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This Month in Mongolian Studies is a monthly listing of selected academic activities, resources and other material related to Mongolia. This list is based on information the ACMS has received and is presented as a service to its members. If you would like to submit information to be included in next month's issue please contact the ACMS at info@mongoliacenter.org This publication is supported in part by memberships. Please consider becoming a member of the ACMS, or renewing your membership by visiting our website at mongoliacenter.org/join.
Thank you!
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ACMS Announcements, News and Media References
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Celebrating the 110th birth anniversary of
Francis Woodman Cleaves
July 14 saw the release of a very special Virtual Panel Series episode, where three eminent scholars described their experience studying the works of and studying under Dr. Francis Woodman Cleaves--one of the early mongolists in the U.S. whose personal collection ACMS is digitizing through the Cleaves Collection Digitization Project.
The three presentations were from Dr. Tumurtogoo Domii from the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (due to health reasons, his presentation was narrated by Dr. Tsermaa Tumurbaatar), Prof. Christopher Atwood from the University of Pennsylvania (who had studied under the late mongolist and shared his memories of him, and Dr. Saruul-Erdene Myagmar from the LIbrary of Congress (who presented some of his insights from digitizing the library collection.)
ACMS is digitizing the works of the renowned Mongolist Francis Woodman Cleaves. We're planning to conduct another trip to the F.W. Cleaves library to scan more of his works. Please consider donating to this project to help us save these rare and invaluable works in the field of Mongolian Studies!
You can also start a "Watch Party" of the Facebook video here and share with friends! |
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Online intensive Mongolian teaching: success and challenges
It's been a month since ACMS began its eight-week Online Intensive Mongolian Language (OIML) program, and a lot of our efforts have been concentrated on creating online content that provides our learners with an ersatz cultural immersion experience. While the new technology still has a few kinks here and there, and the COVID restrictions provide obstacles in content production--the virtual version remains full of wider outreach potential.
One of the most impressive type of content, in our opinion, is the choose-your-adventure style Branching Scenario content. The online assignments are complemented by virtual face-to-face sessions with our expert instructors on weekdays. With further iteration of the program, we hope to scale up to help even more learners master Mongolian, be it beginner or advanced. |
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Take free online courses on studymongolia.org!
As of July, the ACMS e-learning platform has three online courses available for anyone to sign up and learn, with more slated for Fall 2021 as part of Online Field School 2021 Session 2. The courses consist of lecture recordings and additional resources, and the learner can receive "Statement of Accomplishment" in two of the courses.
All courses are open to participants of any nationality and background. Interested applicants can sign up on the ACMS website to enroll directly for the courses. Thanks to the generous funding of Henry Luce Foundation, enrolled participants get a one-year complimentary ACMS membership.
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ACMS Sponsored Programs and Events
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Please note that our VSS programming is alternating monthly between Mongolian and English as part of our larger plan to create inclusive and accessible discourse. August events are "Mongolian Economy" panel and a lecture on ancient agriculture. Both events will be held in Mongolian.
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| | This month's ACMS Cultural Heritage Discussion was held on July 28, 10 am ULAT. The discussion was titled: "Соёлын Өв- Цуврал Хэлэлцүүлэг: Хувийн музей, музейн хөгжилд үзүүлэх нөлөө ба соёлын өвийн хамгаалалт" and was moderated by Zolbayar M. of the Mongolian Ethnographic Ger Museum and had 3 panelists from various museums and relevant organizations.
The discussions are held in Mongolian, and the recordings of the panels are uploaded on the ACMS YouTube channel as well as livestreamed on our Facebook page.
