Subject: This Month in Mongolian Studies: February 26, 2025

February 26, 2025

ACMS Joint Conference - Call for Abstracts

Under Shared Blue Skies: Mongolia and the North American West

November 8 and 9, 2025

Downtown Denver, Colorado - home to one of the oldest and most dynamic Mongolian communities in North America.

Since the early 1990s, the connections between Mongolia and the North American West have grown into vibrant, long-term bridges of knowledge and culture. A wide variety of research and creative scholarship connects Mongolia to the North American West, ranging from archaeology to zoology. At the same time, much of this scholarship is produced by members of Mongolian communities in the North American West. This conference seeks to bring together scholars, practitioners, students, and community members in the North American West who have engaged in or are simply interested in scholarship related to Mongolia. This will be a two-day interdisciplinary event to share knowledge and experiences while also providing opportunities for interaction and development of new ideas for collaboration.

We welcome abstract submissions for short paper presentations (10 minutes) or poster presentations from researchers, practitioners, and/or students who engage with research and/or creative scholarship related to Mongolia. Scholars from any discipline or field are welcome to submit an abstract. This conference is not strictly limited to the academic community, and we encourage participation by artists, educators, and members of the non-profit sector. Abstracts will be published and distributed at the meeting.

Key details are below. Read more about this conference here and check out the full Call for Abstracts here.

Instructions for Submitting Abstracts

Complete the online submission form by the March 31, 2025 deadline. You will be contacted by May 1, 2025 if your application has been accepted.

The submission requirements include:

Presentation format (oral presentation or poster)
Presentation title
Abstract (250 words or less)
Key terms (up to 5 words)

Important Dates
February 4, 2025: Call for Abstracts

March 31, 2025: Abstract submission deadline

May 1, 2025: Notification of acceptance

TBD: Registration deadline for all participants

Conference Registration and Fees
Participants from universities and other large organizations: $50

Community members (could be anyone in Denver): $20 or $25

Students (any level): $10

Note: A separate registration form to submit payment for your attendance will be available

Conference Hosts

American Center for Mongolian Studies

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Ulaanbaatar-Denver Sister Cities Committee

Conference Sponsors

University of Colorado

Colorado State University

Interested in sponsoring the events? Contact Sara Jackson Shumate, Ph.D. at sjacks62@msudenver.edu for more information.

Questions?

Contact info@mongoliacenter.org or Sara Jackson Shumate, Ph.D. at sjacks62@msudenver.edu if you have any questions.

ACMS News

An informational graphic that reads “ACMS 2025 Mongolia Field School“ with information about applying online

Applications for Mongolia Field School are Still Open!

Mongolia Field School courses offer an educational travel experience that blends academic insights and discussions with hands-on, immersive travel, allowing participants to interact with local people and locations outside the usual tourist track. ACMS offers a limited number of partial fellowships for participants who apply by March 14, 2025.

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)
Changing Biodiversity in Hustai National Park (July 21-August 3, 2025)

Visit our website to learn more, and apply by March 14 for 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.

XVII Annual Mongolian Studies Conference

ACMS U.S. Director Maggie Lindrooth attended the XVII Annual International Mongolian Studies Conference in Washington, D.C. from February 14-15, 2025, which was held at the Mongolian Embassy to the USA and organized by the Mongolian Cultural Center.

This conference featured opening and closing remarks by Mongolian Ambassador to the U.S. Mr. Batbayar Ulziidelger and two-time ACMS Library Fellow Dr. M. Saruul-Erdene, as well as fascinating presentations by American, Mongolian, and third-country scholars including several former ACMS Board Members and Field Research Fellows! Dr. Simon Wickhamsmith delivered the keynote speech at The Library of Congress, which was entitled "The Poetry and 'Perfect Qualities' of Danzanravjaa, the 'Wild Saint' of the Gobi."

Attendees also had the exciting opportunity to peruse a selection of works from the Library of Congress Mongolian Collection, which was displayed in the Library's East Asian Reading Room, and witnessed traditional Mongolian dance and music performances at the Embassy.

Thank you again to the Mongolian Embassy to the United States for hosting, the Mongolian Cultural Center for organizing, and to all the sponsors, presenters, and esteemed guests who made this event possible!

Three people posed together. From left to right: ACMS U.S. Director Maggie Lindrooth, a lecturer at the conference, and Ambassador Batbayar Ulziidelger.

