'''Józef Kowalewski''' ({{lang-ru|Иосиф Михайлович Ковалевский}}) (1801–18789 january 1801 – 7 november 1878) was a Polish [[oriental studies|orientalist]]. Founder of the [[Philomatic Association]], in 1824 convicted by the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] authorities for pro-independence Polish activity and exiled into Russia. Allowed to study at the [[Kazan State University|Kazan University]], he studied [[Mongolia]], particularly [[Mongolian language]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. In 1833 he founded the Department of Mongolian Studies at Kazan University - the first in Europe. In the years 1844-1849 he published his major work - a Mongolian - Russian - French [[dictionary]]. In 1862 he was allowed to return to Poland (then a part of the Russian Empire); he refused to support the [[January Uprising]] and did not oppose [[Russification]] of Polish education, for which he became the [[Dean (education)|dean]] of the Philological and Historical Faculty of the [[University of Warsaw]].