18 March 2026
3rd Academic Conference “Yemeni Society in Conflict: History and Modernity”
On March 18, 2026, CAIS organized the 3rd Academic Conference “Yemeni Society in Conflict: History and Modernity” in collaboration with the Faculty of Oriental Studies, State Academic University for the Humanities.
The conference continued to provide an academic space for comprehensive discussion on fundamental theoretical and practical aspects of the modern and contemporary Yemeni history, previously established by the 1st (2024) and 2nd (2025) conferences. Emergence of new research issues and methodological approaches, publication of new sources and materials, and a need to reconsider and actualize historiography make such an event necessary for the specialists in the modern and contemporary history of Yemen. Over these three years, the conference “Yemeni Society in Conflict: History and Modernity” has become an effective and authoritative platform allowing to accomplish these goals. It is not only a review of existing research, but a space to produce new academic projects.
The discussions and papers of the first conference were summarized in a historiographic review by Grigory Lukyanov, published in the Oriental Courier journal [Lukyanov G.V. The Research of the Political History of Yemen in the 20th–21st Centuries in the Modern Russian Oriental Studies // Oriental Courier. 2024. No. 4 (https://oriental-courier.ru/s268684310033419-8-1/?sl=en)]. The review of the second conference is published on CAIS website.
This time, the participants looked into a wide array of issues related to the social, economic and political history of 20th - 21stcentury Yemen. They considered the place of the Arabian state in the regional and global international relations and security, its role in the foreign policy of regional and global powers. The discussions touched upon Yemen’s cultural and lifestyle history, history of ideas and ideologies, etc. The researchers implemented innovative theoretical instruments and methodologies acknowledged in the current historical, anthropological, political and social studies, in order to draw a profound picture of the Yemeni society and communities that comprise it, government practices and mechanisms of administration in the times of conflict.
The conference was opened by greetings from IOS RAS Deputy Director, Head of CAIS Prof. Vasily Kuznetsov and organizing committee chairman, CAIS Researcher Grigory Lukyanov.
The sessions were preceded by a plenary paper by a leading Russian specialist in the contemporary history of Yemen, CAIS Senior Researcher Dr. Sergey Serebrov, entitled “War and Peace in Yemen: The 11th Anniversary of the Military Conflict”.
At the first session, researchers from IOS RAS, Arbatov U.S. and Canada Institute, Primakov Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) and Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies gave a comprehensive overview of the roles of the USA, Israel and UN and their approaches to the Yemeni conflict.
The second session was dedicated to a detailed analysis of the roles of Arabian Peninsula and Gulf States in the Yemeni conflict, particularly Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iran.
The third one consisted of papers on the contemporary history of Yemen and various Yemeni communities inside and outside the country.
The fourth session included papers on culture, literature, architecture, and sociocultural environment in Yemen during the conflict.