Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center Fall/Winter 2006 Newsletter A Word from the Director Contents Even specialists focusing on the Inner Asian region and Uralic peoples have often A Word from the Director 1 been confused about the division of labor be- tween IAUNRC and the Department of Cen- Nobel Peace Prize Nominee 2 tral Eurasian Studies (CEUS). The confusion increased when, in 2002, IU received funding Turkish Culture Flourishes in Indiana 2 for the Center for the Languages of the Cen- Turkish Adventure 3 tral Asian Region (CeLCAR). Below is a brief outline explaining the tasks of these three in- Baltic Studies Report 3 stitutions and a bit about the relations among them. Mentoring a Scholar from Azerbaijan 4 CEUS is a department in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU which, as any other Lotus Festival 5 department, offers courses, hires faculty, designs curricular requirements for degrees, Hungarian Revolution Commemoration 6 etc. Unlike most departments, CEUS offers no bachelor degrees, only MAs and PhDs. Nevertheless, many CEUS courses are open to undergraduates. In terms of territory and Outreach Corner 6 peoples covered, CEUS roughly coincides with IAUNRC. The most important difference is that IAUNRC does not cover Iran or Persian culture outside of Central Asia; therefore, From CEUS to the Cotton Fields 7 in this area, CEUS, which covers Iran, offers courses that are not part of the IAUNRC domain. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Much of the IAUNRC budget supports courses in CEUS, especially language The Inner Asian and Uralic National courses that IU might not otherwise offer without the contribution of Federal funds. Resource Center (IAUNRC) at Indiana IAUNRC and CEUS work closely together in sponsoring programs, the largest and most important of which is the SWSEEL, our summer intensive language institute. Because University is a United States Depart- IAUNRC is a Title VI center supported by the US Department of Education, many of its ment of Education Title VI grant institu- activities involve constituencies beyond CEUS, including other units at IU, other univer- tion dedicated to increasing the general sities, and primary and secondary schools across the state and country. IAUNRC cooperates closely with CeLCAR, whose primary task is to develop, test, and scholarly understanding of the Inner and disseminate materials for studying languages of the Central Asian region. This coop- Asian region and Uralic peoples. The In- eration takes many forms, including an initiative just getting under way to develop bet- ter proficiency tests for Central Asian language learners. This, as many other CeLCAR ner Asian and Uralic National Resource initiatives is national in scope, since many other centers across the US also contribute to Center Newsletter is a biannual publi- these projects. cation of the IAUNRC prepared by the Confusing? No doubt. However, the web of close ties helps us leverage our collec- tive strength and allows us to carry out our mandate in the most effective and efficient Center’s graduate assistants. Questions, fashion. comments, and suggestions may be sent to the Newsletter Editor at iaunrc@indi- Sincerely, ana.edu. For further information regard- ing the services of IAUNRC, please con- tact: IAUNRC Indiana University Goodbody Hall 324 Bloomington, IN 47405

Tel: (812) 856-5263 Fax:(812) 855-8667 Email: [email protected]

IAUNRC also regularly posts announce- ments, outreach materials and services, and networking opportunities on its web- site at: http://www.indiana.edu/~iaunrc/

On the Cover: One of Huun-Huur-Tu’s Dr. Nurlan Nurkinovich Akhparov (left) gives a presentation entitled “Healthcare System in Kazakhstan: Challenges During the Transition” with the assistance of translator and horsehead stringed instruments SPEA student Ainur Aiypkhanova (right).  Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center Newsletter Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Visits Indiana University Although released from a Chinese larly congratulated for her efforts, she said prison less than two years ago, Nobel Peace that she was typically ignored and warned Prize nominee Rabiye Kadeer was confident to avoid meddling in political affairs. Ka- and upbeat as she spoke to a standing room- deer refused to confine her activity strictly to only crowd for nearly 90 minutes with the her business interests and was placed under assistance of her translator, Alim Seytoff. house arrest. Eventually released, she sought Kadeer delivered a lecture entitled “The Cul- contact with a United States Congressional tural Crisis Facing the Uyghur People,” and delegation and was arrested on the charge of then took questions from the audience. She passing state secrets to foreigners. She con- offered the audience insights into the suc- tended during her lecture, however, that “It cesses and hardships in her own life