The National Centre RUSSIA prepares major international ethnographic project
The presentation of a major international ethnographic project by the National Centre RUSSIA will be held in Zaraysk on 18 June. This was reported by the Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova, in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel. As part of preparations for the event, the National Centre RUSSIA team met with the leadership of the Russian Ethnographic Museum in St Petersburg to discuss possible cooperation.
"We especially need reliable friends — world-class institutions. The Russian Ethnographic Museum is exactly such a partner for us. This science has always been one of the strongest in the world in our country, and we want to confirm this. Our shared task is to find that very path of openness and show that Russia remains a vital part of the global cultural process. We believe in the power of mutual influence: Russian ethnography influences the world, and the world influences us. Through our partnership, we want to preserve and show this connection," Natalia Virtuozova noted.
According to the Director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum, Yulia Kupina, ethnography today, while remaining an academic discipline, is becoming a highly public field of activity and helps people take a fresh look at issues of identity, cultural legacy and the interconnection of peoples. Yulia Kupina emphasised that modern research is increasingly turning to personal stories and human experience, making the conversation about traditions clearer and closer to a wider audience.
"We are interested in becoming partners of the project because we have a powerful network of regional connections, thanks to the Association of Ethnographic Museums of Russia and the section of Arctic museums, as well as partnership projects with educational and research centres. This allows us to collect materials and involve craftsmen, researchers and the public from across the country. In addition, we have unique foreign collections from CIS countries, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia outside Russia, including China, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and other states. This is the result of intellectual knowledge of the world, and the main task of such projects is to connect folk traditions, academic science and the modern cultural context. It is no coincidence that our museum slogan is 'Tradition is Modern'," Yulia Kupina said.
Yulia Kupina also noted that ethnography helps people see the connections between peoples and better understand themselves: "Our collection is a kind of family album of humanity, which shows the kinship ties between peoples, their mutual influence and their shared path of development. To know yourself, you need to see others, and ethnography helps build this dialogue. Modern science is increasingly turning to emotions, personal stories and human experience. Behind every object is a specific person, their fate and their view of the world. This makes ethnography especially relevant today and reveals its humanitarian significance for countries, peoples and every individual."
Earlier, the National Centre RUSSIA team, headed by Director General Natalia Virtuozova, visited Zaraysk in the Moscow Region, where they inspected locations for a major international event. A meeting was also held with the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Moscow Region, Vasily Kuznetsov, and the Head of the Urban District, Viktor Petrushchenko, to discuss cooperation opportunities: the city will become one of the key locations of the future project.
