communist Party of Japan; Nosaka
The article conceptualizes bibliometrics as an economic activity and as a management tool in science, linking indicator-based governance with broader scientometric practices. It contrasts two perspectives: a Western, metrics-driven model focused on efficiency and performance, and an Eastern, truth-seeking tradition grounded in cultural and philosophical views of knowledge. Methodologically, the study combines a historical analysis of bibliometrics’ evolution with an examination of RSCI (RINC), Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar data, alongside the analytical capabilities of the ISTINA information system. The paper shows how bibliometrics has matured into scientometrics that shapes funding allocation, staffing, and university strategies through global rankings (QS, THE, ARWU), international student flows, and associated revenues. It also outlines the economics of scholarly publishing (subscription bundles, open access, APCs, transformative agreements) and their implications for institutional decision-making. Focusing on Oriental and broader humanities fields, the study highlights long citation windows, undercount risks due to metadata inconsistencies and footnote practices, and the comparative advantages of Google Scholar for capturing citations. As an applied case, the paper discusses the RSCI dynamics (2017–2024) of Lomonosov Moscow University Bulletin. Series 13: Oriental Studies and derives editorial policy insights. A practical toolkit is proposed to improve visibility and measurement accuracy: content internationalization, harmonized metadata and persistent author identifiers (ORCID, ResearcherID, Scopus Author ID, IRID), English titles and abstracts, and targeted author training on citation standards. The article concludes that indicators should remain instruments for transparent, cost-effective research governance rather than ends in themselves, preserving the substantive value of scholarship—particularly in the humanities and Oriental studies.
Keywords:
bibliometrics; scientometrics; economics of science; university rankings; Oriental studies; RSCI (RINC); open access
The article is devoted to the study of the traditional model of Chinese masculinity through the prism of the concept of wen - wu (文武), where wen represents cultural achievements and education, and wu - military valour, on the example of the first poem from Zuo Xi’s cycle ‘Poems on history’ (咏诗八首). The article examines the historical roots of the wen-wu dichotomy, its relationship to Confucian canons, and its role in the formation of the ideal male image in traditional Chinese culture. Based on the analysis of the first poem of the cycle, it was concluded that the harmonious combination of education, mastery of words on the one hand and knowledge of martial arts on the other embodies the traditional gender ideal of wen-wu shuangquan, which means ‘to be well-versed in literature and martial arts’. The study emphasises the significance of the categories of wen and wu for Chinese culture, and demonstrates how literary creativity reflects socio-cultural norms of masculinity.
Keywords:
Zuo Si, wen-wu, Chinese masculinity, gender studies, gender poetics
The article reviews the First International Conference on Philippine Studies, held by the Department of Southeast Asian, Korean, and Mongolian Philology of IAAS MSU on October 25-26, 2024. It outlines key topics and presentations related to Philippine history, language, literature, and socio-political development, highlighting the conference’s role in fostering international scholarly collaboration.
Keywords:
international conference; Philippine studies; the Philippines; Southeast Asian studies; IAAS MSU
The new book by the well-known Russian Africanist R.N. Ismagilova, Ethiopia: History and Modernity, published in 2025, is a collection of articles written over the past two decades. These articles examine both significant historical events and contemporary issues in Ethiopia. Domestic politics, the establishment of a federal system of governance, and complexities in the relationships among the diverse peoples of this multiethnic country are analyzed in close connection with their traditions. In her approach, the author combines the perspectives of a historian, political scientist, and anthropologist. The book will be of interest not only to specialists in African studies but also to anyone interacting and communicating with Africans.
Keywords:
Ethiopia; federalism; polyethnicity; opposition
The author considers the specifics of the confrontation between Russia and the United States in Syria against the background of the change of power in Damascus and the Russian armed forces’ special military operation in Ukraine. In the context of Russian military planning, the author points out the peculiarities of Moscow’s maintenance of the military and political balance of power in the Black Sea and Mediterranean theaters of military operations as a single operational area under the jurisdiction of the Southern Military District. The author shows the details of Russia’s geostrategic planning with reliance on military facilities in Tartus and Hmeimim, their place in the defense of Russian territories. The relevance of the study of this issue is due to the fact that Moscow is negotiating to maintain a military presence in Syria after the opposition comes to power, which increases the relevance of understanding the possible format of interaction — both in terms of delivery of humanitarian aid to the country to continue to provide assistance to the Syrian people, and to maintain the ability to conduct operations to deter the US and maintain logistics in the framework of counterterrorism cooperation between Moscow and African countries.
