Alevtina Solovyeva specialises in comparative Asian studies, Chinese and Mongolian studies, folkloristics, historical and social anthropology, and social sciences. She obtained her first PhD in Asian studies (2016) and the second in Folkloristics (2021). She undertook her postdoctoral research at the Faculty of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge (2022). She has been conducting fieldwork research for various projects in Mongolia, China, and other regions of Inner, Central, and East Asia annually since 2006.

Her current research topics look at the transnational relations of peoples in Central and East Asia, Mongolian peoples’ communities in Mongolia, China and Russia, beliefs and practices in urban and rural environments, contesting authorities and forms of influence, contemporary challenges, collective concerns and social imagination.

alevtina.solovyeva@ut.ee

Since 2010, he has been a Research Fellow at the University of Tartu's Centre for Oriental Studies in Estonia, becoming a Senior Research Fellow in 2013 and specializing in Comparative Religion from 2014 to 2017. Currently, he serves as a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor in Ancient Near Eastern and Sumerian Culture. He has been a board member of Estonian Public Broadcasting since 2020 and was part of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences from 2017 to 2021, as well as serving on the board of the international Melammu Project from 2017 to 2022.

His research primarily focuses on Ancient Near Eastern mythology, the history of religion, and political history, particularly from the third millennium. He also explores comparative religion, creation myths, and ancient military ideologies. Additionally, he teaches courses on Near Eastern history, mythology, and literature at Tartu University and other institutions.

peeter.espak@ut.ee

Dr. Vladimir Sazonov works since 2021 as Associate Professor at the University of Tartu. He teaches lectures on politics, (cultural) history and security (Ancient near East, modern Middle East, Russia). 2010-2013 Vladimir Sazonov was Research Fellow n Oriental Studies and 2013-2020 Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tartu. His research fields comprise Ancient Near Eastern history, Middle Eastern, Russian state ideology and information war.

Vladimir Sazonov published big number of scientific and popular-scientific articles, several books and volumes (e.g., Tartu University Press 2010, 2015 and 2017, 2021; Jim Eisenbrauns (Penn State University Press) 2016; Äripäev 2020; 2022; Springer 202, 2023 etc.) on Middle Eastern history, Russian state ideology and propaganda, also about politics and security. Sazonov is member of several academic organizations – e.g., Estonian Academic Oriental Society and others.

vladimir.sazonov@ut.ee

Teet Toome is a librarian at the Centre for Oriental Studies. He has a Research Master's Degree in World Literature, and his scholarly interests focus on Buddhist and Indian studies, more especially on Mahayana Buddhist sutras and Sanskrit studies. At the Centre for Oriental Studies he is managing the library.

Alina Oprelianska is a Junior Research Fellow and a PhD student at the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu, Estonia, and a PhD student at the Department of Folkloristics at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, specializing in the field of Fairy Tale Studies, with a focus on gender aspects, customary law, folk beliefs and narratives. She was also a visiting researcher and Research Assistant at the University of Alberta, the Kule Folklore Center for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore (2022), and at Jagellonian University , Department of Pragmatics and Translation Theory (2023).

alina.oprelianska@ut.ee

Yanjinlkham Dashtseren is a MA student of Folkloristics and Applied Heritage at the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu. She is interested in the Buriad, a minority ethnic group in Mongolia. Being Buriad herself, her Master's thesis is likely to address the topic of post-memory of forced migration of the Buriad that took place in the early 20th century. She has a Bachelor's degree in computer sciences from the National University of Mongolia (2008), and extensive work experience as an IT coordinator and general manager at international companies.

yanjinlkham.dashtseren@ut.ee

Rodion Krupin is the research assistant and communication coordinator at the Centre for Oriental Studies. He is currently an MA student at the Johan Skytte Institute and his scholarly interests focus on Japanese studies, international relations and region studies and contemporary politics in the Asia region. At the Centre for Oriental Studies, he promotes Japanese topics both within the centre and externally, while also building and maintaining partnerships with Japanese universities and research institutions.