as she wasn’t a secret [the condition of Uyghurs in underwent a transformation from wealthy the XUAR]. I just told them what was hap- businesswoman to exiled human rights ac- pening.” tivist. Seytoff, the General Secretary of the While the United States, the European Uyghur American Association, hailed Ka- Union and several human rights organiza- deer as the leader and mother of the Uyghur tions campaigned for her release, Kadeer people, a Turkic Muslim people living main- spent five years in solitary confinement. In ly in the East Turkestan People’s Republic of early 2005, she unexpectedly received word China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Re- one night that she was free on medical leave gion (XUAR) and in nearby Central Asian and would be discharged into the custody of countries. the United States. Having been granted asy- Kadeer spent most of her life in north- lum in the United States, Kadeer lives in the western China, but did not emerge as a leading Rabiye Qadeer speaks about Uyghurs in Xinjiang Washington, DC area and continues to sharply figure in the Uyghur community there until criticize Chinese policies in her homeland while the 1980s. She took advantage of economic Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a national serving as Director of the Uyghur American reforms under Deng Xiaoping and founded a governmental advisory body. Association and Uyghur Human Rights Project. trading company that offered employment to a Kadeer’s fate changed as her growing She also continues to advocate for the release of large number of Uyghurs in the XUAR. Suc- dissatisfaction with the Chinese government’s her three sons and a daughter, who are currently cessful management of this company launched policies in the XUAR led to her arrest and im- imprisoned by the Chinese government. Kadeer into the economic elite of China as she prisonment in 1999. Kadeer used her member- became one of the richest people in China. As ship in the CPPCC as a platform for critiquing A complete audio recording of Rabiye Kadeer’s she observed during her lecture, the government the central government’s policies and relied lecture is available on the IAUNRC website encouraged success in business and soon re- on her status to conduct investigations into the at: http://www.indiana.edu/~iaunrc/media/ warded her with a number of honors, including mistreatment of Uyghurs. Despite being regu- 20060825Rabiye_Kadeer_IU(16kbps).mp3 membership in the Chinese People’s Political Turkish Culture Flourishes in Indiana Several events during the Fall semester at world. Music recognizes no boundaries and • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Indiana University celebrated Turkish culture. can penetrate the mind and souls of the listeners The Indiana University Turkish Student From films to coffee to music, members of the without being judgmental.” Association sponsored a Turkish film series, IU and Bloomington communities had many Visitors were able to enjoy a variety of which including screenings of four films over chances to explore historical and contemporary coffee samples and baklava while they relaxed the course of the fall semester with plans for an- aspects of Turkey in a variety of venues around in the Art Museum’s beautiful atrium and An- other four films in the spring. This semester’s of- campus. gles Café & Gift Shop. Over 400 students and ferings included Dongel Karhanesi (2005), Why During the first three Thursday nights in community members enjoyed the pairing of art were Hacivat & Karagoz murdered? (2005), September, the Indiana University Art Museum and music, and an art-and-coffee scavenger hunt 15 Minutes Slow Burning (2006), and Zurgurt was open late for the inaugural Coffeehouse added to the fun by encouraging visitors to find Aga (1986). The film series is a new event that Nights program. Visitors to the Art Museum featured pieces of art. The Art Museum hopes to Turkish graduate students Abbas Karakaya and experienced art from a new angle when coffee, continue hosting similar evenings in upcoming Burcu Karakhan started in Fall 2005. Their ap- art, and music came together with each evening semesters. preciation of Turkish film previously led them featuring a different one of the museum’s three • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • to found the annual Bloomington Turkish Film galleries. September 7 celebrated Turkish cul- The Mathers Museum of World Culture Festival in 2004. The third annual is scheduled ture. Although coffee originated in Africa and at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus to coincide with celebration of Navruz next became an exclusive commodity of Arab trad- opened a special exhibit this October entitled spring. The Turkish Film Festival highlights the ers, the Turks were both the first to use coffee as Laughter on a Stick: Turkish Shadow Theater. artistic accomplishments of the Turkish cinema a drink and also