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| | Pawel Szczap, PhD candidate at the University of Warsaw, presented "The Namescape of Ulaanbaatar" on July, 22, 9 pm ULAT. The discussion was in English and will soon be uploaded with Mongolian subtitles. In the meantime, the unabridged livestream recording is available on YouTube. |
| | The July Virtual Panel in English was titled "Francis Woodman Cleaves" and featured Dr. Tumurtogoo D, National University of Mongolia, Professor Christopher Atwood, University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Saruul-Erdene Myagmar, the U.S. Library of Congress. The panel was aired on the birthday of the late Mongolist, on July 14. The presentations were in Mongolian and English and is now available online with two subtitles. |
| | The ACMS YouTube channel published the following videos this past month with Mongolian and English subtitles: |
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Vacancies and Fellowships
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Tsadra Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for Tibetan Buddhist Studies
This fellowship program provides one-year grants to graduate students at North American universities in order to support them in their pursuit of dissertation research focused specifically on Tibetan Buddhism. Dissertation work must include significant textual work on Tibetan Buddhist primary sources and include translation into English. Two grants of $35,000 are available each year.
The purpose of the grant is not only to encourage more research in the area of Tibetan Buddhism, but also to encourage the sharing of academic research with the larger world. Within one year of finishing the grant term, recipients will be required to submit an essay to the Foundation aimed at sharing their dissertation work with a non-academic audience, with the purpose of advancing Buddhist literacy in North America and connecting educated readers with the research of academics on topics in Tibetan Buddhist studies.
Graduate students in doctoral programs in North America who are engaged in study of Tibetan Buddhist texts, practices, and related topics.
A student is eligible to receive a fellowship if he or she:
Is a graduate student in good standing at an institution of higher education in North America who, when the fellowship begins, is admitted to candidacy in a doctoral program at that institution–applicants need not be currently ABD, but must have achieved candidacy by the time the grant period begins;
Possesses adequate skills in the language(s) necessary to carry out the dissertation project (i.e., Tibetan and possibly also Sanskrit, Chinese, Pali, or Mongolian.)
Current Grant Applications for summer/fall 2022: Application deadline: September 1st, 2021
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| Fully funded PhD in “Buddhist pilgrimage in the Anthropocene”
The CCBS is pleased to announce the availability of a 3-year fully-funded doctoral studentship from February 2022 at the Center for Contemporary Buddhist Studies at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen.
The topic of the PhD project is Buddhist pilgrimage in the Anthropocene. The PhD-fellow will join a research team of six scholars working within the project WASTE and will be supervised by Associate Professor Trine Brox. For more information about the project and how to apply, please visit the job portal at the University of Copenhagen: https://employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=154191
The PhD-scholarship has been generously funded by the Velux Fonden (www.veluxfoundations.dk) as part of the collaborative international research project led by Associate Professor Dr. Trine Brox titled WASTE: CONSUMPTION AND BUDDHISM IN THE AGE OF GARBAGE. The project is hosted by the CCBS at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, the University of Copenhagen. It will run over four years from September 2021 until September 2025.
Anticipated start date for project: 1 February 2022
Closing date for applications: 1 September 2021 at 23:59 (11:59 pm) (CEST).
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| | The Journal of Global Buddhism (JGB): Vacant Copy Editor Position
The Journal of Global Buddhism is growing and we need to increase our team of copy editors to share the workload. The JGB is an academic, peer-reviewed, online journal. We invite applications from scholars of Buddhism and people generally interested in the subject.
Our copy editos proofread and polish articles and book reviews for the journal. Copy editors for the JGB should have a good academic knowledge of Buddhism, a strong command of academic English (preferably as a native speaker), and some experience with editing manuscripts.
Previous experience with copy editing is certainly useful, though not necessarily required. As the JGB is a non-commercial and open-source journal, we are happy to provide an inspiring team and academic environment, but, unfortunately, no (worldly) money.
Expressions of interest and applications for this position should be sent to the editor, Cristina Rocha c.rocha@westernsydney.edu.au. |
| | Visiting Professor - Asian American Studies Center
The Asian American Studies Center at the University of Houston invites applications for a full-time, one-year appointment as a Visiting Professor. Successful candidates will have served as a Dean of Education at a foreign university. The Visiting Professor will be responsible for presenting lectures on Global Education and Education in Hong Kong and will join the Asian American Studies Center’s research Projects on Asian American Students Mentorship Program, Asian American Students Racial Experiences and Academic Success and Asian American Research Grant Applications.
This appointment will start on August 1, 2021 and will end May 31, 2022.
Qualifications:
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. Experience and scholarship to be on level with a full professor.
