Anthropologists Conference at AUCA

May 15, 2023

At the end of April, the Anthropology Department of AUCA held a conference, "Central Asia: New Local Forms of Knowledge, Art, and Practice,” attended by scientists, researchers, and public figures from different countries.

At the beginning of the conference, its participants were greeted by the head of the Department of Anthropology, Professor Cholpon Turdalieva. In her opening speech, she thanked all the guests from different countries, as well as students, teachers, and staff of AUCA who participated in the event preparation.

Then she gave the floor to AUCA Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Nurgul Ukueva. In her speech, she, in particular, said: “This year, AUCA celebrates its 30th anniversary. As an international university, AUCA promotes interdisciplinary education in the tradition of the liberal arts. The university is a home for scientists who want to study Central Asia, teach, work, and live here. We have teachers from different countries, and our graduates work in leading universities worldwide. This conference on new forms of art, knowledge, and practice fits perfectly into the spirit of AUCA, bringing together international and local scientists, artists, and practitioners. I wish you fruitful work during these two days.”

In addition to such well-known scientists as Marianne Kamp (Indiana University, USA), Aksana Ismailbekova (Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Germany), Alima Bissenova (Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan), the conference was attended by public figures, experts, whose opinions are most interesting. Of course, the lecturers of the AUCA were also speakers of the conference - the head of the Department of "Liberal Arts and Sciences" Daniyar Karabaev, Professor Syrgak Kydyraliev, Associate Professor Mukaram Toktogulova. In addition, some of the speakers participated in the sessions online.

The work of conference took place at several venues at once, and its participants could choose topics that were closest to them: “Scientific traditions,” “Art,” “Socio-cultural progress,” “Geography,” “Activism,” “Poetry,” “And Ethno-Fashion show. “The speech of each speaker aroused great interest among the audience; there was an exchange of opinions and experiences.

As Cholpon Turdalieva said, it was decided to invite various experts and scientists to share their opinion on how science is developing and interpreted in the global study of Central Asia. The past conference is such a look at what is happening today in society both in Kyrgyzstan and in the Central Asian region as a whole, and to what extent these changes are reflected in scientific thought. To what extent can science show the processes that take place in society?

“We are trying to understand, to reflect on what is happening in our society, what is happening in the world, how it is reflected in our minds, and then in our practice. I wanted to discuss all this in a complex, as far as it is possible to do it in two days. We need to focus more on local “tasty” stories that can become a tool for incorporation into global scientific thought. Another topic discussed at the conference is the synthesis of traditional and modern. How to preserve traditions, and at the same time not to “puppet,” not to remain in the past, but to keep up with the times? We must expand, modernize the tradition, leave the best, effective for development,” Cholpon Turdalieva said.

On the conference’s final day, its participants visited the Ata-Beyit Memorial complex.

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