rodion.krupin@ut.ee

Betti Marie Peterson holds the position of research specialist in folklore and Asian studies at the Centre for Oriental Studies. She has an MA in Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Tartu with a focus on contemporary adaptations of textile heritage in South Korea. In the Centre, Betti Marie conducts research for the ongoing project mapping Russian and Chinese influences in Central Asia, and works for advancing Korean topics as well as furthering connections with Korean research institutions. Betti Marie’s special interests also include examining the construction of Korean historical garments and creating clothing inspired by Korean national costume (hanbok).

betti.marie.peterson@ut.ee

Carl Liles' first introduction to Central Asia was teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan from 2017-2019. His interest in the region's cultures, languages, and politics has since grown, and he continued his residency in Kyrgyzstan as an English teacher with the Fulbright Student Commision from 2019-2020, and then worked as a research assistant in Kazakhstan at KIMEP University for a year afterwards. Carl's academic pursuits led him to the University of Tartu's Skytte Institute, where he completed his MA in International Relations and Regional Studies in 2024.

carl.frederick.liles@ut.ee

Ismet Suleimanov holds an MA in Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Tartu. His areas of interest are memory and genocide studies with a focus on collective traumas in post-socialist space. As a member of the Centre for Oriental Studies, participating in a project on Central Asia, he has monitored the human rights situation in the region, particularly in Kyrgyzstan.

ismet.suleimanov@ut.ee

Jonathan Darvish-Kojori is a BA student at the Institute of Cultural Research studying ethnology, literature and Estonian linguistics. He will conduct his BA final research in Tajikistan and will participate in the project focusing on Central Asian countries under the supervision of the Central for Oriental Studies.

jonathan.darvish-kojori@ut.ee

Krzysztof Ulanowski is an Associate Professor (Ph.D.) in the Faculty of Social Sciences, department of social anthropology (University of Gdańsk). His main scientific interests related not only to anthropology but to Religious Studies, History, Classical and Oriental Studies. This is reflected in both; the research topic, i.e. the study on the influences of the Mesopotamian civilization on the Hellenic (and Hellenistic) ones, the differences between religion, magic and divination in history and contemporary times, the anthropology of ancient cultures, the borders between religions and cultures, the differences between holiness and exclusion in religious sphere and also the problems of religious minorities in Pomerania and magical rites of the contemporary world; and affiliation to scientific organizations Polish Orientalist Society (PTO), Classical Association in London (CA), Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), International Association for Assyriology (IAA), Societas Philologa Polonorum (PTF), General Association of Mediterranean Archeology (GAMA). He is a board member of international Melammu Project, conducted his research both in academic centers Paris, Padua, Athens, and field research in Mexico, Bhutan and Podlasie (Poland). He is an author of more than fifty publications: books, chapters in books and articles.

Danila Rygovskiy specialises in Cultural Anthropology and Folkloristics with a focus on the Russian Old Believer community. He obtained a PhD degree at the University of Tartu in 2023 with a dissertation titled Women in Russian Old Belief: Religious Practices and Public Imagination on

Professional interests: Anthropology of Religion, Gender and Identity, Siberian Studies, Estonia and Baltic Region, Networks of Russian Old Believers Worldwide, Folklore Studies, Anthropology of Technology, History of Print and Media, Industrial Archaeology

danila.rygovskiy@ut.ee

Reyhaneh Ghoroghchian (Reina) is a specialist in Asian Studies affiliated with the Centre of Oriental Studies. She earned her Master's degree from the University of Tartu in the "Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies" MA program within the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore. Her thesis, which centred on the Qashqai nomads of the Zagros Mountains, delved deep into their struggles and resilience amidst rapid social and economic changes. Reina's research exposes migration, diaspora, and cultural continuity in the Persian-speaking world. She advocates for cultural preservation, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and empowering marginalized communities.

reyhaneh.ghoroghchian@ut.ee