Notes to Applicant: Official transcripts are required for a faculty appointment and will be requested upon selection of the final candidate. All positions at the university are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.
Required Attachments by Candidate: Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letter/Letter of Application
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| World Language Scorer at Pearson Assessment VUE
We are the world’s learning company with more than 24,000 employees operating in 70 countries. We combine world-class educational content and assessment,powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalized learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people.
We have immediate openings for candidates to score the following World Languages in our Hadley office:
[...]
Mongolian
[...]
Key benefits
- Starting rate of $22.80 per hour
- On-site training
- Flexibility to work scoring sessions that suit your availability
- Overall Responsibilities
- Evaluates responses of teacher candidates in multiple states.
- Successfully internalizes training and scoring guide, participates in discussions.
- Must be able to put aside personal biases and apply scoring guide according to rubric requirements.
- Meets quality and productivity requirements established for the scoring program.
- Engage with other scorers in consensus scoring activities.
Working Conditions
On-site training takes place in an office environment that is safe and favorable to good working conditions.
Pearson is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and a member of E-Verify. All qualified applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Qualifications
- Be a native speaker of the language OR a certified teacher or college educator in the language
- Both active and retired teachers can be eligible to score, provided they hold a current teaching license.
- Basic computer skills (keyboard, mouse)
- Ability to sit for extended periods of time
- Ability to maintain a confidential work environment
- Eligible to work in the United States
Primary Location : US-MA-Hadley
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Grants, Scholarships, and Calls for Paper
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Call for Papers - "East Asian Buddhist Worldmaking" online conference |
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(Hybrid) Call for Papers - Association of Asian Studies, 2022 Annual Conference
The AAS 2022 Annual Conference will be a hybrid conference that will incorporate both in-person sessions as well as virtual sessions taking place online.
The program committee seeks sessions that will advance knowledge about Asian regions and, by extension, will enrich teaching about Asia at all levels. AAS Membership is not a requirement for the submission of a proposal or participation.
The 2022 AAS Annual Conference will take place in Honolulu, Hawai'i from March 24-27 at the Hawaii Convention Center and the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.
COVID-19 Note: AAS is planning for an on-site hybrid conference in Honolulu. Extended health and safety protocols will be in place in Honolulu. More information will be shared in the fall.
Proposal Submission Deadline:
Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 5:00 p.m. EST
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Call for Papers - Trans Asia Photography
Trans Asia Photography invites submissions for a general issue, Volume 12, no. 2 (Fall 2022). The journal examines all aspects of photographic history, theory and practice by centering images in or of Asia, conceived as a territory, network, and cultural imaginary. The journal welcomes articles (5000-7000 words) that broadens understanding of Asian photography in transnational contexts. The journal also publishes shorter pieces (1000-2000 words) in formats that include interviews, curatorial or visual essays, and portfolios.
Trans Asia Photography is an international, refereed open-access journal based at the University of Toronto. It provides a venue for the interdisciplinary exploration of photography and Asia. Guidance for authors on submissions can be found here: https://transasiaphotography.org/submit
For more information, contact the editors: transasiaphotography@gmail.com
Deadline for research articles and shorter pieces: October 31, 2021.
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Interesting digital resource we discovered in July, 2021:- "Mongolia Visuals" Since its creation two years ago, this not-for-profit project has been accumulating what is now the internet's largest social archive of visuals from the late communist and early democratic Mongolia. Curated by Mr. Mend-Amar Baigalmaa, the project's Instagram page is a plentiful source of photographs, illustrations, and posters from these periods, and rightfully has over 33k followers. Mongolian Visuals always appreciates supporters' donations and visuals contributions. Feel free to reach the Mongolians Visuals team via mongolianvisuals@gmail.com or DM on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Member contribution publications:(We received the following announcement of publication from our member. If you would like to announce your publication, please reach out to us at info@mongoliacenter.org)
I am pleased to announce a work of historical fiction that an eminent professor suggested might be appropriate for teaching classes in Global History for high school students and undergraduates.
It is entitled The Khan's Mistake: The Fight for the Succession.
He sparked my imagination by suggesting that he would like to assign a work of fiction, because it inspired students
By chance, I had material created for my submission for the Buchanan Prize.
