My Homeland, My People: Memory in Kazakh Migrations Past and Present

Throughout my blog posts this semester, I have attempted to explore the relationships between historical migration events, the folk narratives remembering those events, and how these narratives are exploited by modern states to build nationalist mythologies. I have compared nation building through the use of mythic histories in Turkey and Kyrgyzstan. This theme is particularly […]

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Crossing the Cairn-Marked Border: Imperial Policy and Diaspora in Buryat Folk Songs

In my previous post, I introduced a Buryat folk song which described events which took place in 1727-1728. These events demonstrate the impact of imperial diplomatic policies and decisions on individuals and communities. In this post, I will provide an historical background for the geopolitical circumstances in which this folk song arose. I will also […]

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