Voices from Kazakhstan

Abstract

Nazarbayev University hosted the 5th International Symposium on Asian Languages and Literatures (ADES) between 20 and 22 June in 2019 (ades@erciyes.edu.tr) co-sponsored by Erciyes University and Ahmet Yesevi University. Located in Nur-Sultan, the capital of the young Kazakhstan, which declared independence from USSR on 21 December 1991, Nazarbayev University aspires to be the center of research in Central Asia. “Intersection of Cultures,” the main theme of the symposium, acquires additional significance in the post-USSR reconstitution of Central Asia in general and the new Republic of Kazakhstan in particular. The Symposium brought together international researchers of the various regions of Asia, including East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, West Asia and the Middle East, together for three days of keynotes, presentations and debates on language, literature and history. The new generation of Kazakh scholars had a strong presence and made significant contributions to the Symposium. Nation building is understandably high on their agenda. The addressed the questions of identity and the role of language and literature in fostering a sense of Kazakh belonging. Kazakh language was to be studied, standardized and elevated into a written, literary language. The distinctiveness of Kazakh literature was to be articulated, its root in oral and folklore traditions identified and its history delineated, for Kazakh literature had to be the heart and soul of the Kazakh nation. More importantly, it is to be taught in schools and universities so as to help shape the Kazakh subject. Five papers may be of interest to readers ofMiddle Eastern Literatures. Four of these are offered in synopses below. These showcase the role of literature in language study and education at large. The fifth, by Funda Guven and is published in its entirety, looks at the expressions of Transnational Turkic identity in Tatar fiction. Gultas Kurmanbay (Nazarbayev University) makes a case for the “The Importance of Teaching Chingiz Aitmatov’s Works as Part of the Literature Curriculum in Secondary Education.” One of the tasks of modern education presently, Kurmanbay argues, is to prepare students to think creatively and independently. Literature, which forms the inner world and valuable orientations of students, plays an important role in the education of the independent personality possessing esthetical taste. In this regard, the works of famous Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov (1928–2008) are indispensable. In his works, Aitmatov makes extensive reflections on realities, lifestyles, religions, cultures and history not only of the Kyrgyz, but also many peoples of Central Asia. The topics in Aitmatov’s works include war, kindness and anger, people and society, nature and homeland, shame, truth, conscience and carelessness, eternity, and slavery. His storytelling is