By chance, I was invited to post a serialized story to a new program at Amazon called Kindle Vella.
The first section of the book is approximately 100 pages long and deals with the early life of Chinggis Khan as it relates to matters of succession.
A second section of approximately 10 episodes will follow in late August, dealing with the late career of Chinggis Khan and succession issues among his heirs.
The books are the product of years of research and have an authoritative bibliography. Both are written in a contemporary prose style and are fast-paced.
The publication of Book 2 will be in time for the fall semester, 2021.
The first book is available in 12 episodes from Kindle Vella, an online site. The first three episodes are free to the reader. After that, the reader buys a subscription that is reasonably priced.
The format is an eBook displayed on a Kindle reader.
I have posted this book as an experiment, to see if it works for students and teachers of classes in Global History at the high school and undergraduate level.
It is a way of getting this work into book form without going through the lengthy process of print publishing with trade publishers.
Readers can connect with the author on the online page for the story. Authors can answer questions posted by readers.
I hope you will take a look and tell me what you think.
Contact: Diane Wolff | dianepwolff@comcast.net | @dianepwolff
Selected scholarly articles published in July, 2021:
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| | NEW FEATURE ARTICLES PUBLISHED ON MONGOLIAN STUDIES |
| Verses of Extinction: One Buryatian artist's attempt to keep her native language alive | Calvert Journal
Papaeva grew up in the small town of Orlik in the Republic of Buryatia, a picturesque region of Russia populated largely by ethnic Buryats, Buddhists who are deeply bound with the culture and language of nearby Mongolia...
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| A photographer's spiritual Siberian homecoming | Calvert Journal
I identify as Buryat, although sometimes that can be awkward because I don’t speak the Buryatian language very well, something that I hope to improve in the future...
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A New Vertical Script Bookstore Opened in Ulaanbaatar | Montsame
The bookstore "Khaan Bichig" is the first Mongolian Script-only bookstore in Ulaanbaatar, and is owned by a Southern Mongolian...
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Mongolian contemporary art exhibition launched in Ankara | Montsame
The exhibition will be later performed in other major cities such as Istanbul, Gaziantep as well...
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Artifacts discovered from Queen Consort Dondogdulam’s memorial being kept at Institute of Archeology | Montsame
After the Queen Consort’s death in 1923, it is said that eight light-colored horses were used to respectfully transport her to the current Sharga Morit Valley, to be cremated in clarified butter...
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The HU to tour across the US | Montsame
Specifically, the band will tour across 32 cities of the U.S. between September 1 and October 31...
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Under the Shadow of White Tara: Buriat Buddhists in Imperial Russia by Nikolay Tserempilov
Price: 124 USD
The book systematically explores the history of the Buddhist community in the Russian Empire. It offers an advanced overview of the relations that existed between the Buriat Buddhists and the Russian imperial authorities.
Various institutions and actors represented Russian power: foreign and interior ministries, the Irkutsk general-governorship, the Orthodox Christian mission of East Siberia, local journalists and academic scholars. The book is focussing especially on the evolution of imperial legislation and specific administrative mechanisms aiming at the regulation of Buddhist affairs. The author demonstrates how these actors responded to conflicting situations and collisions of interests. Thus the history of relations between Russia and her Buddhist subjects is shown as a complex process with participation of a number of actors with their own interests and motivations.
Nikolay Tsyrempilov, Doctor in History, currently holds the position of Associate Professor at the Department of History, Philosophy and Religious Studies of Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan). He specializes in the history of Buddhism in Tibet, Mongolia and Russia in the 17-mid 20th century.
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| Suncranes and Other Stories: Modern Mongolian Short Fiction, Translated by Simon Wickhamsmith
Page: 296. Price: 25 USD
Over the course of the twentieth century, Mongolian life was transformed, as a land of nomadic communities encountered first socialism and then capitalism and their promises of new societies. The stories collected in this anthology offer literary snapshots of Mongolian life throughout this tumult. Suncranes and Other Stories showcases a range of powerful voices and their vivid portraits of nomads, revolution, and the endless steppe.
