From the Kyrgyz Republic to Mexico – researchers are looking for cultural-anthropological similarities

March 11, 2016

Ruslan Rahimov, an AUCA faculty member, associate professor, and candidate of historical sciences with a PhD from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS - France), recently embarked on a research trip to Mexico. He aims to study and compare the cultural heritages of the two countries – Mexico and Kyrgyz Republic. The peoples of both countries were formerly nomads, and now, both countries are actively developing the tourism industry on a culturohistorical platform.

The planning of the trip has been moved up to 2016 since the year was recognized as the Year of History and Culture in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Rahimov won’t be alone in his research. French professor and anthropologist Anath Ariel de Vidas will accompany him. Through Vidas’s invitation and the financial support of the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, Rahimov’s alma mater, the trip has become possible.

Before his departure, we had time to talk with Rahimov. Last year, Anath Ariel de Vidas mentioned to Rahimov that she wanted to explore Kyrgyzstan—to get to know this country, which was absolutely new and unknown for her. In particular, she wanted to learn about the cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz.

Over the course of a month, both the Kyrgyz and French researchers have studied modes of life of people living at the Soñ-Köl Lake. Afterwards, Anath Ariel de Vidas invited them to compare similar activities–a fight for cultural heritage–in Mexico, her home country.

– What is the purpose of your trip to Mexico?

– I am visiting Mexican museums, including the famous National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico, the Tenochtitlan Pyramid, and other more up-to-date representatives of Mexican culture, like the art of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. I’ll also deliver several lectures at the University of Mexico. After that, we’ll conduct fieldworks in the northeast of Mexico for about two weeks. There, we will attend the local folklore festival during “Holy Week.”

This rural area welcomes a large number of tourists. We chose it because it is very similar to the Soñ-Köl Lake region. I am a specialist on Kyrgyzstan, as Professor de Vidas is on Mexico.  We will combine our efforts and our respective expertise to study the cultural heritages of both countries. We want to delineate, by way of examples, how historical context influences the formation of cultural heritage and to see the mechanisms and “practices” of constructing cultural heritage by politicians, in a broad sense of the word.

«Nomadism was well developed both in Mexico and Kyrgyzstan»

– What are the similarities you find between Kyrgyzstan and Mexico?

– Of course, Mexico is an absolutely different world. It is located on another continent, it is a Spanish speaking country, and it belongs to a Mesoamerican civilization. Mexico was colonized very long ago, as far back as the XV-XVI centuries, by Spanish conquistadors. Before their invasion, present-day Mexico was home to one of the most ancient and richest cultures, which included both nomadic and settled civilizations. Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures have touched this country to varying degrees. More than 30 culturohistoric objects in Mexico were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Culture, history, architecture–all of these can be found here, and naturally they attract tourists from all over the world.

Of course, Mexico and Kyrgyzstan seemed incomparable, but sometimes we have to “compare the incomparable” in order to jump out of our own perspective. That is why anthropology is important.

Nonetheless, Mexico resembles Kyrgyzstan. For example, the Soñ-Köl Lake and its surroundings in the Naryn region are very popular among both local and international tourists. It is a must-see place to see for tours of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstanis come here to undergo a course of kymyz therapy – a treatment with horse milk. It is a nature reserve as well, facing great challenges with pollution. There is a specific cultural “situation.” Cattle graze on these lands, so it is interesting to study what the local dynamics are and how they are correlated with cultural positioning and many other issues. It is interesting to trace these factors with the economic situation in the area.

In Mexico, we will compare with same logic and conduct research in the touristy areas of Veracruz. People living here also welcome tourists and demonstrate their lifestyle and cultural color.

Rebirth of the nomadism or just a bait for tourists?

– What is the connection between all this cultural heritage of nomads?

– Related to the great influx of tourists, the local people are trying to cultivate a national heritage. They assemble yurts in the ethnic style, they play national games, and they cook only national foods. They even demonstrate milking a cow, harnessing a horse, and the kymyz preparation process to name a few more. This is a conscious treatment and behavior by the local people. It is interesting to study how local people position themselves and Kyrgyz culture, what they think about their culture, and whether they remember their nomadic past. Is this cultural rebirth of “nomadism” natural or artificial for Kyrgyzstanis?

