American Oriental studies have grown markedly over the past quarter-century. Today, courses on Oriental studies are taught in at least a hundred universities and colleges, there are about 60 Oriental libraries or corresponding departments in general libraries, and research on Oriental problems is conducted in many scientific institutes and organizations. The total number of researchers, teachers, librarians, graduate students and undergraduates involved in the study of Asian and African countries is likely to reach several thousand. The reasons for this increased interest in the history and modern life of the East are not difficult to understand. The formation and growth of the world socialist system, the rise of the national liberation movement in the East after World War II, the collapse of the colonial system and the emergence of new independent states on the Asian and African continents, the defeat of the American intervention in China and the victory of the Chinese revolution - all this radically changed the role of Asian and African countries in the modern world. This led the ruling circles of the United States to strongly encourage research in Oriental studies. Dozens of departments and institutes were organized with large allocations from the federal government, state authorities, and various foundations (Ford, Rockefeller, Mellon, and others), Oriental book collections were replenished, and in some places re-created, and, most importantly, large individual and collective research was launched. It should be noted that many universities, institutes and departments at the same time performed and perform direct government tasks. On the other hand, the turbulent events in the East caused an increased interest of American youth in the history, economy and culture of the countries and peoples of this region, which resulted in an increase in the number of students and postgraduates engaged in orientalism. All this, taken together, led to the growth of Oriental stud ... Read more