the first to establish café culture The exhibit showcases changes in Turkish by sharing Turkish films with the public. starting with the opening of the first coffee shop shadow puppetry across several historical eras opened in Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1475. from its inception as a form of urban entertain- This article was written with the assistance of The Silk Road Ensemble, led by De- ment in the sixteenth century until the present Emily Powell and Abbas Karakaya. partment of Central Eurasian Studies Lecturer day. Despite the humorous content and comical For more information about Coffee Nights visit Shahyar Daneshgar, played at the event. The characters of the shadow theater, this form of the IU Art Museum’s website at http://www.iub. ensemble promotes the rich and colorful cul- entertainment also provides a window into the edu/~iuam/. To learn more about Turkish shad- tures and civilizations of peoples of Central complex development of Turkish culture in face ow puppetry see the Mathers Museum’s website Eurasia and the Middle East. As he explains in of modernization. Yasemin Gencer, a graduate at http://www.indiana.edu/~mathers/. The IU a press release, “We believe that arts in general, student in Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana Turkish Student Association website at http:// especially music, are the best media to encour- University, is the curator of the exhibit, which www.indiana.edu/~tsa/ provides more informa- age healthy dialogue among the citizens of the will remain on public display until April 1. tion about the TSA’s events.

Fall/Winter 2006  Turkish Adventure Cunda (Junda), a Turkish philologists, and historians we island on the Aegean Sea, was congregated in the afternoons and both my home and work place evenings to work together on our for approximately seven weeks assigned passages while enjoy- this past summer. Thanks to a ing two of the island’s speciali- Foreign Language and Area Stud- ties: kabakçiçeği dolması (stuffed ies (FLAS) fellowship from the zucchini flowers) and papalina IAUNRC, I was able to partici- (anchovy-like fish). Since -Tur pate in an intensive Ottoman and key is well known for its cuisine, modern Turkish summer school mentioning dining experiences is hosted by Harvard and Koç Uni- almost obligatory. versities. My summer consisted Central to my summer of seemingly endless passages of experiences were my Turkish Halide Edip Adıvar, Arabic and friends from Indiana University; Persian grammar, and afternoons in fact, their relatives housed me of Ilber Ortayli’s Osmanlı Yeniden in both Istanbul and Cunda for the Keşfetmek (To Discover the Ot- duration of my nine-week stay. In Baltic Studies Report tomans Anew) as well as articles Istanbul, I experienced this his- from daily newspapers. Flipping toric city both as a tourist and as Indiana University hosted Participants in BALSSI through pages of the dictionary an inhabitant thanks to the hospi- the thirteenth annual Baltic Studies hailed from diverse backgrounds, and hours of meditation over the tality that their relatives extended Summer Institute (BALSSI) from which contributed to a variety of script and various passages be- to me. June through August 2006. Aside motivations for studying Baltic from its role as a major training languages last summer. While most came second nature, yet it was In Cunda, another friend’s program in Baltic languages, this of the participants are graduate my school colleagues, the cultural in-laws took care of me for seven past year’s BALSSI was espe- students, a number of undergradu- ambiance of the island, and Asli weeks at their summer house, cially significant because of the ate students also attend BALSSI. Cavuşoğlu’s family that made the which was six kilometers from the high average enrollment per class Many participants find that a Baltic deepest impressions. town center. Most mornings I rose compared to the twelve previous language is a necessary research Despite its size, Cunda is early, had breakfast with Asli (my summers. The large number of tool and others wish to discover a yet another impressive example of host) and her family, and there- BALSSI participants, 28 students part of their heritage. Still others Anatolia’s cultural mosaic. Greco- after walked through the nature in five language classes, is a- tes find that attending BALSSI during Turkish music filled evenings with preserve on my way to school. tament to the benefits of a unique the summer is the only chance they Turkish cuisine, which was con- The sights were breathtaking; the language training opportunity and have to complement their work sumed in the white-stone houses Aegean Sea, the islands, and the a wider interest in studying the during the year with additional so famous in Greece. Turkish and rising sun over the town seem- Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia study of the Baltic region. Greek tourists strolled along