What does it mean to be a monument?

The concept of a “site of memory” (lieu de mémoire) was introduced by French scholar Pierre Nora in the early 1980s. It represents a unity of the spiritual and the material, something that, over time and through collective will, becomes a symbolic element of a community’s national memory and heritage. In every country, and within every cultural and political context, the concepts of collective, social, historical, and cultural memory are interpreted in their own regionally specific ways.

Despite a growing global trend in the methodology and number of studies on memory practices, specialized research of this kind has been extremely limited in Kazakhstan. This lecture series provides a rare opportunity to view several classical works from the field of Memory Studies, as well as the results of fieldwork carried out in Kazakhstan since 2015 by a team of authors: Kulshat Medeuova, Ulbolsyn Sandybaeva, Dametken Tolgambayeva, and Kuralay Yermagambetova.

The Representation of Traumatic Memory in Kazakhstan Public Spaces

The next lecture series on memory sites in Kazakhstan is now available. This time, the speaker is Ulbolsyn Sandybayeva, PhD in Philosophy and Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy at L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

How is memory politics constructed? In what ways is the infrastructure of traumatic memory built? How is history shaped through memorial representations? How strongly do these processes affect the search for identity? This lecture is a brief overview of the field of Trauma Studies and the historical events of the 20th century that have defined the country’s memorial landscape. Kazakhstan is explored as a territory traversed by transnational routes of traumatic memory.

Within this series, you’ll be offered a rare opportunity to dive into several key works from the field of Memory Studies, as well as with the results of field research conducted in Kazakhstan since 2015 by a team of authors: Kulshat Medeuova, Ulbolsyn Sandybayeva, Dametken Tolgambayeva, and Kuralay Yermagambetova.

Sites of Memory of Religious Communities: Museums in Nur-Sultan

We continue the lecture series on sites of memory in Kazakhstan. Today's guest speaker is Dametken Tolgambayeva, PhD in Philosophy and Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy at L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

This lecture covers the Saduakas Hadji Ghilmani Museum and the Church History Museum as sites of memory for Muslim and Orthodox religious communities. Within the topic, you will explore the history of religion in Kazakhstan, as well as the lives of believers and clergy members.

The concept of “site of memory” (lieu de mémoire) was introduced by French scholar Pierre Nora. It embodies the unity of the spiritual and material, which over time and by the will of people becomes a symbolic element of a community's national memory heritage.

This lecture series features several foundational works from the field of Memory Studies, as well as the results of field research conducted in Kazakhstan since 2015.

Monuments to Heroes and Khans in the Cultural Space of Kazakhstan

We are pleased to announce our first lecture in Kazakh. As part of the “Sites of Memory in Kazakhstan” series, Kuralay Yermagambetova will give a talk. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, where she is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy. Her research interests include cultural branding, contemporary Kazakhstani culture, experiments and discourses in the field of contemporary culture, cultural policy, and cultural anthropology.

The lecture explores monuments to batyrs (heroes) and khans as symbols of spiritual unity and national identity of the Kazakh people. These monuments also represent martial prowess, courage, and heroism. They embody Kazakh traditions and cultural values, serve as tools for fostering patriotism, and function as sacred sites and tourist attractions.