[KS] Does "the Orient" still exist?

Victor Atknine natkn83251 at rogers.com
Thu May 8 08:03:21 EDT 2003


Hello,
this is to respond to DSChirkov's message. 
The faculty's original name is precisely "Vostochnyi fakul'tet", "Oriental (lit. "Eastern) Faculty". There is no word "African" in it. 
Though it may sound rude, here is my question: is this about "political correctness"? If yes, here are my suggestions to politically correct persons.
If "Oriental" is bad, according to "Sweden's postcolonial thinking", then "Asian" isn't good either, because it implies the Asian vs. European (or American) controversy :). I suggest using capitals only. Department of A(sian) Languages, or Department of AA (Asian and African) Languages. However that's bad, too, because alphabetically A precedes E(uropean) or IE (Indo-European). That's not politically correct. 
Just for reference. Like in China later, there had been a name change movement in Russia. In 1930, The Asian Museum (Aziatskii Muzei) in St. Petersburg (then - Leningrad) was renamed to The Institute for Oriental Studies (Institut Vostokovedeniya). I am curious to hear would anybody blame Russian academicians and Academy bosses for propagation of colonial ideas. 
Victor Atknine.
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