Subject: This Month in Mongolian Studies: December 30, 2024

December 30, 2024

ACMS News - Hello 2025!

An informational graphic that reads “ACMS 2025 Mongolia Field School Information Webinar. Date: January 7, 2025; Time: 8:00pm EST/5:00pm PST; On Zoom (Registration Required).

Kick Off 2025 with our Field School Webinar!

Want to learn more about our Mongolia Field Schools? Attend our informational webinar on January 7 at 8pm ET to meet the Field School staff and instructors, learn more about each course, and ask any questions you may have. Advanced registration is required, register here.

We are offering the following Field School courses for Summer 2025:

Hustai National Park: Managing Biodiversity in the Home of Mongolia's Native Horses (June 9-22, 2025)
Mongolia's Ancient Cities: Archaeological Excavation with the Uyghur Cultural Heritage Project (June 2-29 and June 28-July 12, 2025, enroll in one or both sessions)
The Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Hustai National Park (July 21-August 3, 2025)

Visit our website to learn more, and apply by February 15 for priority fellowship consideration. We welcome applications from students, researchers, faculty, life-long learners, and anyone else with a passion to learn and an interest in Mongolia. All applicants must be 18 years of age or older by the start date of their chosen Field School.

ACMS and the University of Humanities (UH) Sign Memorandum of Understanding

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) and the University of the Humanities (UH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen academic cooperation and mutual development. The agreement focuses on academic exchanges, collaborative events, and internship opportunities for UH students to build professional and research capacity.

Under the MOU, both institutions will exchange academic materials, co-host seminars and conferences, and provide short- and long-term internships. Additionally, ACMS will utilize UH’s facilities for public lectures and events, fostering greater engagement within Mongolia’s academic community.

A man and a woman stand behind a desk and display copies of a newly-signed document.

The partnership highlights a shared commitment to empowering students, researchers, and faculty through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. The MOU takes effect immediately and will remain valid for three years, with opportunities for renewal.

This MOU was signed by M. Davaasuren, Director of Partnerships and Outreach at ACMS, and Dr. Choi Sun Soo, Director of the Office of International Affairs at the University of Humanities

Support the ACMS This Holiday Season!

Thanks to all of your generosity on Giving Tuesday, we were able to raise over $2,200 to support our educational programs including our library, Field Schools, language classes, and more. But the year isn't over yet! If you missed the chance to participate in Giving Tuesday, there's still time to support ACMS before the end of the year.

Head to our website to join us in kicking off 20 more years of ACMS. Your donation will help us acquire new books for our library, develop Mongolian language instructional materials, implement workshops and conferences connecting young scholars in the field, provide fellowships for Mongolia Field School participants, and so much more. Give today and cheers to the next 20 years!

A photo of a large decorated Christmas/New Year's tree in the middle of Suhkbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar.

Support the ACMS

Employment Opportunity

Visiting Lecturer Position in Mongolian Studies

Western Washington University is seeking a Schwarz Visiting Lecturer for either the Fall 2025 (September 16-December 16) or Winter 2026 (January 2 – March 30) term. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching one 5-credit course in any academic discipline, with a focus on the study of Mongolia; plus an additional 3 hours per week in relevant professional service related to the Western Libraries Mongolia Collection and promotion of Mongolian Studies in the campus and local communities. Application review will begin January 10, 2025, and remain open until filled. Finalists will be interviewed via video conferencing. For the complete job advertisement, please see here. Inquiries about the position may be submitted to: Dr. Mark Greenberg, Director of Faculty Global Engagement in Western’s Office of Global Engagement.

Fellowship Opportunities, Application Deadlines, and CfPs

ACMS 2025 Fellowships

ACMS Field Research Fellowship

Application Deadline: February 15, 2025

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS), with funding support from the US State Department Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, invites applications for the tenth year of the ACMS Field Research Fellowship Program. The program will provide awards of up to $4,000 to a selected number of students, post-docs, or faculty to conduct short-term field research in Mongolia between May and October, 2025.

ACMS Intensive Summer Language Program Fellowship

Application Deadline: February 15, 2025

ACMS's Intensive Mongolian Language Program will take place from June 2-August 1, 2025 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The purpose of this summer language program is to provide Intermediate-level students of the Mongolian language with an opportunity to enhance their communicative competence through systematic improvement of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, in an authentic environment. A limited number of Language Program Fellowships provide full-tuition scholarships to selected fellowship applicants. The fellowship is awarded to applicants based on merit and need.

ACMS Library Fellowship Program

Application Deadline: February 15, 2025

ACMS is pleased to continue our Library Fellowship program in 2025. This fellowship supports advanced US graduate students, faculty members, or professionals in library and information sciences from colleges and universities to conduct short-term library development projects and/or research in Mongolia for a period of up to 12 weeks between May and October, 2025. The fellowship is supported with funding from the US State Department Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau through a grant by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.

