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Mainstreaming Chaghatay

The 2023 workshop on the research of Chaghatay sources at Harvard University

2-3 November 2023

Submission Deadline: 15 May 2023

Submit Proposal

Theme

This workshop aims to draw scholars and graduate students to consider “Technologies of the Word” in Central Asia. Specifically, we hope to gather researchers working with Chaghatay language materials, across a wide range of academic disciplines. Together, we will explore new sources for the history, literature, and languages of the region, while seeking to transcend conventional disciplinary boundaries and develop new perspectives. Reflecting broader interest in decolonizing previous academic approaches to Central Asia (including Xinjiang), several scholars in recent years have increasingly placed sources written in Chaghatay at the center of their output. However, due to difficulties of access and preservation, Chaghatay materials remain an under-utilized resource. Thus, we call on scholars from different disciplines to collaborate in introducing new approaches to finding, preserving, publishing, utilizing, and ultimately mainstreaming new bodies of Chaghatay sources.

Keynote Speakers

Alexandre Papas

Alexandre Papas is a Paris-based Research Professor affiliated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and Central Asia, with a focus on the 15th century to the present.

Arienne Dwyer

Arienne M. Dwyer is an Emeritus Professor of Linguistic Anthropology and Co-Director of the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Kansas.

Rian Thum

Rian Thum is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in East Asian History at the University of Manchester, with a research focus on the interpenetration of China and the Muslim World.

Eric Schluessel

Eric Schluessel is an Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs at The George Washington University, specializing in China, Central Asia, social history, and imperialism.

Proposal details

  • Names of all authors (note the name of the person(s) presenting);
  • Institutional affiliation and title/position;
  • Contact information, including e-mail address and telephone number;
  • Curriculum vitae (no longer than two pages);
  • Presentation title;
  • An abstract of no more than 250 words;

The organizers of the workshop invite scholarly contributions on the following topics:

  • Assessing the relevance of Chaghatay sources to diverse fields.
  • Expanding the pool of Chaghatay language sources.
  • Integrating digital humanities methods into Chaghatay source analysis.
  • Examining the book cultures related to Chaghatay language sources and their effects.
  • Promoting the wider use of Chaghatay sources across disciplines.
  • Mapping Chaghatay manuscripts globally.

Disciplines and fields include, but are not limited to:

  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Digital Humanities
  • Economics
  • History
  • Inter-imperial Relations
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Nationalism and identity
  • Philology
  • Political Science
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology