The Essence and Significance of Oriental Studies

The article is devoted to the study of the content, features and main directions of oriental studies in Kazakhstan and the world. Based on an analysis of the periods of historical development of Oriental studies in Western Europe and Asian countries (mainly China), the author comes to the conclusion that the scientific and technological lag of Asian countries from the European powers that began at a certain stage logically led to the earlier development of Oriental science in Western countries. The work also examines Kazakh-Chinese diplomatic and ethnocultural contacts as one of the important factors in the development of oriental studies in Kazakhstan. The author provides a comprehensive analysis of the role and place of studying the history and culture of the countries of Central, East and South Asia, as well as the countries of South-West Asia in the activities of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after R.B. Suleimenov. The importance of government programs (“Rukhani Zhangyru” – “Modernization of public consciousness” and others) in stimulating scientific research in the field of Oriental studies in Kazakhstan is also considered. The purpose of this article is to analyze the main stages of the historical development of Oriental studies in various countries and regions of the world, as well as the directions of scientific research in the field of Oriental studies currently in Kazakhstan. To achieve this goal, the work used mainly diachronic and synchronous methods, involving the study of a certain process in dynamics and statics.