Mr Medvedev’s message says in particular:
“Your meeting addresses one of the most relevant academic problems today – that of forming new approaches to studying and teaching world history. This is an issue of concern not just to scholars and teachers from Russia and abroad but to society as a whole.
Objective study of historic events is possible only by taking into account the totality of the facts and comparing the different views and assessments of professional historians. It is pleasing to see that over these last decades Russian historians have proposed a whole series of new theoretical and methodological developments. The Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for World History, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has played a big part in modernising the research process. The institute’s staff have had achievements in the publication of fundamental academic publications and textbooks, and in developing and implementing big projects aimed at integrating research and education.
I hope that your professionalism, authority and detailed knowledge of the issues in world history will help the participants in the conference to exchange positive experience and make concrete recommendations”.
Leading Russian historians and their colleagues from abroad are taking part in the conference at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for World History on November 10–11.