Identity in the Time of World Order Transformation: Discourses and Narratives

A conference titled ‘Old and New Heroes of History: Nation States in Quest for Identity’ was held on the 8th of February 2024, at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO). It was organized by the Center of the Indo-Pacific region of IMEMO. The conference Chief-moderators were Semenenko I.S., Corresponding Member of the RAS, Doct. Sci. (Polit. Sci.), Head of Centre for Comparative Socioeconomic and Political Studies, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of IMEMO and Prokhorenko I.L. Doct. Sci. (Polit. Sci.), Head of the Sector for International Organizations and Global Political Governance, Department for International Political Problems, IMEMO. The questions under analysis included the following points: the features and key directions of identity politics of various states of the world, the role and significance of identity conflict in world politics, rethinking the heritage of the past and the search for new ‘heroes’ for modern societies. The discussion was focused on the role of identity personifiers and the study of identity conflict in the context of the formation of a polycentric world. The speakers were as follows: Semenenko I.S. and Prokhorenko I.L. addressed the plenary meeting; staff members of IMEMO: the Center of the Indo-Pacific region– Head of the Center Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Kupriyanov A.V., Junior Research Fellow Makarevich G.G., Senior Research Assistant Kosareva E.S., Cand. Sci. (Polit. Sci.) Research Fellow Terskikh M.A., Junior Research Fellow Zaitsev I.A., Cand. Sci. (Polit Sci.) Research Fellow Lomova A.A., Turayanova L.T.; staff members of the Center for Middle East Studies – Research Fellow Ibragimov I.E. and Junior Research Fellow Guzhev I.A.; staff members of the Center for Development and Modernization Studies – Research Fellows Arabadzhyan A.Z. and Karamaev S.G.; staff member of the Center for European Studies Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Research Fellow Podchasov N.A. Fellows of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences delivered their speech: Cand. Sci. (Econ.) Leading Researcher of the Center for Middle East Countries Studies Arabadzhyan Z.A., members of the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania: Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Academic Secretary of the Center Senior Researcher Astafieva E.M., Cand. Sci. (Econ.) Leading Researcher of the Center and the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of RAS Popov A.V., staff members of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Research Fellows of the Center for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies Burova E.S., Kucherenko G.N., Shaternikov P.S., Research Fellow of the Center for the Study of Contemparary History of China and Its Relations with Russia Voloshina A.V.; staff members of the Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAS RAS): Head of the Center for Tropical African Studies Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Leading Researcher Denisova T.S., Head of the Center for Southern Africa Studies Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Senior Research Fellow Tokarev A.A., Senior Research Fellow of the Center for Southern Africa Studies Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Cand. Sci. (Hist. of Arts) Skubko Y.S., Junior Researcher Nesterova E.S., Senior Research Fellow of the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Associate Professor of the Department of General History, P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University (YarSU) Khokholkova N.E., YarSU students and staff members Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Associate Professor of the Department of Regional Studies and Tourism Savin D.A., Professor and Doct. Sci. (Hist.), Professor of the Department of General History Gavristova T.M., post-graduate student of the Department of General History of YarSU, history teacher of the Municipal educational institution ‘Nekrasov Secondary school No. 4 with in-depth study of the English language’ of Yaroslavl city Tsvetkov E.G., Georgy Arbatov Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN) staff member – Senior Research Fellow of the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology of the Department of Internal Political Research Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Vorobiev D.N.; staff member of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Cand. Sci. (Hist.) Associate Professor of the Department of American studies of the Faculty of International Relations, Political Science and Foreign Regional Studies RSUH Panov A.S. and Master’s student of the Department of Theory and History of Humanities, Institute of Philology and History of RSUH Grebneva N.I.; and master's student of the MGIMO University Kupalov-Yaropolk A.I. The review of the conference materials was compiled by the staff members of the Center of the Indo-Pacific region of IMEMO Cand. Sci. (Polit. Sci.) Research Fellow Lomova A.A. (lomova.dip@list.ru, ORCID: 0009-0004-3178-7480) and Junior Research Fellow Shirgazina E.R. (e.shirgazina8@imemo.ru, ORCID: 0000-0001-7715-2991) and Research Fellow of the Center for Development and Modernization Studies Karamaev S.G. (tiomkin@imemo.ru, ORCID: 0000-0001-5137-3948).