Note: The presentations’ slides can become available after conformation of its release with the author. When it becomes available, the presentation’s title will be hyperlinked and will lead to the downloadable pdf.
Agnès Kefeli “Shurale, the Guardian of Nature “
Why study shurale and other Tatar spirits? To paraphrase Michael Dylan Foster, a specialist of Japanese mythology, spirits are recipients of a variety of meanings that change over time, and Tatar mythology is no exception. By tracing the shurale’s journey, one can see the forces that shaped Tatar society before and after the revolution of 1917. Spirits reflect attitudes and beliefs regarding ways that people express their trauma and imagine themselves in times of major changes. In this presentation, the focus will be on the forest spirit in Soviet Tatar visual arts. The 1960s-1970s witnessed a new shift in the Soviet representation of shurale: it was no longer the symbol of conquered nature, but the guardian of nature. This change reflected societal and ecological anxieties prompted by the unbridled post-war industrialization of the Middle Volga and the Urals regions.
Ruslan Garipov ““Indigeneity in the U.S. and Russia: International Law and Domestic Regulations”
Indigeneity is a very important and sensitive issue today because of multi-ethnic and multicultural composition of many modern nations across the globe including the U.S. with almost six hundred federally recognized tribes and Russia with almost two hundred different ethnicities living within the country. American Indian reservations are now the only national-territorial formations in the U.S. structure lodged with powers and sovereignty. From 1778 to 1871, the U.S. federal government entered more than 370 treaties with various Indian tribes. At the same time indigenous peoples share the common issues and face the same problems both in the U.S. and Russia such as disappearing languages and cultural extinction. Because of the numerical threshold, indigenous peoples in Russia are called “indigenous small-numbered peoples.” It is rather unique worldwide and creates asymmetrical legislative protection among groups who share similar challenges and characteristics but are not ultimately recognized as indigenous peoples. International standards play a tremendous role in ensuring indigenous peoples’ rights in both countries nowadays. Previously, if international law could be considered an instrument of colonialism and territorial conquest, today it is an important benchmark and a powerful driver in the development of national legislation aimed at protecting the rights of indigenous peoples both in the U.S. and Russia.
Roza Ayupova “Major principles of contemporary independent Tatar education”
The presentation will begin with the overview of history of Tatar education, the philosophy and major principles it was based upon. Then I will focus on contemporary education philosophies that could be pertinent to contemporary Tatar youth and especially children living and growing in non-Tatar speaking cultural environment. In conclusion, a sample of education project will be suggested.
Hellen Faller “Activism among the Tatar Diaspora in Europe, 2022-2023”
I will briefly describe language and culture activism among a group of Tatars who met at a SuperAlisa concert in September 2022. These activities include creating the Tatar yardem kanaly to help Tatars in Russia avoid mobilization, poet Deenara Rasul’s workshops in which participants write poems in their lost languages, Marcel Ganeyev’s Modern Tatar Identity Podcast, Bulat Shaymi’s comparative Turkic linguistics videos, our group interview with YouTuber Yuriy Dud in support of music star Aigel, and the use of Aigel’s immensely popular song, Piyali as a tool for teaching Tatar language. Because of time constraints, I don’t plan to explore any of these topics in depth.
Renat Shaykhutdinov “Volga Tatars’ Continuing Resilience in Light of New (and Old) Challenges”
The purpose of this presentation is to trace social and political processes of Volga, or Kazan, Tatars – the largest ethnic minority in the Russian Federation and one of the largest stateless ethnonational groups of Europe and the world. In doing so, some of the major developments concerning Tatars within the larger political context will be surveyed. Strategies of resilience, especially efforts at reforming culture, tradition, and the way of thinking, will be touched up. Post-communist struggle for greater self-governance, achievement of the power-sharing treaty with Moscow, and the post-Yeltsin policies will also be investigated. Brief assessment of the prospect of Tatar survival will be discussed.
Chulpan Khismatova and Alima Salakhutdinova “Strength of Multilingual Brain and Power of Heritage Tatar Language”
In recent 15 years, the research that taps into the domain of neurological and functional differences of a brain that operates several languages has boomed thanks to various advances. The accessibility of fMRI machines for brain research; the desire to challenge the construct prevailing in North America that the multilingualism is harmful; the increasing inclination of behavioural scientists to investigate decision-making processes from a perspective of bilinguals in comparison to monolinguals – all has led to impressive recent developments in pinpointing advantages of multilingual brain. This presentation will indicate the strengths and peculiarities of a multilingual brain. It will also discuss a special role of the heritage language for the psychological well-being: a phenomenon that is just getting some attention of the researchers. Through the observations of the students’ interactions with the Tatar language curated instructions some elements have been identified that indicate a native language can serve as a healing agent and improve individual’s well-being. The process of learning heritage cultural values, understanding the richness of the Tatar legacy and identity increases intrinsic motivation and stimulates learning of Tatar language proficiency.
