Islamic Studies in Post-Soviet Russia: in Search of New Approaches

Abstract

Research on pre-modern and modern Islam conducted in post-Soviet Russia, has been, and still is, very poorly known to scholars from abroad - both in the West and in the Muslim world. Despite the fall of the 'iron curtain' after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is still an informational barrier separating post-Soviet and non-Soviet researchers. Many questions arise concerning what has happened in Islamic studies after the cease of religious persecution during the 'perestroika' years: What was the impact of the socalled 'Islamic revival' on research on Islam? Which academic schools training specialists in Islamic studies have survived since the pre-Soviet and Soviet times? To what extent do post-Soviet scholars know and share modern Western approaches and concepts in Islamic studies?