Vladimir Davydov

Vladimir Davydov serves as Head of the Siberian Ethnography Department at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), part of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. With decades of fieldwork experience across Siberia's Arctic regions including Chukotka, Taimyr, and the Kola Peninsula, Dr. Davydov has established himself as a leading authority on indigenous Siberian cultures, particularly Tungusic-speaking peoples like the Evenki.

His research spans Social Anthropology, Environmental Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, and Visual Anthropology, with a distinctive focus on human-animal relations, food systems, and mobility patterns in northern environments. Dr. Davydov's work examines how Siberian indigenous communities maintain cultural traditions while adapting to contemporary challenges, including globalization, infrastructure development, and climate change. His innovative research on animal autonomy challenges conventional anthropological theories of pastoralism, while his studies of Arctic gastronomy explore how indigenous food practices are transforming and being presented to external audiences.

Dr. Davydov's recent publications (2020-2023) reveal a growing interest in how indigenous communities navigate pandemic conditions, food security challenges, and cultural representation. His work consistently combines long-term ethnographic fieldwork with historical analysis, creating nuanced understandings of cultural continuity and change. As head of one of Russia's oldest ethnographic departments (the Kunstkamera was founded in 1714), he bridges traditional Russian ethnographic approaches with contemporary international anthropology.

Dr. Davydov has organized significant academic events including the X Siberian Studies Conference on 'Passion for Life: Emotions, Feelings, and Perception in the North and Siberia' and co-authored the influential monograph 'Fire, Water, Wind and Stone in Evenki Landscapes: Human-Nature Relations in Baikal Siberia' (2016). His leadership at the Peter the Great Museum positions him at the forefront of preserving and interpreting Siberian cultural heritage for both Russian and international scholarly communities.