Girenko Nikolai Mikhailovich
31 October 1940, Leningrad — 19 June 2004, Saint-Petersburg
Biography, education, career:
Nikolai Girenko comes from the family of a teacher. In 1959-1962 he served in the Construction Battalion. In 1962-1967 he studied at the Department of African Studies of the Faculty of Oriental Languages, Leningrad State University. In 1967-1970 he worked as a translator in Zanzibar. From 1971 he successively occupied the positions of Senior Research Assistant (from July 1971), Junior Research Fellow (from October 1972), Senior Research Fellow (from February 1980) of the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Ethnography, USSR AS. In 1971 he participated in the expedition to Oceania aboard the Dmitry Mendeleev vessel. In 1972-1977 he worked as an Assistant to Scientific Secretary for international scientific relations. In 1975 he defended his Candidate’s Dissertation at the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Ethnography under Prof. D.A. Olderogge, Correspondent Member of the USSR AS); it was titled Traditional Social Organization of the Nyamwezi (The Main Paths of Development in the Pre-Colonial Period). In 1986-1990 he was Head of the Department of Africa at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology in Leningrad. In 1992-1993 he was Deputy Director for Museum at Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. From 1993 he was first lead researcher, then – senior researcher at the Department of Africa, MAE RAS. In 1999-2002 he was People’s Deputy of the Leningrad City Council, member of its Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Rights of Non-Governmental Organizations. Girenko was interested in applied ethnopolitology. He was working on a monograph on the theory of ethnos. In 1986-1989 he lectured on the ethnography of Africa at the Department of Ethnography and Anthropology of the Faculty of History, SPSU; in 1994-2003 he also lectured at the Department of African Studies of the Faculty of Oriental Languages, SPSU.
Areas of expertise: History and ethnography of the peoples of Africa; Anthropology of kinship; Ethnolinguistics; social organization and kinship system of the peoples of Africa, problems of general ethnography
Membership in scientific organizations and unions:
From 1995 N. Girenko chaired the committee on the rights of ethnic minorities of Saint-Petersburg Union of Scientists.
Major publications:
• Этнолингвистическая ситуация на Занзибаре // СЭ. 1972. № 5. С. 51-60; [Ethnolinguistic Situation in Zanzibar // Sovetskaya Etnografiya (Soviet Ethnography). 1972. № 5. Pp. 51-60];
• Система терминов родства и система социальных категорий // СЭ. 1974. № 5. С. 41-50; [The Systems of Kinship Terms and Social Categories // Sovetskaya Etnografiya (Soviet Ethnography). 1974. № 5. Pp. 41-50];
• Колониальный режим и традиционные социальные институты (на примере Танзании) // СЭ. 1974. № 1. С. 50-69; [The Colonial Regime and Traditional Social Institutions (on the Example of Tanzania) // Sovetskaya Etnografiya (Soviet Ethnography). 1974. № 1. Pp. 50-69];
• Три языка в деревне Бонгу (совместно с Н.А. Бутиновым) // На берегу Маклая. М., 1975. С. 204-226; [Three Languages in Bongu village (co-authored with N.A. Butinov) // On Maclay Coast. Moscow, 1975. Pp. 204-226];
• Тенденция этнического развития Уньямвези XIX в. // Этническая теория Африки. Доколониальный период. М., 1977. С. 70-90; [Ethnic Development of Unyamwezi in the 19th Century // Ethnic Theory of Africa. Pre-Colonial Period. Moscow, 1977. Pp. 70-90];
• Дуальная организация и турано-ганованские системы. К вопросу о динамике и статике в социальных системах // Африканский этнографический сборник. Л., 1980. Вып. 12. С. 101-128; [Dual Organization and Turano-Ganovanian Systems. Towards Dynamics and Statistics in Social Systems // Afrikansky Etnograficheskiy Sbornik (African Ethnographic Digest). Leningrad, 1980. Iss. 12. Pp. 101-128];
• Классификаторский принцип и периодизация эволюции систем родства // Там же. С. 6-23; [The Classificatory Principle and Periodization of Kinship Systems Evolution // Ibid., Pp. 6-23];
• Брат-сестра (К соотношению типов терминологии и социогенеза) // Африканский этногра¬фический сборник. Л., 1982. Вып. 13. С. 34-49; [Brother – Sister (Towards the Relation of Terminology Types and Sociogenesis) // Afrikansky Etnograficheskiy Sbornik (African Ethnographic Digest). Leningrad, 1982. Iss. 13. Pp. 34-49];
• Восточноафриканские культуры в процессе формационных изменений (XIX-XX вв.) // СЭ. 1984. № 2. С. 38-50; [East African Cultures in the Process of Formational Changes (19th – 20th Centuries) // Sovetskaya Etnografiya (Soviet Ethnography). 1984. № 2. Pp. 38-50];
• Динамика биосоциальной системы в естественноисторическом процессе // Африканский этнографический сборник. Л., 1991. Вып. 15. С. 4-68; [The Dynamics of the Boisocial System in the Natural Historic Process // Afrikansky Etnograficheskiy Sbornik (African Ethnographic Digest). Leningrad, 1991. Iss. 15. Pp. 4-68]];
• Социология племени. Становление социологической теории и основные компоненты социальной динамики. Л., 1991; [Sociology of the Tribe. The Evolvement of the Sociological Theory and the Basic Components of Social Dynamics. Leningrad, 1991];
• Экзогамия // КЭТ. 1995. Вып. 4. С. 20-34; [Exogamy // Kunstkamera. Etnograficheskiye Tetradi (Ethnographic Notebooks). 1995. Iss. 4. Pp. 20-34];
• Латеральность и линейность как дифференцирующие признаки социального организма родства // Алгебра родства. СПб., 1999. Вып. 3. С 5-20; [Laterality and Linearity as Differential Features of the Social Organism of Kinship // Kinship Algebra. Saint-Petersburg, 1999. Iss. 3. Pp. 5-20];
• Социология племени. Становление социологической теории и основные компоненты социальной динамики. СПб., 2004; [Sociology of the Tribe. The Evolvement of the Sociological Theory and the Basic Components of Social Dynamics. Saint-Petersburg, 2004];
• Этнос. Культура. Закон. СПб., 2004. [Ethnos. Culture. Law. Saint-Petersburg, 2004].
About N. Girenko:
• Милибанд С.Д. Кн. 1. С. 296; [Miliband, S.D. Vol.1. P. 296];
• Список основных работ к.и.н. Николая Михайловича Гиренко (к 60-летию со дня рождения) // ЭО. 2000. № 5. С. 187-188; [Major Bibliography of N.M. Girenko (On the Occasion of Girenko’s 60th Birthday) // Etnograficheskoye obozrenie (Ethnographic Review). 2000. № 5. Pp. 187-188];
• Чернецов С.Б. Слово о старом товарище // КЭТ. 2003. Вып. 13. С. 313-317; [Chernetsov, S.B. A Word of an Old Frind // Kunstkamera. Etnograficheskiye Tetradi (Ethnographic Notebooks). 2003. Iss.13. Pp. 313-317];
• Попов В.А. Николай Михайлович Гиренко (1940¬2004) // ЭО. 2005. № 1. С. 172-174. [Popov, V.A. Nikolai Mikhailovich Girenko (1940-2004) // Etnograficheskoye obozrenie (Ethnographic Review). 2005. № 1. Pp. 172-174].