Sarah D


Anthropology of East Europe Review 

Volume 24, No. 1, Spring 2006  Page 98 

CONFERENCE REPORT 

ANTHROPOLOGY OF PROFESSIONS IN RUSSIA: NEW AND TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS 
IN CHANGING RUSSIA: SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH 

SARATOV, RUSSIA 

SEPTEMBER 29-30, 2005 

Pavel Romanov 
Saratov State Technical University, Saratov, Russia 

 
The conference “Anthropology of professions in 
Russia: New and traditional occupations in changing 
Russia: social anthropological approach” has taken 
place on the 29-30 September 2005 in Saratov, 
Russia. The conference was supported by the Russian 
Foundation for Humanities and organized by the 
Center of social policy and gender studies in 
collaboration with the Research of Professions 
Network of ESA, the Department of social 
anthropology and social work at the Saratov State 
Technical University and Russian Sociological 
Society. This event was a second forum on 
anthropology of professions, the first one has taken 
place a year ago in Moscow, at the Institute of 
Sociology. The conference programme was consisted 
of as five sessions: “The main approaches in 
anthropology of professions”, “Business and the local 
economies”, “Medical systems and healing practices 
in contemporary society”, “Anthropology of 
professions”, “Professionalization of control and 
care”. Thirty participants have discussed such issues 
as politics of professional identity, 
professionalization of work, institutionalization of 
new professions, power of professionals, everyday 
life of working place, rites and traditions, folklore, 
inside life of the communities of the professionals.  
President of Russian Sociological Society and 
Member of Executive Committee of ESA Dr.Valery 
Mansurov (Institute of Sociology, Moscow) has 

greeted participants and talked about the 
contemporary trends in sociology of professions, he 
also presented a paper on medical professionals in 
today’s Russia. Dr.Pavel Romanov from the 
organizers of the conference presented a paper on the 
main principles and challenges of anthropological 
and ethnographical studies of professions, application 
of ethnographical methods in studying of 
contemporary Russia’ society, labor relations in the 
working place, power and communication in 
everyday life practices of occupational groups.  Irina 
Nazarova from European University at StPetersburg 
reported on superstitious rules in modern professions. 
Several papers were devoted to healing practices in 
urban and rural contexts of contemporary Russia. 
Rural economies were discussed in the presentations 
by Dr.Aimar Ventsel (Estonian Literature Museum, 
Tarty, Estonia), Dr.Ilya Shteinberg (Centre 
“Socium”, Saratov, Russia) and Alexander Manuilov 
(Center for Anthropological Research, Krasnodar, 
Russia). Dr.Natalia Pushkareva (Institute of 
Ethnology and Anthropology, Moscow) raised an 
issue of women’s career in academy.  A special 
attention was paid to the issues of professionalization 
of social work and foster parenting, development of 
regional scientific communities.  The papers based on 
ethnographical research were especially on interest of 
conference participants.