NATIONAL ETHNOGRAPHERS AND ANTHROPOLOGISTS. 20TH CENTURY

07 October 1957 (1957-10-07), Leningrad

Biography, education, career:

Efim Rezvan comes from a family with military traditions. In 1980 he graduated from the Department of Arabic Philology, Faculty of Oriental Languages, Leningrad State University, with honours. In 1983 he completed a post-graduate course at Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, USSR Academy of Sciences. His teachers in science are P.A. Gryaznevich and Sergio Noja Noseda (Italy). In 1984, at the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Ethnograhy, USSR Academy of Sciences, Efim Rezvan defended his Candidate Dissertation, titled Ethnosocial Terminology of the Qur’an as a Source on the History and Ethnography of Arabia at the Turn of the 6th and 7th Centuries. Seven years later he defended his Doctoral Dissertation, titled The Qur’an as a Historical Source and a Literary Monument. In 1989 he received a post-doctoral fellowship at Institut d’Etudes Arabes et Islamiques, Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III). In 1984—2000 he worked at Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, USSR Academy of Sciences, holding positions from Senior Assistant to Deputy Director for Science. Efim Rezvan was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Manuscripta Orientalia journal (1995—2000); and, since 2000, he holds the position of Editor-in Chief. Since 2018 – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Etnografiya and Kustkamera journals. Since 2000 – Deputy Director for Research, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences. Efim Rezvan was invited by the eminent Italian Islamologist Prof. Sergio Noja Noseda (1931–2008) to become member of the Editorial Committee of the International Research and Publishing project titled Early Qur’ans. The Era of the Prophet, the Right Guided Caliphs and the Umayyades (Noseda Foundation, Italy), devoted to the study and publication of most ancient and important Qur’anic manuscripts. Rezvan is the initiator and one of the authors of the system of automatic recognition of the Arabic script, most popular in the Arab East today (Al-Qari' Al-Ali, now — Sakhr Automatic Reader). He is the founder and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Kunstkamera — Archives and Manuscripta Orientalia Electronic book series; Editor-in-chief of Culture and Ideology of the Muslim East series; member of Editorial Boards of several scientific periodicals, a number of Russian and foreign scientific journals; convener of several international scientific congresses held in St. Petersburg; author of articles for Russian and foreign academic encyclopaedias. Since 2006, Efim Rezvan is Titular Professor of UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, Russian Scientific Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage named after D. Likhachev; since 2018 – Professor of Higher School of Economics in Saint-Petersburg (Saint-Petersburg School of Arts and Humanities, Specialized Department of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) RAS). He lectured at the Faculties of Philosophy and Oriental Studies, SPb State University; Smolny College, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, SPb State University; Stanford University Moscow Centre; Kazan Federal University; M. Auezov South Kazakhstan State University; Union College of London, Qatar. He delivered public lectures in Kuwait, Indonesia, Oman, Great Britain, and Qatar. Prof. Rezvan has an extensive field research experience. He conducted fieldwork in Yemen (1989, 2007), Uzbekistan (2001, 2004, 2005), Vietnam (2005), India (2002, 2005), Sri Lanka and Maldives (2009), PRC and Hong Kong (2005), PRC (2008), Egypt (2006, 2007), Ethiopia (2008, 2009, 2010), Tanzania and Zanzibar (2010), Indonesia (Sumatra, 2013), Kazakhstan (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015), Oman (2016), and Jordan (2017). He is the author and curator of several exhibition projects that were displayed in many cities of Russia as well as in Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Greece, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the USA, Finland, France, the Chech Republic, Switzerland, and Estonia. A series of documentaries created within the frames of the Ijma‘ = Concord project were shown on Rusiya Alyaum (Russia Today) TV Channel. During various scientific and cultural events Prof. Rezvan’s documentaries were presented in Great Britain, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, PRC, Finland, and France. He is trainer/expert of the UNESCO/ICOM project Running a Museum: 21st Century.

