The forum Anthropology in Search of a New Language of Description, the first such forum in Siberia, has been launched at TSU. Scientists from 7 countries - France, Sweden, UK, Germany, Switzerland, the USA, Austria, and Bulgaria - gathered there. Scientists are discussing the problems of migration, management of natural resources and modern communities.
- Until the 1990s Tomsk was a closed city and TSU was focused on the science related to the military-industrial complex, and developed appropriate technology. Then, the rapid development of humanities research began - said Georgiy Mayer, the president of TSU. - Today, even such sciences as physics and chemistry at TSU are focused on a person, because the problem of a human is one of the most important in the 21st century.
For three days, scientists will present papers on several topics: intensive migration in the modern world, the development of human resources, and the natural and heterogeneous community. All three of these contemporary phenomena are becoming causes of disturbances that change the life of society.
The researchers also plan to discuss the terms, concepts, and categories that will be used to describe anthropological research.
- TSU collected ethnographic materials across Siberia for many years - said Professor Dmitriy Funk. - Today, there is a special centre where there are the remains of studies of the ethnic parameters of humans. Scientists have become more involved in the international understanding of anthropology. Tomsk should be recognized, and we are trying to organize a forum with its own face, whose idea includes the search for its own language.
The full programme of the first Tomsk Anthropological Forum can be found here: http://lsar.tsu.ru/public/files/Inf_letters/Programm_TAF.pdf.