International Conference «V.G. Rastyannikov’s Readings»

The annual international conference «V.G. Rastyannikov’s Readings» serves as a specialized discussion forum for the in-depth analysis of pressing socio-economic issues across Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The conference examines pivotal challenges shaping global social and geopolitical dynamics, alongside transformative trends within international economic relations. Each year, conference’s program is designed around a specific topic, facilitating a thorough exploration of a key contemporary development vectors in these regions.

The conference «V.G. Rastyannikov’s Readings» is named in honor of Viktor Georgievich Rastyannikov (1928–2015), a leading Soviet and Russian economist and orientalist whose foundational work focused on the agrarian development of Asian countries. The «V.G. Rastyannikov’s Readings» was launched in 2018 and was initially held once every two years as an all-Russian event. Initially titled the «Conference in Memory of Viktor Georgievich Rastyannikov» (until 2020), it underwent a significant qualitative transformation in 2024 – this milestone year marked its official designation as an international conference and its transition to an annual schedule, enhancing its reach and academic rhythm.

The conference consistently attracts a growing and increasingly diverse international audience, which in turn broadens its thematic scope and stimulates innovative discussion formats. Annual participants include scholars from leading research and educational institutions across the Russian Federation and numerous other countries, such as Bolivia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The event is intentionally interdisciplinary, inviting contributions from economists, historians, political scientists, and sociologists. A dedicated focus is placed on engaging the next generation of scholars, including early-career researchers, postgraduate students, undergraduate and master’s students, fostering a dynamic dialogue across experience levels.

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Center for Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Agrarian Research of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences serves as the permanent organizer of the annual international conference «V.G. Rastyannikov’s Readings»

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Organizing Committee:

• Irina V. Deriugina (Chair) – Head of the Center for S&T Cooperation and Agrarian Research, IOS RAS                     

• Vadim O. Dvoichenkov – Academic Secretary of the Center for S&T Cooperation and Agrarian Research, IOS RAS

• Elizaveta V. Rastyannikova – Senior Researcher at the Department of Economic Research, IOS RAS                     

Orientalist scholar Viktor Georgievich Rastyannikov (1928–2015)

Viktor Rastyannikov exemplified the synergy between deep scholarship and dedicated pedagogy. He was a sought-after lecturer, developing and teaching specialized courses on the economics and political economy of agriculture in Eastern countries at two leading institutions: the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. His commitment to mentoring the next generation is evidenced by his successful supervision of ten PhD candidates, all of whom defended their dissertations under his guidance.

The sphere of V.G. Rastyannikov’s research interests was distinguished by exceptional breadth and interdisciplinary. A pioneering scholar of agrarian issues and food security in the developing countries of the East, he developed significant theoretical contributions on general economic development, social depressors of economic growth, the foundations of inequality and unevenness in the societies of India and other Asian countries. The starting point of V.G. Rastyannikov's scientific research was  focused on the evolution of agrarian structures and class formation in rural India. This seminal work culminated in a monograph «Agrarian Evolution in Multiform Structure Society. Experience of Independent India», published in the UK in 1981. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the book gained substantial international acclaim, establishing itself as essential reading and a core textbook for Indology programs globally.

A cornerstone of V.G. Rastyannikov’s scholarship was his analysis of capitalism’s emergence within India’s agrarian society, a theme explored across a series of foundational publications. His editorial leadership was pivotal in the 1995 collective monograph «Capitalism in the East in the Second Half of the 20th Century», which significantly advanced theoretical perspectives on capitalist development in Eastern nations. This monograph remains a key reference for theorizing socio-economic development in Asia and Africa. Viktor Rastyannikov’s own contributions to the monograph were marked by their conceptual innovation. He specifically analyzed the heterogeneity of capitalist models in Eastern countries, shaped by the forces of the scientific and technological revolution. He successfully advanced the thesis that scientific and technological revolution played a transformative role, propelling the «evolution of capitalism onto the global stage and rendering this developmental path a universal, worldwide process». In today’s context, where Russia’s scientific and technological advancement and its cooperation with Asian and African nations are of critical strategic importance, Rastyannikov’s theoretical legacy remains profoundly relevant and valuable.

Viktor G. Rastyannikov left a substantial scholarly legacy of more than 150 scientific works, among them 25 monographs authored individually or in collaboration. In acknowledgment of his distinguished contributions, he was honored with several state awards, including the medals «For Labor Valor» and «For Valiant Labor».

For further details about V.G. Rastyannikov, please refer to the official website of the IOS RAS: https://www.ivran.ru/persons/34