Areas of expertise: Islamic studies; History and ethnography of the peoples of the Near and Middle East; History and ethnography of the peoples of Central Asia; Visual anthropology; Ethnic museology; Historiography, Source studies and Methodology of Ethnography; Qur’anic studies; diversity of Islamic world

Major scientific achievements:

Prof. Rezvan is the author of over 300 scientific papers, including 15 monographs and a series of exhibition catalogues, published in Russian, English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Uzbek, Finnish, Persian, Ukrainian, Tatar, and other languages. He is the founder and coordinator of a new research area, Qur’anic ethnography. Author of a series of publications in Islamic and Qur’anic studies, based mainly on the study of manuscript and archival collections (including discovery, attribution, scientific description and publication of one of the oldest and most important Qur'anic manuscripts – the so-called Qur'an of ‘Uthman, that was worshiped by the Muslims of Central Asia as the first original manuscript of the Holy text for nearly five hundred years). Author of a series of monographs devoted to Russian-Arab relations, based on Russian archival sources; and a series of papers about the diversity of Islamic world, based on the materials of his extensive field research. Presently, Prof. Rezvan is working on a new translation of the Qur’an.

Awards and distinctions:

Efim Rezvan received Soka University Honorary Award (Tokyo, 1998), the prize of the Committee of Asian Muslims for participating in the project titled Islam on the territory of the former Russian Empire (Tashkent, 1998); he is the winner of the National Book of the Year Award (Federal Agency for publications and mass communications of Russia and the Association of publishers of Russia) (2001); recipient of the UNESCO diploma for the best edition making a significant contribution to the culture of peace and nonviolence and the dialogue among civilizations (2001); the winner of the National Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2002), the winner of the Russian National Book of the Year Award in Humanitas nomination (2005), the winner of the Second International Contest of the CIS countries The Art of Book in the Dialogue of Cultures nomination (2005); recipient of the UNESCO diploma for the best edition making a significant contribution to the dialogue of cultures (2005); winner of the Exhibition of Qur’ans in Tehran (2005).

Major publications:

• Sufun rusiya fi l-Khaleej al-‘Arabi. 1899–1903. Mavad min arshif al-dawla al-markazi li-l-ustul al-bahri al-harbi. Dar at-Takaddum, Musku, 1990 [Russian Ships in Persian Gulf. 1899–1903. Materials of the State Central Archive of the Russian Navy. M.: Progress, 1990] (in Arabic)];

• Коран. Перевод Д.Н. Богуславского (совместно с А.Н. Вейраухом). Санкт-Петербург: Петербургское востоковедение, 1995 [The Qur’an. Translated by D.N. Boguslavsky (together with A.N. Weirauch). Saint-Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 1995];

• Коран и его толкования. Санкт-Петербург: Петербургское востоковедение, 2000; [The Qur’an and Its Interpretations. Saint-Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2000];

• Коран и его мир (Санкт-Петербург, Петербургское востоковедение: 2001); [The Qur’an and Its World. Saint-Petersburg, Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2001];

• «Коран ‘Усмана» (Катта-Лангар, Санкт-Петербург, Бухара, Ташкент). Санкт-Петербург: Петербургское востоковедение, 2004) (русско-английское издание) [The Qur'an of ‘Uthman (Katta-Langar, Saint-Petersburg, Bukhara, Tashkent). Saint-Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2004 (a Russian-English edition)];

• Rezvan E. Russian Ships in the Gulf, 1899—1903. London: Ithaca Press, 1999;

• Hajj qabla mi’a sana. Rihla sirriya li-l-dabit rusi ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Davletshin ili-l-Makka al-Mukarrama, 1898. Bairut: Dar at-takrib baina mazahib islamiya. 1993 (Hajj a Hundred Years Ago. The Secret Mission of Captain ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Davletshin to the Sacred Mekka. 1898. Beirut, 1898) (In Arabic)];

• Al-hisan al-‘arabi fi rusiya. Dubai: Markaz Juma'’al-Madjid li-t-turath va-thaqafa, 2005 (Arab Horse in Russia. Dubai, 2005) (in Arabic)];

