The ceremony of signing a cooperation agreement between the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Museum of Ethnography took place at the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg. The event was attended by the Vice-president of the Russian Geographical Society, Kirill Chistyakov, and the Director of the Russian Museum of Ethnography, Yulia Kupina.
The two organizations, the common goal of which is to educate in the field of cultural and ethnic diversity of Russia, as well as foster a responsible attitude towards the natural, historical and cultural heritage of the country, have agreed on joint activities in this direction.
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“The first expeditions of the Geographical Society had purely ethnographic goals. This issue was of interest to the elite ruling the country both from a world outlook point of view and from the point of view of building a competent system of government, which consisted of a huge number of peoples. In the 21st century, after 175 years of the existence of the Geographical Society, ethnographic activity has not lost its significance at all and even came to the fore: it is no coincidence that the Ethnographic Commission is among the permanent commissions of the Society. In its activities, the Geographical Society strives not to duplicate already existing state and other public institutions, but we want to unite our efforts with those who walk side by side with us, have the same goals of popularizing knowledge about the peoples, geography, history, culture of the peoples of our country. I am sure that our cooperation with the Russian Museum of Ethnography will provide an opportunity for new beginnings, new exhibitions, events and competitions,” said the Vice-president of the Russian Geographical Society, Kirill Chistyakov.
The Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Museum of Ethnography hope that joint scientific, cultural, educational and publishing projects, educational programs and information campaigns will increase the interest of young people in the origins of their native history.
The two institutes join forces in research and educational work, without which the existence of Russian science is now inconceivable; and in the implementation of the difficult mission of further understanding the world.
"In the collection of our museum there are many collections, archival materials that represent the research of the Geographical Society. We are standing on the shoulders of the richness of our mutual history, but today it is very important to think about the future. What we have in common today is our audience, mainly youth. Therefore, this common audience forces us to plan, think, create both traditional projects and new, digital ones. Only through partnership, support of historical ties and creation of new ones will we be able to create projects that will be of interest to future generations," noted the Director of the Museum, Yulia Kupina.
The Russian Museum of Ethnography is one of the largest ethnographic museums in the world. Its exhibits reflect all the diversity of cultures of the peoples of Russia and neighboring states. The goal set by Emperor Nicholas II "to present a clear concept of the artistic and cultural state of Russia" remains relevant for the museum to this day. The museum today is an authoritative scientific, methodological and educational center.
