Readjusting Cultural Codes: Reflections on Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism

In this article I seek to apply the notion of anti-Semitism as a cultural code, which I initially developed 25 years ago with relation to the antimodernist trends in late-nineteenth-century Germany, to the phenomena of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism today. From the 1960s anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism formed part of a larger ideological package consisting of anticolonialism, anticapitalism, and a deep suspicion of US policies. In the eyes of members of the developing countries, Jews became a symbol of the West and legitimate targets for hatred. Thus, the position on the Jewish question, even if not in itself of paramount importance, came to indicate a belonging to a larger camp, a political stand and an overall cultural choice. The question is whether the position towards Israel today, which has become a central issue for the European left, can still be considered a cultural code or whether it rather indicates a more direct anti-Jewish attack, above all as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.     

THE UTINKA BURIAL

New Middle Bronze Age fi nds are described originating in the Achinsk-Mariinsk forest-steppe, southwestern Siberia which represents a contact zone between the Okunev and Samus cultures. A burial discovered near Lake Utinka by local inhabitants, northeastern Kemerovo region, was found to contain steatite beads and unusual pendants in the form of a bear and a bird. The subsequent fi eld survey revealed characteristics of the burial construction and fragments of clay vessels. The designs on the vessels suggest that the burial was associated with the Samus culture. However, their manufacturing technology and the features of the steatite beads indicate Okunev affi nities. Based on the totality of available evidence, it is suggested that contact existed between the Samus and Okunev cultures in the Achinsk-Mariinsk forest-steppe area.     

Persian Studies and the Military in Late Imperial Russia (1863–1917): State Power in the Service of Knowledge?

This article pursues the goal of going beyond Saidian notions of Orientalism and Said's assumption of the “complicity of knowledge with power” to reach back to Foucault's initial postulations on the role of institutions and the intellectual in the interplay of power/knowledge relations. The article concentrates on the role of Russian military Oriental studies institutions and Orientologists in the context of discourses (the promotion of Russkoe Delo, the juxtaposition of Russia with the West and the Orient, etc.) that existed in late Imperial Russia and influenced the accumulation and development of scholarly knowledge on the Orient. Therefore, the significant contribution of the military domain to Russian Oriental studies on both the institutional and individual levels are examined from the angle of intra-Russian discourses in the period from the establishment of the Asiatic Section of the General Staff in 1863 up to 1917.     

Upper Paleolithic “Sounding Artifacts” from Mesin,Ukraine: Modification Marks

Upper Paleolithic musical instruments and the criteria whereby they may be distinguished have not received enough attention in Russian archaeology. A considerable number of presumed musical instruments have been found in Eurasia. The examination of such artifacts from Mesin has revealed modifications by humans that clearly indicate musical function. In terms of modern classification, they might be untuned percussion instruments of both resonator and nonresonator types.     

Questions about Migration in the Program of the 1970 Census

The formulation of the questions about migration in the proposed 1970 census is discussed. The original formulation asked for the place of residence at the time of the 1959 census. The author recommends, instead, a question eliciting the length of residence in the particular place and, if less than one year, the place of previous residence. The dispute was ultimately resolved by a compromise formulation that would elicit the previous place of residence if the person moved within the previous two years. A question about the reason for the migration was also added.