• Al-Qur’an al-karim fi Rusiya. Dubai: Markaz Juma' al-Madjid li-l-turath va-thaqafa, 2005 (The Qur’an in Russia) (In Arabic)];

• The Qur’an and its world. Saint-Petersburg: MAE RAS, 2012 (Manuscripta Orientalia Electronic book series; Vol. 1);

• Oriental Manuscripts of Karl Fabergé. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg: MAE RAS, 2012. (Manuscripta Orientalia Electronic book series; Vol. 2);

• The Qur’an and Muslim Manuscript Tradition. Selected articles (together with M. Rezvan). St. Petersburg: MAE RAS, 2013 (Manuscripta Orientalia Electronic book series; Vol. 3);

• Введение в коранистику. Казань: Издательство Казанского университета, 2014; [An Introduction to Qur’anic Stiudies. Kazan: Kazan University Press, 2014];

• Туркестан. Санкт-Петербург — Алматы: КМБХ (Серия «Мой мир ислама»; т. 1); [Turkestan. Saint-Petersburg – Almaty: KMBH (My World of Islam Series; Vol. 1)];

• Человек в Коране и доисламской поэзии. Монография – учебное пособие. СПб.: Президентская библиотека (в соавторстве с А. Ю Кудрявцевой) [Man in the Qur’an and Pre-Islamic Poetry. Monograph. SPb.: President’s Library (co-authored with A.Y. Kudryavtseva)].

Exhibition catalogues:

• De Baghdad à Ispahan. Manuscripts islamiques de la Filiale de Saint‑Pétersburg de l’Institut d’Etudes orientales, Académie des Sciences de Russie. P.: Electa, 1994; Pages of Perfection. Islamic Paintings and Calligraphy from the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. New York: Abbeville Press, 1995; Da Bagdad a Isfahan. Pittura e calligrafia Islamica dall’Accademia Russa delle Scienze, San Pietroburgo. FondazioneARCH, Lugano. Milano, Electa 1995; Von Baghdad bis Isfahan. Buchmalerei und Schriftkunst des Vorderen Orients (8.—18. Jh) aus dem Institut fur Orientalistik, St. Petersburg, Lugano: ARCH‑Foundation/Russ. Akad. d. Wiss. 1995 (в соавторстве с Ю.А. Петросяном, А.Б. Халидовым и О.Ф. Акимушкиным); (co-authored with Y.A. Petrosyan, A.B. Khalidov, and O.F. Akimushkin);

• Jeynov — «Мы пришли» (арабы Узбекистана: образы традиционной культуры). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2004 (русско-английское издание); [Jeynov – ‘We Arrived’ (The Arabs of Uzbekistan: Images of Traditional Cultures). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2004 (a Russian-English edition)];

• Грёзы о Востоке. Русский авангард и шелка Бухары (русско-английское издание). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2006; [Oriental Dreams. Russian Avant-Garde and Silks of Bukhara (a Russian-English edition). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2006];

• Старожилы. «Славянский ход»: этнографические коллекции Югры. СПб. – Сургут: МАЭ РАН, 2006 [Old Settlers. ‘The Slavic Procession’: Ethnographic Collections of Yugra. SPb – Surgut: MAE RAS, 2006];

• Страна благовоний (Йемен: образы традиционной культуры). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2007; [The Land of Incense (Yemen: Images of Traditional Culture). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2007];

• Они сражались за нашу свободу (русско-английское издание). СПб., 2010 [They Fought for our Freedom (a Russian-English edition). SPb., 2010];

• Между Туркестаном и Тибетом: салары. Каталог выставки (русско-английское издание). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2010; [Between Turkestan and Tibet: the Salars. Exhibition catalogue (a Russian-English edition). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2010];

• В зеркале времени. Кенийская фотоколлекция Герхарда Линдблома. Каталог фотовыставки. СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2010; [In the Mirrors of Time: Kenya photo collection by Gerhard Lindblom. Photo exhibition catalogue. SPb.: MAE RAS, 2010];