«To democratic Kyrgyzstan with preservation of culture of its population»

– What would you like to learn as the result of this trip and your research?

– In Kyrgyzstan, the government pursues a more state-oriented policy of culture. Our cultural heritage is connected with collectivism, statehood, and the unification of the nation with personalities, who contributed to the strengthening of the state at various moments of formation in Kyrgyzstan – Kurmanzhan Datka, Shabdan Baatyr, etc. The Epic of Manas and culturohistoric monuments also perform a state-forming function.

It is interesting what happens in Mexico. It has the richest, supersaturated and interesting layers of culture: The Mayas, the Aztecs, Spanish colonization, the fight for independence, and the influence of socialism. There is a heterogeneous composition of various languages, cultures, conceptions. It is interesting to see how local populations and tour operations position Mexico by what they tell tourists. How do locals themselves, activists and public organizations reflect upon and carry out a cultural renaissance? Do they face any barriers? We will gather materials, ask questions, and keep watching. The result of this month’s research will be publication of a joint scientific article, and, I think, a photo exhibition.

– How necessary and important are these kinds of research, especially on an international scale?

– These kinds of research are necessary to review our policy regarding memory—that is, our cultural heritage. Cultural heritage shouldn’t be perceived as something “sunk into oblivion”, or “archaic”, and therefore not urgent. Cultural heritage also shouldn’t have a strictly state-oriented nature. Why can’t we “reexamine” the “smallest” aspects of one or another cultural stratum, any period of history of Kyrgyzstan, beginning from artifacts, ending with the historic reconstructions of lifestyles.

In France, I witnessed the reconstruction of a simple scene of market life from the Middle Ages, right up to details of the clothes. I had indescribable feelings. The participants were actors, and they were even speaking the language of the period! This is absolutely real time-machine!

Kyrgyz communities try to do the same things with the World Nomad Games. But how it will develop, this is the question.

Moreover, it is interesting to learn about the lives of diverse nations that lived on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. Doing this work means a high awareness of those times. Governments, experts, various organizations, might support historians, activists, artists and depoliticize partly the policy of cultural heritage in the country. They may put it on a more informal plane of an interesting historical search and regular research of one or another aspect of history. It could be added to the informal education for school-children, etc.

The process of nation-building in Kyrgyzstan has taken place on the basis of large-scale historic events, like rising of the Kyrgyz in 1916 (Ürkün), the Great Patriotic War, etc. Yes, we have to remember these events, talk about them, and we have to overcome these traumas. We have to overcome it again and again, until the traumas is destroyed and we can see what actually happened and answer all of our questions.

But treatment of these sensitive topics can’t be unilateral. Otherwise we risk of politicizing people and setting a trend in only one direction.

I want these issues to be studied as objectively and professionally as possible. For example, an international team of researchers should be involved. Otherwise, we can’t avoid the translation of history, of what took place in the past, to a strictly political mode, playing off people of one nationality against others with potentially serious consequences. 

In my opinion, history must unite nations and provide fair accounts. These events are our common history, our common sorrow. The more we save knowledge, the memory of everyday life, traditions, cuisines of the peoples that have lived and are living in area we know as Kyrgyzstan, the more culture and cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan will be diverse and richer for tomorrow. There should be neither government nor academic monopoly over how we “see” and “practice” history. The more we save and recreate, the more that we will be able to stimulate a really democratic Kyrgyzstan.

 

Note

Ruslan Rahimov

AUCA faculty member of the Anthropology Department, associate professor, candidate of historical sciences.

Studied and interned in France – he has PhD degree from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS - France).

He conducted primary researches and defended his dissertation on cultures of nomadic nationalities of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. He studied the process of transition from nomadic to settled lifestyle, in Kyrgyzstan at 20-30’s years of XX century, in soviet period, during collectivization process.

Areas of scientific interests: pastoralism, in-migration in Kyrgyzstan, political anthropology (process of formation of power, interaction of tribes), religiosity and secularity, cultural heritage (not only nomadic nations of Central Asia).

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