[Discussion] Emerging Identities and Nationalism in Central Asia

[Gonul Pultar]

 Central European Summer University, July 2004, Budapest

Course "Rewriting History: Emerging Identities and Nationalism in Central 
Asia", Central European University Summer University, Hungary, July 19-30, 2004

The course will use interdisciplinary perspective to examine the phenomenon 
of Revising and Rewriting of the History in Central Asia. It will examine 
the roots of this phenomenon going back to the colonial time of 
print-capitalism, which fostered the emergence of "imagined communities" in 
Central Asia and look at the problem from a theoretical point of view 
placing it rightly within the theoretical concepts existing in Historical 
Anthropology, Post-Colonial Studies and Area Studies.

The course will focus among others on such problems as the complex interplay 
between Invention and Mythologization of the History and Ethno-Nationalism 
as well as emerging new State based Identities. It will introduce the 
multifaceted debate on the nature of invention of the History and reveal its 
correlation with state building, politics, and political regimes and show 
the role of History Writing in social and cultural life of societies during 
the transition period. The comparative analysis of the History Writing 
process in Central Asian states with those in other post-Communist societies 
(Caucasus, Mongolia) as well as Chinese Central Asia (Xinjiang) will enable 
to reveal general tendencies in the process of Rewriting of the History and 
describe it as a natural phenomenon for the contemporary post-colonial 
societies. The course will give participants the skills necessary to apply 
academic theories, concepts and methodology to their own researches and 
curricula.

(Detailed information on the course can be obtained on the CEU web site: 
http://www.ceu.hu/sun)

Course director: Ablet Kamalov, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Resource persons: Profs. Dru C. Gladney (USA), T. Atabaki (the 
Netherlands), H. B. Paksoy (USA), C. Mackerras (Australia), Anvar Galiev 
(Kazakhstan), Agnes Birtalan (Hungary)

The language of instruction is English.

Participants from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and 
emerging democracies world-wide are eligible for scholarships. For detailed 
course descriptions, financial information, etc. please visit the CEU web site.

The application deadline is January 15 for scholarship participants. 
Fee-paying applications can be submitted continuously until May 17.

For further information, please contact the Soros Foundation offices or the 
SUN office in Budapest:

Mailing Address:

CEU Summer University Office,
Zrínyi u. 14.
1051 Budapest
Hungary

Tel: (36-1) 327-3811
Fax: (36-1) 327-3124

E-mail for inquiry and correspondence: summeru@ceu.hu

Automatic e-mail to request application forms: sunreq@ceu.hu

WWW address: http://www.ceu.hu/sun/sunindx.html

On-line registration: https://online.ceu.hu/osun/osun/form.jsp