Soviet Africanists

Impressions, from a 10 days visit to the U.S.S.R. in which the author answers the questions: Who are the Soviet Africanists? Upon what sort of studies are they engaged? What are their methods of approach. What problems do they face? What are the possibilities of more of effective communication between them and us? In the part 1 of this article the author deals with some general points with regard to Soviet Africanistic studies. Part 2 gives a survey of the activities of the Leningrad section of the Oriental Institute and of the Institute of Ethnography and mentions the names of several research workers with their objects of study. Part 3 deals with the research on Africa in Moscow.