Spanning the years following the socialist revolution of 1921 through the early twenty-first century, these stories from the country’s most highly regarded prose writers show how Mongolian culture has forged links between the traditional and the modern. Writers employ a wide range of styles, from Aesopian fables through socialist realism to more experimental forms, influenced by folktales and epics as well as Western prose models. They depict the drama of a nomadic population struggling to understand a new approach to life imposed by a foreign power while at the same time benefiting from reforms, whether in the capital city Ulaanbaatar or on the steppe. Across the mix of stories, Mongolia’s majestic landscape and the people’s deep connection to it come through vividly. For all English-speaking readers curious about Mongolia’s people and culture, Simon Wickhamsmith’s translations make available this captivating literary tradition and its rich portrayals of the natural and social worlds.
Simon Wickhamsmith teaches in the writing and Asian studies programs at Rutgers University. He is the translator of Tseveendorjin Oidov’s The End of the Dark Era (2015).
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| STIGMATIZED: A Mongolian Girl's Journey from Stigma & Illness to Empowerment by Handaa Enkh-Amgalan
Page: 296. Price: 25 USD
STIGMATIZED: A Mongolian Girl's Journey from Stigma & Illness to Empowerment teaches that our struggles are our stories, and that accepting every part of who we are — even the parts we hide — is essential to growth. Handaa Enkh-Amgalan offers readers the tools to reflect on and articulate their previous experiences, while empowering them to rediscover who they are and find hope. Enkh-Amgalan intertwines her journey battling tuberculosis and the associated, pervasive social prejudice with stories of growing up in the nomadic country of Mongolia and pursuing education abroad. She chronicles:
Her daily fight for a spot on the bus out of her shantytown in Ulaanbaatar;
Sleeping just two or three hours a night for years as she studied English;
Who she turned to the night she was evicted from her apartment a world away from home;
How she proved skeptics – including family members – wrong about her destiny. In her debut book, Enkh-Amgalan deftly and earnestly combines storytelling with advocacy, drawing parallels to other stigmatized populations and embracing survivor identity.
Enkh-Amgalan earned a Master’s degree from New York University in public policy and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from East Tennessee State University, and today she works in the global humanitarian sector, specializing in refugee empowerment.
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| The Rise of the Mongols: Five Chinese Sources by Christopher Atwood
Page: 264. Price: 48 USD
Rise of the Mongols offers readers a selection of five important works that detail the rise of the Mongol Empire through Chinese eyes. Three of these works were written by officials of South China's Southern Song dynasty and two are from officials from North China writing in the service of the Mongol rulers. Together, these accounts offer a view of the early Mongol Empire very different not just from those of Muslim and Christian travelers and chroniclers, but also from the Mongol tradition embodied in The Secret History of Mongols.
The five Chinese source texts (in English translation, each with their own preface): Selections from Random Notes from Court and Country since the Jianyan Years, vol.2, by Li Xinchuan, "A Memorandum on the Mong-Tatars," by Zhao Gong, "A Sketch of the Black Tatars," by Peng Daya and Xu Ting, "Spirit-Path Stele for His Honor Yelü, Director of the Secretariat," by Song Zizhen, "Notes on a Journey," by Zhang Dehui. Also included are an introduction, index, bibliography, and appendices covering notes on the texts, tables and charts, and a glossary of Chinese and transcribed terms.
Christopher Atwood is the chair of the East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department, and a professor, Mongolian and Chinese Frontier & Ethnic History |
| Transforming Inner Mongolia: Commerce, Migration, and Colonization on the Qing Frontier by Yi Wang
Page: 336. Price: 105 USD
This groundbreaking book analyzes the dramatic impact of Han Chinese migration into Inner Mongolia during the Qing era. In the first detailed history in English, Yi Wang explores how processes of commercial expansion, land reclamation, and Catholic proselytism transformed the Mongol frontier long before it was officially colonized and incorporated into the Chinese state. Wang reconstructs the socioeconomic, cultural, and administrative history of Inner Mongolia at a time of unprecedented Chinese expansion into its peripheries and China’s integration into the global frameworks of capitalism and the...
Yi Wang is associate professor of history at Binghamton University.
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