the ingly so far away. As I came into and Lithuania. cobblestones of the boardwalk, town, I generally stopped to chat Toivo Raun, Professor of primarily on the weekends; yet, with the bakkal (corner grocer), A consortium of American Central Eurasian Studies and Ad- when August arrived, Cunda’s usually about U.S. diplomacy or universities founded BALSSI in junct Professor of History at Indiana visitors became more diverse and contemporary Turkish politics (all 1994 as a means of pooling their University, believes that the Baltic included German, British, and was dependent on that day’s head- resources to support the study region’s economic success after French travelers. lines) and to buy a simit (sesame of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joining the European Union fur- In July, when we started our seed breadstick). When I arrived through summer language training. ther contributes to general interest program, we were the first group at school, I changed and got ready Along with language courses and in the Baltic states. Professor Raun of foreign visitors and consisted for 5-6 hours of class. In the late occasional culture courses taught stated in an interview that the Bal- mainly of graduate students from evenings, after our study sessions, in English, participants also benefit tic states are a model of successful the U.S. and Britain. As art histo- I returned to the summer home from lectures, films, concerts and post-Soviet economic and political rians, anthropologists, linguists, by taxi only to find Çağlı (Asli’s a Midsummer celebration outside transition, which other countries of the classroom. Another distinctive the former Soviet Union can and Continued on page  feature of BALSSI is that it moves should emulate. Consequently, the to a new host university every two Baltic states are an important sub- years. As one of the leading prima- ject for scholarly inquiry. Ameri- ry centers for Baltic Studies in the can scholars play an especially im- United States, Indiana University portant role in studying this region has hosted BALSSI in 1998, 1999, because they often do so using a 2005 and 2006. UCLA will host regional comparative perspective the program in 2007. This rotation relying upon knowledge of all the of sites is indicative of the great Baltic states. BALSSI fulfills a level of cooperation that makes the unique role in supporting this pro- program possible. Eleven universi- cess by exposing all participants to ties including Indiana University Baltic languages and cultures. support this program, which also receives funding from a variety of This article was written with the other organizations such as the As- assistance of Toivo Raun, Profes- sociation for the Advancement of sor of Central Eurasian Studies Baltic studies and ethnic heritage and Adjunct Professor of History. societies. This financial support al- For more information about BALS- lows BALSSI to extend low tuition SI visit http://depts.washington. Aimee Dobbs (front, second from right) and fellow class members rates and a variety of fellowships to edu/baltic/balssi/. its participants.  Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center Newsletter Visiting Scholars Mentoring a Scholar Balogh Balázs is a senior fellow at the Hungarian Academy from Azerbaijan of Science’s Institute of Ethnology and former curator of the Museum of Ethnology in Budapest, Hungary. He holds a PhD Each semester the IAUNRC and other in European Ethnology from Eötvös Loránd University and is organizations on the Indiana University the author of numerous publications about twentieth century campus host a variety of scholars from Hungarian village life. other countries that come to Bloomington in order to conduct research and gain ex- Lola Dodkhoudoeva is a Senior Scientist in the Department posure to American culture at an Ameri- of Paleography at the Tajik Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe, can institution of higher learning. These Tajikistan. Her current research investigates Pre-Mongol secu- programs are not possible without the ef- lar and spiritual authorities based upon epigraphic monuments forts of professors willing to share their of Samarqand and other written sources. time with visiting scholars. The most suc- cessful visit to IU is one when visitor and Dávid Jancsics is a doctoral student at Eötvös Loránd Univer- host both benefit from the experience. sity in Budapest, Hungary pursuing a degree in sociology with a specialization in change management. He has participated in When I agreed to be a faculty mentor several research activities related to this field. He is visiting for a young historian of the United States through the Hungarian Rezler Scholar program. from Azerbaijan I had no idea what I was get- Madison and Manafova attend a conference ting into - perhaps a formal welcome, a lunch Sitora Khatamova is from Uzbekistan. She received her or two during the semester and