Keywords:
special military operation; Middle East; Syria; politico-military planning; deterrence measures; Mediterranean theater of operations; military bases
The article examines the external aspects of the implementation of the digital yuan, namely: what practical steps the Chinese government is taking to expand the use of the digital yuan in foreign trade transactions, and how such measures are substantiated by the legislation. In addition, the scientific discourse regarding the potential of the digital yuan to reshape the global financial system is being analyzed. Currently, scholars both in and outside China are discussing how the development of the digital yuan will affect the transformation of the international trade. Do the actual steps taken by the Chinese government match their vision? How systematically and consistently are changes being implemented? Which tools are being used to promote the digital yuan in bilateral and multilateral formats? To answer these and other research questions, the article analyzes the most important policy document on the digital yuan — the White Paper ‘Progress of Research & Development of E-CNY in China’, and identifies the main directions for the development of the digital yuan in accordance with this document. In addition, references to the use of the digital yuan in the scientific literature and media were studied and summarized. The relevance of this article is due to the fact that in the context of growing sanctions pressure, the failure of Western-centric payment systems in terms of maintaining the normal functioning of global trade, the study of the use of digital currencies of central banks in foreign trade transactions in general, and the digital yuan — as the most advanced central bank digital currency — in particular, is extremely in demand.
Keywords:
PRC; digital yuan; People’s Bank of China; Central bank digital currency
The Japanese economy entered the third decade of the 21st century with low and unstable growth rates, some vestiges of catch-up development, the legacy of the “lost” decade of the 1990s in the form of huge accumulated public debt, and demographic problems. From the position of the second largest economy in the world, which it occupied in the 1990s, it dropped to 3rd place (GDP at the current exchange rate) and to 4th place in PPP. The country’s share in world GDP decreased from 7.6 % to 3.7 % (PPP) between 1990 and 2023. What is Japan’s real place in the global and Asian economies? Does the country have growth potential in modern conditions? What are the internal quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the Japanese economic model? Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the state and prospects of the Japanese economy according to the parameters “outside” — “inside” — “forward”, which is figuratively reflected in the title of the work as “3D measurement”. The paper analyzes internal and external problems and factors of development of the Japanese economy in the context of global uncertainty, the main trends in the country’s economic development in the 21st century and the directions of modernization of the country’s socio-economic model.
Keywords:
Japan; international competitiveness; economic growth model; digitalization; “new capitalism”
Based on the study of the original memoir source “My Biography” by A. Mostoufi, verified by the testimonies of foreign observers, the article examines one of the minor social groups of Iran’s urban population in the second half of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century. As an integral part of the Iranian city, this group is often viewed by researchers as amorphous and marginal, lacking stable characteristics that would define its homogeneity and permanence, which is also reflected in the contradictory meanings of the lexeme luti. Having analyzed the features of luti as a distinct group actor with its own moral, behavioral, and professional characteristics, the authors conclude that its officially low social status directly contradicts the significance it possessed in the socio-cultural life of the urban community. A wide range of role functions secured this group social prestige in the eyes of both the local patriciate and the democratic part of the urban population.