• Самуил Дудин — фотограф, художник, этнограф (материалы экспедиций в Казахстан в 1899 и 1910 гг.). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2010 (русско-английское издание); [Samuel Dudin – Photographer, Artist, Ethnographer (the materials of the expeditions to Kazakhstan of 1889 and 2010). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2010 (a Russian-English edition)];

• В зеркале времени. Диалог культур в Русском мире. Каталог фотовыставки (при участии А.Ю. Кудрявцевой и Т.М. Федоровой). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2011 (русско-английское издание); [In the Mirrors of Time: Dialogues of Culture in the ‘Russian World’. Photo exhibition catalogue (with contributions from A.Y. Kudryavtseva and T.M. Fedorova). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2011 (a Russian-English edition)];

• В зеркале времени. Народы России глазами фотографов рубежа XIX—XX вв. Каталог фотовыставки (при участии А. Ю. Кудрявцевой). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2011 [In the Mirrors of Time: Peoples of Russia through the Lens of the Photographers at the turn of 19th-20th centuries. Photo exhibition catalogue (with contributions from A.Y. Kudryavtseva). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2011];

• В зеркале времени. Диалог культур в Русском мире. Каталог фотовыставки (при участии А.Ю. Кудрявцевой и Т.М. Федоровой). СПб.: МАЭ РАН, 2012 [In the Mirrors of Time: Dialogues of Culture in the ‘Russian World’. Photo exhibition catalogue (with contributions from A.Y. Kudryavtseva and T.M. Fedorova). SPb.: MAE RAS, 2012];

• Паспорт Ионы. СПб., КМБХ, 2012 (русско-английское издание). [Passport of Jonah. SPb., KMBH, 2012 (a Russian-English edition)].

• Волхвы пришли. СПб.: Первое творческое объединение, 2017 (http://rezvan.kz/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Booklet-Magi.pdf [The Magi Had Arrived. SPb.: Pervoye tvorcheskoye obyedinenie, 2017]

Documentaries:

• В поисках Корана ‘Усмана (2003, автор сценария и сопродюсер). Режиссёр А. Абашкин; [In Search of the Qur’an of ‘Uthman (2003, scriptwriter, producer). Director: A.Abashkin];

• Восточный Фаберже: истории любви (2003, автор сценария, продюсер и режиссёр); [Oriental Fabergé: Love Stories (2003, scriptwriter, producer and director)];

• Рукопись и судьба (2007, автор сценария и сопродюсер). Режиссёр Т. Колногорова; [The Manuscript and Fate (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Kolnogorova];

• Каир — Петербург (2007, автор сценария и продюсер). Режиссёр Т. Соловьёва; [Cairo-Saint-Petersburg (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Solovyova];

• Раскол (2007, автор сценария и сопродюсер). Режиссёр Т. Колногорова; [The Schism (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Kolnogorova];

• Коран с пятиконечной звездой (2007, автор сценария и сопродюсер). Режиссёр Т. Колногорова; [The Qur’an with a Five-Point Star (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Kolnogorova];

• Араб из Джинау (2007, автор сценария и продюсер). Режиссёр Т. Соловьёва; [An Arab Man from Djinau (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Solovyova];

• Каир — Тампере. Женские судьбы (2007, автор сценария и сопродюсер). Режиссёр Т. Колногорова; [Cairo – Tampere. Female Fates (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Kolnogorova];

• Экспедиция (2007, автор сценария и продюсер). Режиссёр Т. Соловьёва; [Expedition (2007, scriptwriter, producer) Director: T. Solovyova];

• Хафтранги. Райский сад: семь цветов (2007, автор сценария и продюсер). Режиссёр Т. Соловьёва; [Haft Rangi. Jannah: the Seven Flowers (2007, scriptwriter, producer). Director: T. Solovyova];

• Видеолекции [Video Lectures].