Norihiro Naganawa receives two prestigious academic accolades

Professor Norihiro Naganawa, Slavic-Eurasian Research Center (SRC) of Hokkaido University, has received two prestigious academic awards in Japan: the 18th Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Prize and the 18th Japan Academy Medal. Naganawa was among the 25 recipients of the 18th JSPS Prize and was one of the 6 recipients of the 18th Japan Academy Medal. Both awards were announced earlier this year.

Norihiro Naganawa (Photo provided by the researcher)

Naganawa’s research, entitled “Explorations in Entanglements of Russia’s Empire and the Muslim World,” is based on his profound local knowledge of the intersection of Russia and the Muslim community in the Volga-Ural region from the turn of the 19th to the 20th centuries. Using historical sources in multiple languages, including the Russian and Tatar languages, the study examines both religion and the social order of the Muslim community, especially in the Russian Empire.

Naganawa’s original perspective in his study of the Volga-Ural Muslim community is a globally acknowledged achievement among academia. Published in 2017, his book has been highly praised for its in-depth depiction of the Muslim life in imperial Russia by referring to multiple aspects: the Russian state’s distribution of rights and duties, the government’s concern about non-Russian nationalism and its transnational connectivity, the multifaceted interactions between the Russian Orthodox and Muslim societies, and the Russian Muslims’ relations with neighbors such as the Ottoman Empire.

Both accolades were established in 2004. The JSPS Prize is annually bestowed by JSPS upon individual researchers under the age 45 for their outstanding research in any field, with the aim of raising the level of scientific research in Japan to meet the world’s highest standards. Out of the recipients of the 18th JSPS Prize, 6 researchers are selected for the Japan Academy Medal by the Japan Academy.

Naganawa received the honor owing to his study which hints at problems in contemporary society with various forces and religions intertwined. The awards shall support his further development as a world-leading scholar in the field of Russian history. 

“We should not think we have nothing to learn from the evil Russia anymore, given Russia’s war with Ukraine today,” commented Naganawa. He maintains that Russian history provides the world with rich, far-reaching lessons concerning predicaments in multi-ethnic and multi-confessional society as well as rivalry between great powers in the (un)making of world order.

Researcher Contact Info:

Professor Norihiro Naganawa

Slavic-Eurasian Research Center (SRC)

luch[at]slav.hokudai.ac.jp

Written by Aprilia Agatha Gunawan