then a goodbye. Whatever Sabina learned, I, the “men- Bachelors Degree from the World Languages University in The three years I was Sabina Manafova’s men- tor,” learned too. I had a few vague ideas Tashkent. She has worked as an English teacher. As a Ful- tor proved to be far more interesting. about Azerbaijan and the region. Sabina gen- bright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, she hopes to im- Sabina began the Open Society Insti- tly became my instructor, from the food to the prove her English skills and learn new instructional methods. tute (OSI) program in January, 2005. Trudging politics. I read more and learned about issues through snow to my office that first time she such as the new oil pipeline. I noticed when an probably wondered why she left the moderate American official visited the region. I traveled Tokusu Kurebito is an associate professor at the Tokyo Uni- climate of Baku. I helped Sabina find history with Sabina to the annual OSI conference last versity of Foreign Studies. Before pursuing a PhD in Linguis- classes to audit, conferences to attend, books to spring at Brown University, where I heard very tics from Kyoto University, he earned MA degrees from the read, curriculum ideas to try out. She soaked up interesting presentations from scholars across Inner Mongolian University and Hokkaido University. He new knowledge about the Cold War, the Ameri- Central Eurasia. currently researches the folktales of the reindeer-breeding can presidency, civil rights, and other key sub- Chukchi people. Sabina happily became engaged just be- ject areas. She experienced new ways of teach- fore her last semester at Indiana University, ing history. Sabina learned a great deal about so my wife, Jeanne, and I learned a great deal Maral Meredova is a mathematician from Turkmenistan who American history. Her students and colleague at about Azeri dating, weddings, and families. We holds a Doctor of Science degree in mathematics and a Master Western University and elsewhere will benefit missed Sabina’s wedding in late August, but we of Arts in economics. She has authored more than 40 publica- for years to come from her vast knowledge and felt the joy across the thousands of miles sepa- tions based on her economic and mathematical research. Dur- deep understanding. rating Baku and Bloomington. ing her time at IUB, she hopes to study models of openness in Like all good students, Sabina also learned Of course I’m a better informed citizen. international trade. outside the classroom and library. She became But I’m a better historian too because of what a real Hoosier patriot. During her three semes- Sabina taught me. One of the major challenges Nasiba Mirpochoeva is from Tajikistan. She graduated from ters in Bloomington she traveled to two dozen facing United States history (and most national Khujand University in 1999 and since that time has worked states across the nation, even taking a spring histories) is provincialism. My American stu- at as an English instructor in the university’s Department of break trip to Florida. She always returned to dents sometimes seem to think that their nation Foreign Languages. She is here in the United States with the Bloomington as though she was coming home. is the world. Sabina came to my class to help Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program. She began to know this particular place well and these IU students see face-to-face a smart, ar- to understand the many different kinds of peo- ticulate young person from a part of the world ple who live here. In this small Indiana town Arif Mohammad Mujaddedi is from Afghanistan. He gradu- most never knew existed. And my conversations Sabina built a foundation for understanding of a ated from Kabul University with a Bachelors Degree in Eng- with her pushed me again and again to walk into foreign culture at a depth that short-term visits lish language and literature. He has worked as a translator and my American history classroom knowing that I cannot possibly provide. has also taught English in a private institute in Kabul. He is in needed to help students see where in this large, the United States with the Fulbright Foreign Language Teach- changing world the United States was. Perhaps, ing Assistant program. indirectly, my students will sense that there is a city named Baku where a young historian, re- cently married, knows and loves Bloomington Lobsang Shastri has served as a librarian at the Library of and Indiana University. Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India since 1989. Prior to employment at the Library of Tibetan Works and Ar- chives he was a translator for Gyatsho Tsering. He earned his This piece was contributed by James H. Madi- shastri degree, the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree, in 1985. son, Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor of History at Indiana University Bloomington. Aigul Kazhenova holds a doctorate in economic sciences from the Kazakh State University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Management at Suleyman Demirel University. Her current research is focused on the economic, social and cultural impacts of advertising in high-income societies. Madison and Manafova pose for a picture with other OSI conference attendees Fall/Winter 2006  Lotus Festival: Sounds of Hungary and Inner Asia

