The article analyzes the role of prince E. E. Ukhtomsky - an original Russian Thinker, a diplomat, traveler, politician, banker, a publicist, poet, an outstanding collector – orientalist, an ideologist of vostochnichestvo, the Gentleman of the bedchamber of the Highest Court the publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Sankt – Peterburgskiye Vedomosti” (1896-1917) in the dialogue of cultures of the East – Russia – the West, “the universal mission” of Russia and the Russian culture in relation to other countries of the world, and first of all for China, Mongolia and Tibet, and this mission was understood by him as mutual penetration with the culture of the East; the roles of Buddhism in the integration processes when giving broad masses of the Buryats access to the achievements of culture of Central, South and East Asia. The Prince considered Trans Baikal the key to the heart of Asia, the vanguard of the Russian civilization on boards of the “Yellow East”; and for the tsar’s Buddhist citizens - an important tool for expansion of the Russian influence in Internal Asia. What is why, according to him, attempts to assimilate alien Buddhists should be stopped. He also continues to propagandize this confidence in the newspaper “Sankt –Peterburgskiye Vedomosti” as vostochnichestvo, which later on was developed “euroasianism” by intellectual emigrants. The prince supported his sympathies for east religions by his Keene’s on culture and collecting pieces of Mongolian, Chinese and Tibetan arts, the collection of which contains more than 3000 exhibits; the collection of art of East Asia making a body in the Hermitage Grynvedel paid attention that Ukhtomsky expressed various forms of an archaeological interest in the Buddhism and its art. In iconography and small sculpture which were at that time inaccessible, there remains “the live mythology with its honoring numerous deities, full of brilliant ceremonies”. This collection promotes the creation of the history of a Buddhist pantheon and the periods of its development in different countries. This also an important fact that Ukhtomsky collection demonstrates the large meaning of Tibetan Literature representing irreplaceable addition to Sanskrit, and without knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism’ Impossible to study the Chinese religions as well.
Translated title of the contributionВосточничество и диалог культур в творчестве князя Э.Э. Ухтомского
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)229-235
JournalInternational Journal of Philosophy
Volume9
Issue number4
StatePublished - Dec 2021

    Research areas

  • Vostochnichestvo, Dialogue of Cultures, E. E. Ukhtomsky, buddhism, “Euroasianism”, Buddhist Art

    Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities(all)

ID: 89716052