Keywords:
luti; ayyar; javanmard; rind; Iranian city; haydari-khanah; niʻmatikhanah; muharram; zur-khanah; role function
The article is devoted to the study of the religious communities of Jerusalem — Christians and Jews — in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, against the background of the Napoleonic expedition to the Middle East. Jerusalem, despite its relatively small population (about 12,000 people) and limited political importance in the Ottoman Empire, had a special status as a holy city of three world religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Christians and Jews in Jerusalem formed significant communities closely linked to the life of the Muslim majority, which created a complex system of religious symbiosis. During the years of the French invasion of the Middle East (1798–1801), the attitude of local authorities towards minorities was characterized by wariness and variability, including arrests, searches and the temporary detention of a large number of Christians in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Jewish community showed demonstrative loyalty to the Ottoman government and even helped to strengthen the defenses. Napoleon considered taking Jerusalem, hoping to gain the support of local Christians. However, due to tactical reasons, the capture did not take place, and the city maintained the status quo. The expedition exacerbated confessional contradictions, intensified the struggle for Holy Places and laid the foundations for further escalation of tension in interreligious relations. The Ottoman authorities sought to maintain control by charging large taxes and bribes from religious communities, while maintaining relative stability and preventing internal conflicts. The article reflects the complex balance of interests between various Christian denominations, the Jewish community and the Muslim authorities, as well as the reaction of Jerusalem residents to foreign military intervention in the lands of Palestine.
Keywords:
history of the Holy Land; the Eastern expedition of Napoleon Bonaparte; Christians of Palestine; Jews of Palestine; struggle for Holy Places
The article examines a historical retrospective of the administrative, cultural, and intellectual relationship between the post-Almohad dynasties of the Maghreb (the Marinids, Abdalwadids, and Hafsids) and the traditional Muslim educational institutions of North Africa. The reasons and characteristic features of the processes of reproduction of religious scholarship in the Maghreb are investigated in the light of the military and political events that accompanied the expansion of the Almohad state. The historical and cultural background of cooperation and rivalry between the major universities of the region and the Sultan’s/Emir’s court is shown. The author traces the dynamics of the geography of “sacred knowledge” in North Africa and proves that it correlates with the financial and economic activity of the states that arose on the ruins of the Almohad political project. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the multifaceted activities of madrasahs, which served as leading urban learning centers, had significant libraries and had highly professional teachers of Islamic spiritual disciplines. Tribal and intellectual ties between the military and political elite of the Maghreb and the teaching staff of new educational institutions have been studied.
The article examines the specific administrative model that developed in Ottoman Egypt in the second half of the 18th century, and the role of the local elite in the formation of the system of power. This study focuses on the influence of the Mamluk Sultanate on the ideas of regional leaders of predominantly Mamluk origin concerning the ideal structure of the state. These leaders regarded the Mamluk Sultanate as a model of the ‘golden age’ of Egyptian statehood. This study explores the repercussions of the deviation from the conventional tenets of the Mamluk corporation, which is characterized by an escalation in the competitive dynamics among the military-administrative elite of Egyptian society. The principal conclusion of the study is that the organizational structure of Mamluk society, which took shape in Ottoman Egypt in the latter half of the 18th century and was based on meritocratic principles of elite recruitment, due to its inherent contradictions, initially laid the foundation for stable stereotypes of behavior among the ruling authorities. These contradictions gave rise to conflicts among them. Despite the crisis of the Ottoman system of provincial administration, the leaders of the ruling ‘houses’ (‘beyts’) of the neo-Mamluk type were unable to propose a new political model of development and finally break away from dependency on the Ottoman metropolis, thus failing to put their ideas about the ideal state into practice.
Keywords:
Ottoman Egypt; Mamluks; ojaqs; Mamluk bayts; neo-Mamluk society
The article examines the conflictual relations between the Druze community, historically inhabiting Jabal al-Duruz, a mountainous region in southern Syria, and the Ottoman authorities during the period of large-scale reforms in the Ottoman Empire, that is, during the Tanzimat (1839–1876) and the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). The ethno-confessional specificity of the population of Jabal al-Duruz, which has persisted to the present day, largely shaped the sociopolitical situation in the Hauran region, of which Jabal al-Duruz formed a part, south of Damascus. This makes it possible to place the military conflicts and political arrangements between the Ottoman provincial administration in Syria and the Druze community of Hauran within a broader context of the changing historical destinies of inward-looking and compactly settled ethno-confessional communities during state-led modernization. Drawing on archival materials from Russian consular reports and other primary sources, the study traces the logic and dynamics of Ottoman attempts to incorporate Jabal al-Duruz into the empire-wide reformed system of administrative and territorial governance. It also identifies the factors that helped preserve the Druze community’s confessional and social insularity and its readiness to offer armed resistance to external encroachments on traditional self-government.