Bloomington hosted the thirteenth annual and classical compositions by Bach and Kodály. as throat-singing, which allows a performer to Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in early These selections demonstrated the development hold several notes at one time. Accompanying October. The Lotus Festival brought more than and wide-ranging appeal of Roma music in Cen- themselves on instruments that they made with 25 individual musicians and musical groups to tral and Eastern Europe over the centuries. their own hands, Huun-Huur-Tu showcased sev- several venues around town over the course of Yungchen Lhamo’s ethereal voice en- eral styles of throat-singing. Horses and nature four days. The festival featured performances of tranced listeners during several performances figured prominently in their songs, both as in- musical styles from around the world, includ- during Lotus Festival. Although far from the spiration for lyrics and as the source for expertly ing several performers drawing their inspiration snow-capped mountains of Tibet, Yungchen imitated sounds. from the musical traditions of Central Eurasia. Lhamo’s songs punctuated by Buddhist-inspired In addition to the music, Lotus Festival Lively Gypsy instrumental music combined commentary gave the audience a chance to share also featured exhibitions of Tibetan and Mon- with the melodious sounds of Tuvan throat- in some aspects of traditional Tibetan culture. golian culture sponsored by the Tibetan Cul- singing and Tibetan song to bring hundreds of The highpoint of the performances came when tural Center. Attendees could explore several eager listeners closer to distant lands. Yungchen Lhamo invited the audience to chant traditional Mongol tent-like dwellings known The Carpathian Folk Quartet opened the “Om” – a syllable imbued with significance in as gers. Other items on display included two first night of performances with their fast-paced Tibetan Buddhism – as a musical backdrop to pieces of artwork often used as an aid for me- interpretation of traditional Gypsy (also known a song that brought her to tears on at least one diation in Tibetan Buddhism: a mandala made as Roma) folk music. Violinist Attila Jakab, occasion. of colorful sand symbolically representing a cimbalom player Sándor Kuti, folk viola player Huun-Huur-Tu is a musical ensemble Buddhist landscape and a thangka made of tiny Laszló Mester, and folk bassist Robert Doór from the Tyva Republic of the Russian Federa- beads depicting a Buddhist deity. Festival-goers were little more than blurs at times as they filled tion located in southern Siberia. These four per- also had the opportunity to view photographs of the hall with the sounds of popular village songs formers specialize in the vocal technique known Tibet and Tibetan-style butter sculptures.

Turkish Adventure (Cont.) Huun-Huur-Tur performs traditional Tuvan music Continued from page  Please visit our website to see mother) regularly engaged in some sort of the formation of nationalism among the Rus- Turkish Scrabble tournament with the neighbor sian Empire’s Muslim groups. more pictures of Aimee Dobbs’ in spite of the midnight hour. She would like to thank her friends that have Turkish Adventure and to view Although these experiences may not provided her assistance in her studies and seem remarkable, they were extremely valuable during her stay in Turkey. Burcu Karahan other student accounts about re- for establishing cultural connections and for and Abbas Karakaya are PhD students in the cent experiences abroad. language learning. Cunda’s isolation and small Department of Comparative Literature and population, my personal connections to the is- Department of Central Eurasian Studies, re- land, made for both a productive and pleasur- spectively; Çağlayan Çavuşoğlu is a gradu- The IAUNRC encourages all able experience. ate of the IU Kelley School of Business MBA students wishing to write about program. their experiences in the regions This contribution was written by Aimee Dobbs, To learn more about the Harvard-Koç Univer- who is currently pursuing her doctorate in the sity Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer or with the peoples of interest to IUB Department of History. Her primary re- School please visit http://www.fas.harvard. the Center to send submissions search interests are education policies and the edu/~nelc/ottomansummerschool.html establishment of non-Russian schools in late via email to Imperial Russia and the Soviet period as well as [email protected].

 Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center Newsletter Indiana University Commemorates the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

October 23, 2006 marked Describing the uprising the fiftieth anniversary of the be- as the first armed protest against ginning of the 1956 Hungarian Soviet-style authoritarian dicta- Revolution. The uprising, a stu- torship, Fülemile asserted that dent-led protest against the then these events are a glorious page in-power Stalinist regime, was in international history books. brutally crushed by Soviet troops However, it is important to rec- on November 10, 1956. To com- ognize the events of 1956 as they memorate the anniversary, several occurred, and from this recogni- Indiana University organizations tion it is possible to understand sponsored a program at the Uni- the events in an appropriate con- versity Club. The proceedings text. In explication of this idea, included an address by Visiting she discussed how the Hungarian György Ránki Hungarian Chair Revolution was particularly un- Ágnes Fülemile as well as a poetry usual as Hungary existed then, reading and several musical selec- and continues to exist today, as tions. A brief reception featuring a small nation in linguistic isola- examples of authentic Hungarian tion from its neighbors and the cuisine concluded the evening . world at-large. Visiting György Ránki Hungarian Chair Ágnes Fülemile speaks about the Opening remarks included Fülemile’s address was fol- 1956 Revolution an announcement that Professor lowed by a stirring a cappella Emeritus Denis Sinor had received performance of Zoltán Kodály’s a letter from the Ambassador of Fölszállot a páva (The Peacock Hungary to the United States, His Takes its Perch). An impassioned Outreach Corner Excellency András Simonyi. In recitation of 1956 te csilag, a Each year the IAUNRC sponsers a variety of outreach activities involv- this letter it was noted that, in rec- poem directly concerned with the ing schools, community organizations, and public events. High school ognition of Professor Sinor’s con- Hungarian Revolution, written by teacher frequently request material and guest speakers from our cen- siderable achievements towards renowned Hungarian poet György ter to enhance their classroom presentations. Below is a letter from a furthering the exchange of knowl- Faludy preceded a performance of teacher wishing to explain his experiences with the Center. edge between the United States Rudolf Maros’ Strophes accom- and Hungary, the President of the panied by vibraphone and harp. Republic of Hungary awarded the Throughout the program a candle My name is Steve Ohl and I have used Indiana University’s guest Order of Merit of the Republic of could be seen burning as homage speakers from the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center for Hungary to Professor Sinor. to the revolution and war of inde- several years. I teach a Current Issues class at Bedford North-Lawrence Professor Fülemile followed pendence, memorializing the hero- High School, but I also believe these speakers would provide interest- this announcement with a com- ism and martyrdom of the thou- ing contemporary information to sociology and geography classes. memorative address that, while sands of people killed in pursuit of I have invited Fatima Morrisroe and Leila Zakirova, as well as a acknowledging the considerable a free Hungary in 1956. couple of other speakers from the IAUNRC to my classroom. The stu- pain and suffering endured by the dents have enjoyed their presentations. The information seems much Hungarian people during the 1956 The 1956 Hungarian Revolution more interesting to students when they get it directly from a native Revolution, remained forward Commemoration at Indiana Uni- source. If your class is similar to mine, discussions of other countries thinking and optimistic. It called versity was jointly sponsored by the policy and behavior often come up. Our perception of other countries for historians and anthropologists Hungarian Cultural Association, is often shaped by what we see in the media and our own culture. Being to record the stories of the few the Inner Asian & Uralic National able to see and hear these people brings a more human, rational face surviving participants in the 1956 Resource Center, and the Russian to an area of the world that seems distant and sometimes manic. My Revolution. She views this as a and East European Institute. students have found the presentations educational, entertaining and in- sightful. I find myself looking forward to hearing them and they always necessary step in creating a record In 1979 the Hungarian Chair at that would respect and honor these generate some questions while the speakers were present to answer Indiana University was estab- them. The students often have comments that can lead to more discus- heroes, who made the lives of con- lished