Field School Fellowships

Priority Deadline: February 15, 2025

Thanks to the generous support of institutional partner the Henry Luce Foundation and several valued individual donors, ACMS is pleased to be able to offer competitive partial fellowships to Field School applicants who apply by the priority deadline of February 15, 2025. So don't delay, visit our website today to learn more about our 2025 Field School course offerings and submit your application by the priority deadline!

External Fellowship Opportunities

The Courtauld Mongol Connections Program

Application Deadline: January 13, 2025

The Courtauld Institute of Art invites applications from early career (post-doctoral) and advanced doctoral levels for a three-year (2025-2027) traveling seminar project entitled Mongol Connections. This program seeks to develop a collaborative network of researchers and scholars in Art History and sister fields—anthropology, history, archaeology, among others—at different early career stages, to foster new connections between scholars across national and disciplinary boundaries, to stimulate and contribute to this burgeoning field of scholarship. Learn more and apply at their website.

CAORC-NEH Research Fellowship

Application Deadline: January 15, 2025

The CAORC - National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship provides the opportunity for scholars to carry out advanced research in the humanities and to spend significant time in one country with an Overseas Research Centers as a base. The fellowship supports advanced research in the humanities. Fellowship awards are for four to six consecutive months and selected fellows are awarded $5,000 per month of the award. This program is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) under the Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutions (FPIRI).

Mongolian-U.S. National Civic Engagement Program (MUNCEP)

Application Deadline: January 31, 2025

The Mongolian-U.S. National Civic Engagement Program (MUNCEP) is a nine-week professional development program created by the US-Asia Institute (USAI) in coordination with the Embassy of Mongolia in Washington, D.C. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experiences for young adults (18-25 years old) of Mongolian descent who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or F-1 visa holders to gain a firsthand look at the American government and political system in Washington, D.C. to engage civically and reflect on the role they, as future leaders, might play in strengthening the U.S.-Mongolia relationship.

East and Inner Asia Council Small Grants

Application Deadline: February 3, 2025

The East and Inner Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) makes small grant awards of up to $2,000. Dissertation-level graduate students and scholars with special interests in China, Taiwan, or Inner Asia are invited to submit proposals. EIAC Small Grant awards are made possible through funding provided by the Chiang Ching-kuo (CCK) Foundation and from AAS member donations.

Call for Papers:
Fifth International Conference on Aspects of Mongolian Buddhism

The Department of Mongolian and Inner Asian Studies and Research Centre for Mongolian Studies at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in collaboration with partner institutions from Hungary and Mongolia cordially invite you to participate in the Fifth International Conference on Aspects of Mongolian Buddhism taking place on April 8-9, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary.

This year's theme is "Textual Tradition of Mongolian Buddhism: Written and Oral Traditions."

The conference is for scholars and monks to present their work on any aspect of the textual tradition of Mongolian Buddhism. This can cover history, philosophy, education, monasticism, rituals, folklore and folk religion, and any other fields related to Mongolian Buddhism's textual tradition preserved in written form or oral narratives.

The conference will focus on the Buddhism of Mongols living in the present area of Mongolia and the beliefs and practices of Mongols living in China, Russia, or other places where Mongols settled. The scientific papers will be published in book format.

The main languages of the conference are English, Mongolian, and Russian.

Please register by January 7, 2025 by sending your name, affiliation, presentation title, and abstract of 150 words to mongol@btk.elte.hu. More information on the conference will be published here.

Mongolian and Inner Asian Studies News, Events, and Publications

Publications

Mongolian Landscapes: Khangai, Steppe, Gobi

Longtime ACMS member, program alumnus, and supporter Daniel Miller recently published a book of photographs taken during his many stays in Mongolia. Check out his gorgeous photography in the online version or order a hard copy of Mongolian Landscapes: Khangai, Steppe, Gobi here.

In the News

Kublai Khan: Ruler of the Waves

Jack Weatherford, longtime ACMS supporter and Mongolia historian, anthropologist, and bestselling author recently sat down with History Extra, the BBC History Magazine's official website, to discuss his new book Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China. Listen to the complete interview here.

Post-Soviet Co-ops: Mongolian Herders Borrow a Tool from the Recent Past

This article examines how some herders are reviving the Soviet-era cooperative system to preserve their livelihoods in the face of modern challenges. Read more here.

Upcoming Events in the Field

Flipping the Script: Language Policies in Flux Across Eurasia

If you're in the Bay Area, join Berkeley's Institute of East Asian Studies for their day-long conference Flipping the Script: Language Policies in Flux Across Eurasia, scheduled to take place in-person on January 24, 2025. Taking in the full breadth of the Eurasian continent—from the Caucasus to the Pacific, from Siberia to Afghanistan, and including Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia—presentations at this conference will focus on the intimate relationship between script/language policies, modernity, and geopolitical orientations. Learn more on their website.