ACMS U.S. Director Maggie Lindrooth (left) and Mongolian Ambassador to the U.S. Mr. Batbayar Ulziidelger (right)

Dr. Simon Wickhamsmith standing at a podium in the The Library of Congress

A table with dozens of open books displaying images and text related to Mongolian Studies

Dr. Simon Wickhamsmith delivering the keynote speech at The Library of Congress

Books on Mongolian Studies at the Library of Congress

ACMS U.S. Director Maggie Lindrooth under an archway in the Library of Congress

ACMS U.S. Director Maggie Lindrooth at the Library of Congress during the conference proceedings

ACMS Tsagaan Sar Workshop

ACMS successfully held the annual Tsagaan Sar Workshop on February 18, 2025.

The aim of the workshop is to introduce Tsagaan Sar to foreigners who are new to Mongolia and to deepen Mongolians’ understanding of their own traditions. The session provided insights into the history, customs, and etiquette of Mongolia’s Lunar New Year. Topics included traditional greetings, symbolic foods, and family rituals.

Hosts of the ACMS Tsagaan Sar Workshop Distributing food and drink to participants

We express our sincere gratitude to our presenters, State Honored Historian Dr. Batsaikhan Ookhnoi and dedicated ACMS volunteers Tuya Khashbat and Allan Shen, as well as all participants for their enthusiasm and active participation. Your contributions made the workshop a truly enriching experience for everyone involved!

Upcoming ACMS Speaker Series

A poster for the upcoming Speaker Series: “Care Economy in Mongolia“ with Dr. Otgontugs Banzragch

Dr. Otgontugs Banzragch, Professor of Economics at the National University of Mongolia, the oldest and largest public university in the country.

She graduated from Moscow State University in the Russian Federation with BA and MS degrees in economics in 1992, the University of Manchester, UK, with an MA degree in economics in 1998, and a PhD degree on economics and education from Columbia University in the City of New York in 2010.

Dr. Otgontugs has held several administration positions at the university, and between 2012-2016, she was appointed as a member of the Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of Mongolia and a member of the Research Council for Social Sciences at the Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia and PhD defense committee in economics in the country.

During Covid-19, she was appointed to lead a research team of the National Statistics Office of Mongolia, the Customs, Taxation, Finance Information Systems Technology Center of Mongolia, and the National University of Mongolia, UNDP for big data analytics using Mongolian VAT data for the very first time. She also leads a team analyzing the four most recent Censuses of Mongolia, examining the data to research social mobility and inequality.

Currently, Dr. Otgontugs is a country team leader of the global project Care Economies in Context, which is implemented in nine countries on five continents. She conducts research estimating the care economy in Mongolia.

Fellowship Opportunities, Application Deadlines, and CfPs

ACMS 2025 Fellowships

Field School Fellowships

Final Fellowship Deadline: March 14, 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 March 14, 2025. So don't delay, visit our website today to learn more about our 2025 Field School course offerings and submit your application before the deadline!

Mongolian and Inner Asian Studies News, Events, and Publications

Publications

The Mongol Archive in Late Medieval France

In his new book, Mark Cruse explores the Mongol influence on French culture through what he calls 'the Mongol archive'—a wide range of materials including chronicles, crusade treatises, encyclopedias, manuscript illuminations, maps, romances, and travel accounts—revealing how the French court made sense of a people previously unknown to the European intellectual tradition. Cruse mines this archive of Franco-Mongol contact to reassess France's place in the continental history of medieval Eurasia. Read more here.

Upcoming Holidays and Office Closures

ACMS will be closed on the following dates in observation of USA and Mongolian holidays:

March 3, 2025

Tsagaan Sar

March 4-5, 2025

Tsagaan Sar/Substitute Day of March 1-2 (Saturday-Sunday)

March 7, 2025

International Women's Day/Substitute Day of March 8 (Saturday)

Join the ACMS Today!

Interested in becoming more involved with the ACMS? In addition to checking out our website or following us on social media to stay up to date, consider becoming a member online or by stopping by our UB office located at Natsagdorj Library, East Entrance, Seoul St-7, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Additionally, keep your eye out for future newsletters that will include more resources, upcoming events, CfPs, and more.

As always, our Mongolian language classes are available on Zoom or in-person in our Ulaanbaatar office. Contact Tsermaa for more details. And don't forget, many of our library resources are available online as well! So until next time, happy reading and enjoy your winter.