by agreement between the temporary Hungarians much easier sion the next day. Help add some more variety to your classroom – take Hungarian Academy of Sciences this department up on some free, interesting material. than that of their parents. and Indiana University. The first As Professor Fülemile spoke, person to hold the Chair was Pro- Thanks IU! her words were underscored by the fessor György Ránki, whose work Steve Ohl simultaneous projection of images contributed greatly to the field of from 1956, which conveyed the Hungarian Studies. The IAUNRC welcomes all opportunities to works with educators in grim reality of this twelve-day pe- After his untimely death in 1988, order to integrate the peoples and places under its purview into class- riod in Hungarian history. She de- the Chair was renamed the György room curricula. Please visit our website to learn more about our out- scribed how the initial protests be- Ránki Hungarian Chair in his hon- reach activitiees and how the Center can help you. gan at the University of Debrecen, or. Ágnes Fülemile is the twelfth and quickly erupted into a nation- scholar to hold this position. She wide expression of discontent over is a senior researcher at the Insti- the post-war economic stagnation tute for Folklore of the Hungarian resulting from the Soviet-inspired Academy of Sciences. centralized economic model.

Fall/Winter 2006  From CEUS to the Cotton Fields

Shortly after graduating from the Depart- or an interpreter. Similarly, I am more inclined students to spend as much time as possible on ment of Central Eurasian Studies (CEUS) in than most of my colleagues to delve as deeply the ground in the countries of their specializa- 1999, my professional life began as a consultant as possible into a country’s history and culture tion, and professors provide students with the in water resources management and agriculture before working in a new area (such as Laos in requisite skills and opportunities to do so. Much projects in Central Asia for international donors 2005 or, more recently, Moldova). of my work is spent on-site for agriculture and and financial organizations. Many of my col- Entering an area studies program forced irrigation projects or research in remote areas of leagues possess degrees in economics, natural me to work harder than most of my colleagues the world. Experience gained in Central Asia as resource management, agronomy, engineering, in other departments, because it was necessary a graduate student in CEUS helped to prepare and sociology or anthropology. They are often to acquire methodological tools from the disci- me for working in often-difficult conditions. curious upon learning that my degree is in “Cen- plines relevant to my focus, as well as obtain Finally, the main benefit of any graduate tral Eurasian Studies” (and that it was actually area knowledge. This has been a challenge for program is that it teaches one how to acquire possible to study Central Asian languages in the me as a graduate student and professional. At new methodologies and knowledge in a system- United States). Answering questions about the the same time, being able to work with profes- ic manner. Since leaving CEUS, I have been degree has given me some time to reflect upon sors from such a varied background (most nota- lucky to work in the field that has always been its value. bly, Drs. Fierman, Bregel, Shahrani, DeWeese, my focus. Engaging that field as a professional The primary advantage of an area studies and Clark) ingrained a multi-disciplinary ap- has entailed as much study and growth as my program is the ability to acquire in-depth area proach from the outset of my studies. Being entire graduate education. However, it has led knowledge. This has allowed me to provide accustomed to a multi-disciplinary approach me down avenues that I never imagined (includ- other project team members with data and in- has helped my work because tools from various ing a recent foray into the field of disaster man- sights into project areas (such as local gover- disciplines often are required (for example, a agement and mitigation), and which I hope will nance) that sometimes allow us to avoid costly sound irrigation project requires attention to en- continue to surprise me. mistakes. Moreover, knowledge of the Uzbek gineering, hydrological, economic, institutional, language greatly facilitates fieldwork in this social, environmental, and other aspects). This piece was written by Mike Thurman, who country, and also makes me aware of what is A major strength of the CEUS approach graduated with from the IU Department of Cen- lost in other countries when I must use Russian to area studies is that the program encourages tral Eurasian Studies MA Program in 1995.

The Carpathian Folk Quartet (left) and Yungchen Lhamo (right) peform at the Thirteenth Annual Lotus Festival.

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